Skip to main content
Pass Your MOT

2004 Mercedes S 280 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 2004 perform at MOT as they age

22 years
Current Age
76.6%
Latest Pass Rate
1,029
Total Tests (All Years)
108,629 mi
Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Compared to Average at Age 16

This car: 76.6%
Average: 52.7%

✅ 23.9% above average (10212 models compared)

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 2004 Mercedes S 280 as it ages.

5 yrs76.6%
6 yrs75.0%
7 yrs70.4%
8 yrs69.5%
9 yrs63.6%
10 yrs74.2%
11 yrs70.2%
12 yrs69.7%
13 yrs64.8%
14 yrs70.7%
15 yrs62.3%
16 yrs76.6%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 5 to 16 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
5 yrs76.6%107
6 yrs75.0%100
7 yrs70.4%98
8 yrs69.5%95
9 yrs63.6%99
10 yrs74.2%93
11 yrs70.2%94
12 yrs69.7%89
13 yrs64.8%88
14 yrs70.7%58
15 yrs62.3%61
16 yrs76.6%47

Pass Rate Trend

How the 2004 Mercedes S 280 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 12 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2020 (16 yrs)76.6%47
2019 (15 yrs)62.3%61
2018 (14 yrs)70.7%58
2017 (13 yrs)64.8%88
2016 (12 yrs)69.7%89
2015 (11 yrs)70.2%94
2014 (10 yrs)74.2%93
2013 (9 yrs)63.6%99
2012 (8 yrs)69.5%95
2011 (7 yrs)70.4%98
2010 (6 yrs)75%100
2009 (5 yrs)76.6%107

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009
76.6%
Age (yrs) 5Tests 107Avg Mileage 50,691Top Failure Tyres — 11.2%
2010
75.0%
Age (yrs) 6Tests 100Avg Mileage 58,560Top Failure Tyres — 13.0%
2011
70.4%
Age (yrs) 7Tests 98Avg Mileage 65,644Top Failure Tyres — 15.3%
2012
69.5%
Age (yrs) 8Tests 95Avg Mileage 73,109Top Failure Brakes — 15.8%
2013High Fail Rate
63.6%
Age (yrs) 9Tests 99Avg Mileage 80,852Top Failure Brakes — 34.3%
2014
74.2%
Age (yrs) 10Tests 93Avg Mileage 82,445Top Failure Brakes — 29.0%
2015
70.2%
Age (yrs) 11Tests 94Avg Mileage 88,744Top Failure Brakes — 28.7%
2016
69.7%
Age (yrs) 12Tests 89Avg Mileage 90,051Top Failure Brakes — 19.1%
2017High Fail Rate
64.8%
Age (yrs) 13Tests 88Avg Mileage 93,573Top Failure Brakes — 25.0%
2018
70.7%
Age (yrs) 14Tests 58Avg Mileage 93,292Top Failure Brakes — 48.3%
2019High Fail Rate
62.3%
Age (yrs) 15Tests 61Avg Mileage 95,351Top Failure Brakes — 67.2%
2020
76.6%
Age (yrs) 16Tests 47Avg Mileage 108,629Top Failure Brakes — 36.2%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 2004 Mercedes S 280, with age trends.

Brakes
27.4%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
22.9%
↑ Increases with age
Tyres
20.0%
↑ Increases with age
Body, chassis, structure
16.4%
— Consistent
Suspension
16.1%
↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Brakes6.5% (5 yrs)36.2% (16 yrs)
+29.7%
🔴 ↑
Tyres11.2% (5 yrs)31.9% (16 yrs)
+20.7%
🔴 ↑
Suspension4.7% (5 yrs)8.5% (16 yrs)
+3.8%
🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes S 280 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes S 280 cars manufactured in 2004 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2020, covering 1,029 tests. Pass rates naturally decline with age as components wear.

Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.

Share via WhatsApp Share on Facebook Report Issue