1998 Mercedes-Benz C: MOT pass rate and reliability

77.6% of 1998 Mercedes-Benz Cs pass the MOT first time, measured across 880 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 114,608 miles.

How the 1998 compares

  • Against all Mercedes-Benz Cs (78%, 366,065 tests): -0.4 points
  • Against all 1998 cars (70%): +7.6 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Mercedes-Benz C model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 1998 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Mercedes-Benz C:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
1994 82.9% 245 102,839
1995 81.2% 309 102,503
1996 78.4% 416 109,005
1997 77.2% 716 121,118
1998 77.6% 880 114,608
1999 77.3% 801 111,898
2000 72.8% 591 104,073
2001 69.7% 1,278 100,726
2002 68.9% 2,498 103,148
2003 65.1% 4,573 110,047
2004 64% 6,654 115,701
2005 65.8% 8,935 120,595
2006 65.5% 10,281 117,925
2007 68.2% 12,922 118,523
2008 68.5% 14,477 120,547
2009 69.6% 13,737 117,871
2010 71.3% 14,144 110,943
2011 71.9% 20,290 109,553
2012 71.5% 27,347 103,534
2013 73.5% 24,487 98,033
2014 79.8% 25,886 90,705
2015 82% 34,768 86,152
2016 83.7% 37,202 75,135
2017 84.9% 40,087 62,032
2018 86.9% 28,697 52,134
2019 88.7% 24,387 41,491
2020 90% 7,486 34,449
2021 90% 1,802 27,703

What this means if you are buying a 1998 C

The 1998 sits close to the Mercedes-Benz C average, so there is no strong model-year signal either way. Judge the individual car on its own history. 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 28-year-old car fails on

A 1998 car is 28 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 1998 Mercedes-Benz C the average at test was 114,608 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 2020 at 90%, and the weakest in our data is 2004 at 64%. That 26.0 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 1998 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Mercedes-Benz C MOT data · Every model