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1997 Rover 420 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age

29 years
Current Age
50.0%
Latest Pass Rate
19,631
Total Tests (All Years)
67,276 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 Rover 420 as it ages.

12 yrs38.5%
13 yrs37.8%
14 yrs38.1%
15 yrs40.7%
16 yrs40.4%
17 yrs43.0%
18 yrs40.6%
19 yrs50.8%
20 yrs53.4%
21 yrs50.6%
22 yrs49.2%
23 yrs62.5%
24 yrs62.8%
25 yrs46.9%
27 yrs50.0%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 12 to 27 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
12 yrs38.5%6,786
13 yrs37.8%4,988
14 yrs38.1%3,144
15 yrs40.7%1,908
16 yrs40.4%1,063
17 yrs43.0%626
18 yrs40.6%389
19 yrs50.8%244
20 yrs53.4%178
21 yrs50.6%79
22 yrs49.2%63
23 yrs62.5%48
24 yrs62.8%43
25 yrs46.9%32
27 yrs50.0%40

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1997 Rover 420 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows declining over 15 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2024 (27 yrs)50%40
2022 (25 yrs)46.9%32
2021 (24 yrs)62.8%43
2020 (23 yrs)62.5%48
2019 (22 yrs)49.2%63
2018 (21 yrs)50.6%79
2017 (20 yrs)53.4%178
2016 (19 yrs)50.8%244
2015 (18 yrs)40.6%389
2014 (17 yrs)43%626
2013 (16 yrs)40.4%1,063
2012 (15 yrs)40.7%1,908
2011 (14 yrs)38.1%3,144
2010 (13 yrs)37.8%4,988
2009 (12 yrs)38.5%6,786

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
38.5%
Age (yrs) 12Tests 6,786Avg Mileage 106,825Top Failure Brakes — 38.8%
2010High Fail Rate
37.8%
Age (yrs) 13Tests 4,988Avg Mileage 109,944Top Failure Brakes — 41.0%
2011High Fail Rate
38.1%
Age (yrs) 14Tests 3,144Avg Mileage 110,627Top Failure Brakes — 39.8%
2012High Fail Rate
40.7%
Age (yrs) 15Tests 1,908Avg Mileage 108,681Top Failure Brakes — 38.1%
2013High Fail Rate
40.4%
Age (yrs) 16Tests 1,063Avg Mileage 106,112Top Failure Brakes — 98.4%
2014High Fail Rate
43.0%
Age (yrs) 17Tests 626Avg Mileage 101,461Top Failure Brakes — 87.9%
2015High Fail Rate
40.6%
Age (yrs) 18Tests 389Avg Mileage 99,304Top Failure Brakes — 88.4%
2016High Fail Rate
50.8%
Age (yrs) 19Tests 244Avg Mileage 94,360Top Failure Suspension — 78.7%
2017High Fail Rate
53.4%
Age (yrs) 20Tests 178Avg Mileage 91,985Top Failure Suspension — 63.5%
2018High Fail Rate
50.6%
Age (yrs) 21Tests 79Avg Mileage 86,991Top Failure Brakes — 81.0%
2019High Fail Rate
49.2%
Age (yrs) 22Tests 63Avg Mileage 84,640Top Failure Brakes — 87.3%
2020High Fail Rate
62.5%
Age (yrs) 23Tests 48Avg Mileage 85,442Top Failure Brakes — 64.6%
2021High Fail Rate
62.8%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 43Avg Mileage 85,902Top Failure Brakes — 48.8%
2022High Fail Rate
46.9%
Age (yrs) 25Tests 32Avg Mileage 85,825Top Failure Suspension — 71.9%
2024High Fail Rate
50.0%
Age (yrs) 27Tests 40Avg Mileage 67,276Top Failure Suspension — 85.0%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1997 Rover 420, with age trends.

Brakes
63.1%
— Consistent
Suspension
62.3%
↑ Increases with age
Noise, emissions and leaks
46.3%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
43.4%
↓ Decreases with age
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
37.8%
— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Suspension35.6% (12 yrs)85.0% (27 yrs)
+49.4%
🔴 ↑
Tyres21.3% (12 yrs)25.0% (27 yrs)
+3.7%
🔴 ↑
Brakes38.8% (12 yrs)40.0% (27 yrs)
+1.2%
⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Rover 420 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Rover 420 cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2024, covering 19,631 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.

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