2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class: MOT pass rate and reliability

76.7% of 2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class pass the MOT first time, measured across 365 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 111,006 miles.

How the 2002 compares

  • Against all Mercedes-Benz S-Class (85.2%, 25,599 tests): -8.5 points
  • Against all 2002 cars (65.4%): +11.3 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Mercedes-Benz S-Class model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2002 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
2000 75.4% 232 103,473
2001 72.6% 328 102,704
2002 76.7% 365 111,006
2003 78.6% 611 121,480
2004 81.4% 622 124,271
2005 74% 515 124,574
2006 81.6% 1,019 109,881
2007 78% 1,259 116,637
2008 78.4% 977 112,282
2009 76.4% 830 113,233
2010 80.8% 853 110,976
2011 81.7% 920 109,152
2012 81.6% 1,224 104,015
2013 85.1% 970 109,527
2014 89.8% 1,608 97,518
2015 88.1% 2,167 87,704
2016 87.7% 2,717 74,820
2017 89% 2,381 72,557
2018 91.5% 2,344 72,530
2019 92.3% 2,339 66,177
2020 93.7% 255 43,827

What this means if you are buying a 2002 S-Class

The 2002 is a weaker year for this model, passing 8.5 points less often than the Mercedes-Benz S-Class average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2002 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 24-year-old car fails on

A 2002 car is 24 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 2002 Mercedes-Benz S-Class the average at test was 111,006 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 93.7%, and the weakest in our data is 2001 at 72.6%. That 21.1 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2002 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Mercedes-Benz S-Class MOT data · Every model