1997 Mercedes-Benz E: MOT pass rate and reliability

72.4% of 1997 Mercedes-Benz Es pass the MOT first time, measured across 293 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 107,414 miles.

How the 1997 compares

  • Against all Mercedes-Benz Es (79.8%, 229,472 tests): -7.4 points
  • Against all 1997 cars (70.4%): +2 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Mercedes-Benz E model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 1997 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Mercedes-Benz E:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
1994 76% 666 131,946
1995 75.3% 732 133,564
1996 74% 497 127,816
1997 72.4% 293 107,414
1998 79.8% 524 115,408
1999 75.9% 468 114,890
2000 76.4% 526 110,500
2001 73.1% 707 110,319
2002 73.9% 1,010 120,327
2003 72.5% 2,964 135,536
2004 72.1% 4,108 140,580
2005 71.7% 4,064 137,671
2006 72% 3,627 134,816
2007 74.5% 5,429 135,656
2008 72.4% 4,342 134,134
2009 72.2% 6,742 121,348
2010 72.1% 11,357 112,833
2011 73.5% 13,334 109,251
2012 73.8% 14,505 106,515
2013 74.5% 18,656 102,503
2014 78.3% 20,261 97,400
2015 81.1% 21,463 96,520
2016 84.9% 20,666 88,488
2017 86.2% 22,557 83,285
2018 86.5% 21,505 67,922
2019 87.5% 19,076 58,205
2020 87.8% 6,672 42,402
2021 88.8% 2,135 36,696

What this means if you are buying a 1997 E

The 1997 is a weaker year for this model, passing 7.4 points less often than the Mercedes-Benz E average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 1997 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 29-year-old car fails on

A 1997 car is 29 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 above average and into the range where cambelts and water pumps are due if they have not already been done, so ask for the service history rather than take the mileage on trust. On a 1997 Mercedes-Benz E the average at test was 107,414 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 2021 at 88.8%, and the weakest in our data is 2005 at 71.7%. That 17.1 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 1997 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Mercedes-Benz E MOT data · Every model