1997 Mercedes Sl 280 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age

29 years

Current Age

83.8%

Latest Pass Rate

1,429

Total Tests (All Years)

83,497 mi

Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1997 Mercedes Sl 280 as it ages.

12 yrs72.9%

→ ↑2.4%

13 yrs75.3%

→ ↓2.8%

14 yrs72.5%

→ ↑2.2%

15 yrs74.7%

→ ↑0.9%

16 yrs75.6%

→ ↓1.5%

17 yrs74.1%

→ ↑5.0%

18 yrs79.1%

→ ↓3.8%

19 yrs75.3%

→ ↑0.8%

20 yrs76.1%

→ ↓8.5%

21 yrs67.6%

→ ↑16.2%

22 yrs83.8%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
12 yrs	72.9%	181
13 yrs	75.3%	158
14 yrs	72.5%	167
15 yrs	74.7%	166
16 yrs	75.6%	176
17 yrs	74.1%	158
18 yrs	79.1%	153
19 yrs	75.3%	150
20 yrs	76.1%	46
21 yrs	67.6%	37
22 yrs	83.8%	37

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1997 Mercedes Sl 280 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2019 (22 yrs)	83.8%	37
2018 (21 yrs)	67.6%	37
2017 (20 yrs)	76.1%	46
2016 (19 yrs)	75.3%	150
2015 (18 yrs)	79.1%	153
2014 (17 yrs)	74.1%	158
2013 (16 yrs)	75.6%	176
2012 (15 yrs)	74.7%	166
2011 (14 yrs)	72.5%	167
2010 (13 yrs)	75.3%	158
2009 (12 yrs)	72.9%	181

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

72.9%

Age (yrs) 12Tests 181Avg Mileage 68,674Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 12.7%

2010

75.3%

Age (yrs) 13Tests 158Avg Mileage 72,139Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 15.2%

2011

72.5%

Age (yrs) 14Tests 167Avg Mileage 77,005Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 14.4%

2012

74.7%

Age (yrs) 15Tests 166Avg Mileage 77,255Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 13.9%

2013

75.6%

Age (yrs) 16Tests 176Avg Mileage 79,511Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 28.4%

2014

74.1%

Age (yrs) 17Tests 158Avg Mileage 79,998Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 21.5%

2015

79.1%

Age (yrs) 18Tests 153Avg Mileage 79,607Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.9%

2016

75.3%

Age (yrs) 19Tests 150Avg Mileage 82,678Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 22.0%

2017

76.1%

Age (yrs) 20Tests 46Avg Mileage 85,631Top Failure Brakes — 23.9%

2018

67.6%

Age (yrs) 21Tests 37Avg Mileage 87,867Top Failure Suspension — 21.6%

2019

83.8%

Age (yrs) 22Tests 37Avg Mileage 83,497Top Failure Brakes — 27.0%

MOT results for 1997 Mercedes Sl 280 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	12	72.9%	181	68,674	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 12.7%
2010	13	75.3%	158	72,139	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 15.2%
2011	14	72.5%	167	77,005	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 14.4%
2012	15	74.7%	166	77,255	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 13.9%
2013	16	75.6%	176	79,511	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 28.4%
2014	17	74.1%	158	79,998	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 21.5%
2015	18	79.1%	153	79,607	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.9%
2016	19	75.3%	150	82,678	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 22.0%
2017	20	76.1%	46	85,631	Brakes — 23.9%
2018	21	67.6%	37	87,867	Suspension — 21.6%
2019	22	83.8%	37	83,497	Brakes — 27.0%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1997 Mercedes Sl 280, with age trends.

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

18.9%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

18.0%

— Consistent

Brakes

17.1%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

12.3%

— Consistent

Visibility

10.8%

↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Brakes	11.6% (12 yrs)	27.0% (22 yrs)	+15.4%	🔴 ↑
Suspension	6.6% (12 yrs)	5.4% (22 yrs)	-1.2%	⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

← Back to Mercedes Sl 280 overview

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

About This Data

This page shows how Mercedes Sl 280 cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2019, covering 1,429 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.