Mercedes-Benz E-Class 1998: MOT failure rate for its age

37.3% of 955 MOT tests of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class first registered in 1998 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 101.3 (95% CI 90.8–111.9; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 1998 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age. This is a rough estimate from a smaller sample.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class built in 1998 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	37.3	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	955
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 90.8–111.9)	101.3	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	955
Rank among this model's 23 build years	10	of 23	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	955
Tested in 2024	47	tests	median 103,923 miles	2024	47

Built 1998 against Mercedes-Benz E-Class normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 21: 37.2% vs 37.7%; age 22: 37.4% vs 35.5%. Axis from 0% to 40%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 1998 Mercedes-Benz E-Class by registration · All Mercedes-Benz E-Class MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 1998 Mercedes-Benz E-Class fail at each age?

Cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class built 1998: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
Age	Tests	Failed, %	95% interval	Normal for this model at that age, %	Index (100 = normal)
21	554	37.2	33.3–41.3	37.7	98.6
22	401 (rough estimate)	37.4	32.8–42.2	35.5	105.4

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 955 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 1998 Mercedes-Benz E-Class?

The most common failure group on cars built in 1998 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 33.2 items per 100 first tests, against 6.8 across all build years of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Mercedes-Benz E-Class built 1998 against the Mercedes-Benz E-Class in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 1998, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	33.2	6.8	1,161
Suspension	19.9	10.7	694
Visibility	13.7	4.9	478
Brakes	13.1	8.9	458
Body, chassis, structure	9.5	1	331

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 3,492 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 1998 compare with the years around it?

Among the 23 published build years of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, 1998 ranks 10 (1 = fails least for its age). 1999: index 106.2.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
1998	101.3	90.8–111.9	no different (rough estimate)	955
1999	106.2	98.0–114.5	no different (rough estimate)	1,689
2000	105.8	98.8–112.9	no different (rough estimate)	2,364
2001	108.8	103.4–114.3	worse (rough estimate)	4,058
2002	103.9	99.5–108.2	no different	6,166
2003	100.7	98.3–103.1	no different	19,766
2004	103.9	101.8–106.0	worse	26,707
2005	103.9	101.8–106.1	worse	26,614
2006	100.8	98.6–102.9	no different	25,510
2007	98.7	96.9–100.5	no different	37,054
2008	102.7	100.6–104.8	worse	28,353
2009	102.5	100.7–104.2	worse	44,406
2010	99.3	97.9–100.7	no different	74,458
2011	98.4	97.1–99.7	better	87,681
2012	104.9	103.5–106.3	worse	90,878
2013	106.6	105.3–107.9	worse	109,585
2014	101.3	100.1–102.6	worse	120,350
2015	100.8	99.5–102.0	no different	134,866
2016	96.2	94.9–97.5	better	131,276
2017	92.9	91.5–94.3	better	123,760
2018	101.8	100.0–103.6	no different	89,150
2019	97.5	95.3–99.7	better	59,104
2020	111.0	105.9–116.1	worse	13,258

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,258,008 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). Mercedes-Benz E-Class 1998 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/mercedes-e-class/1998/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

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