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CostMeasured

Cheap to run early — then the bills accelerate

Some models age gently, then hit a wall. Mercedes-Benz SLK's failure rate climbs 7.8× faster once it passes year 7 — exactly the window a warranty is meant to cover.

7.8×
Mercedes-Benz SLK failure acceleration
Mercedes-Benz SLK
7.8×
Ford Edge
7.8×
Honda HR-V
7.6×
Ford Freedom
7.5×
Ferrari California
7.1×
Peugeot 206
7×
1× = normal aging

Each model's failure-by-age curve is checked for a real inflection point between ages 4 and 12 — an age after which failures accelerate. The multiple is how much steeper the curve gets past that age. A vehicle can look cheap on early-year data and still carry a steep later bill.

Data basisReal MOT failure curves, inflection-age detection (ages 4–12). Measured.