1998 Mercedes S 500 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1998 perform at MOT as they age

28 years

Current Age

64.9%

Latest Pass Rate

495

Total Tests (All Years)

110,784 mi

Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Compared to Average at Age 19

This car: 64.9%

Average: 55.4%

✅ 9.5% above average (7550 models compared)

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1998 Mercedes S 500 as it ages.

11 yrs70.2%

→ ↓5.7%

12 yrs64.5%

→ ↓1.1%

13 yrs63.4%

→ ↓3.8%

14 yrs59.6%

→ ↓5.6%

15 yrs54.0%

→ ↑16.5%

16 yrs70.5%

→ ↓8.6%

17 yrs61.9%

→ ↑8.9%

18 yrs70.8%

→ ↓5.9%

19 yrs64.9%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
11 yrs	70.2%	84
12 yrs	64.5%	62
13 yrs	63.4%	71
14 yrs	59.6%	57
15 yrs	54.0%	50
16 yrs	70.5%	44
17 yrs	61.9%	42
18 yrs	70.8%	48
19 yrs	64.9%	37

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1998 Mercedes S 500 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2017 (19 yrs)	64.9%	37
2016 (18 yrs)	70.8%	48
2015 (17 yrs)	61.9%	42
2014 (16 yrs)	70.5%	44
2013 (15 yrs)	54%	50
2012 (14 yrs)	59.6%	57
2011 (13 yrs)	63.4%	71
2010 (12 yrs)	64.5%	62
2009 (11 yrs)	70.2%	84

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

70.2%

Age (yrs) 11Tests 84Avg Mileage 105,846Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 21.4%

2010High Fail Rate

64.5%

Age (yrs) 12Tests 62Avg Mileage 106,277Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 19.4%

2011High Fail Rate

63.4%

Age (yrs) 13Tests 71Avg Mileage 110,196Top Failure Brakes — 19.7%

2012High Fail Rate

59.6%

Age (yrs) 14Tests 57Avg Mileage 114,568Top Failure Brakes — 21.1%

2013High Fail Rate

54.0%

Age (yrs) 15Tests 50Avg Mileage 108,669Top Failure Brakes — 74.0%

2014

70.5%

Age (yrs) 16Tests 44Avg Mileage 114,120Top Failure Brakes — 47.7%

2015High Fail Rate

61.9%

Age (yrs) 17Tests 42Avg Mileage 113,025Top Failure Suspension — 59.5%

2016

70.8%

Age (yrs) 18Tests 48Avg Mileage 116,416Top Failure Suspension — 37.5%

2017High Fail Rate

64.9%

Age (yrs) 19Tests 37Avg Mileage 110,784Top Failure Suspension — 43.2%

MOT results for 1998 Mercedes S 500 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	11	70.2%	84	105,846	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 21.4%
2010	12	64.5%	62	106,277	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 19.4%
2011	13	63.4%	71	110,196	Brakes — 19.7%
2012	14	59.6%	57	114,568	Brakes — 21.1%
2013	15	54.0%	50	108,669	Brakes — 74.0%
2014	16	70.5%	44	114,120	Brakes — 47.7%
2015	17	61.9%	42	113,025	Suspension — 59.5%
2016	18	70.8%	48	116,416	Suspension — 37.5%
2017	19	64.9%	37	110,784	Suspension — 43.2%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1998 Mercedes S 500, with age trends.

Brakes

33.0%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

29.9%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

28.2%

— Consistent

Tyres

17.5%

↑ Increases with age

Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions

14.8%

↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Suspension	13.1% (11 yrs)	43.2% (19 yrs)	+30.1%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	14.3% (11 yrs)	29.7% (19 yrs)	+15.4%	🔴 ↑
Driver's View of the Road	7.1% (11 yrs)	13.5% (19 yrs)	+6.4%	🔴 ↑
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment	21.4% (11 yrs)	24.3% (19 yrs)	+2.9%	🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Mercedes S 500 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes S 500 cars manufactured in 1998 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2017, covering 495 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.