1992 Mercedes-Benz 190 E: MOT pass rate and reliability

75% of 1992 Mercedes-Benz 190 Es pass the MOT first time, measured across 468 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 124,912 miles.

How the 1992 compares

  • Against all Mercedes-Benz 190 Es (77.1%, 1,942 tests): -2.1 points
  • Against all 1992 cars (73.2%): +1.8 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Mercedes-Benz 190 E model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 1992 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Mercedes-Benz 190 E:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
1990 76.2% 357 122,546
1991 77.8% 333 123,696
1992 75% 468 124,912
1993 77.4% 371 119,584

What this means if you are buying a 1992 190 E

The 1992 is a weaker year for this model, passing 2.1 points less often than the Mercedes-Benz 190 E average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 1992 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.

What a 34-year-old car fails on

A 1992 car is 34 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:

  • Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
  • Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
  • Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
  • Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
  • Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
  • Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested

That is high mileage, so timing belts, clutches, suspension bushes and corrosion are the items worth budgeting for rather than the MOT itself. On a 1992 Mercedes-Benz 190 E the average at test was 124,912 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.

The strongest year for this model is 1991 at 77.8%, and the weakest in our data is 1992 at 75%. That 2.8 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 1992 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Mercedes-Benz 190 E MOT data · Every model