How many Mercedes-Benz 420s are left in New Zealand?
Rare 1 in 106,247 on the road Built 1986-2008 European
Updated from the NZTA Motor Vehicle Register, counted as at 31 August 2026. Recounted every month.
From the mid-1980s the 420 was the middle V8 in the big Mercedes range, a 4.2-litre fitted to the W126 saloons and SEC coupe and, in some markets, the SL. The number carried on in the 1990s on the E420 and S420, and returned once more in the 2000s on a V8 diesel.
Still on the road, by model year
The most are from 1986: 18 still registered. Every year is listed under the chart.
Every model year
| Model year | Still registered |
|---|---|
| 1986 | 18 |
| 1987 | 2 |
| 1988 | 7 |
| 1989 | 4 |
| 1990 | 5 |
| 1991 | 2 |
| 1993 | 1 |
| 1994 | 2 |
| 2008 | 3 |
By badge
The versions the register records, most numerous first.
| Which one | Built | Left | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEL | 5 | Rare |
What Rare means
Spotto grades every car by how many are still registered in New Zealand. With 44 still registered, the Mercedes-Benz 420 is Rare: the grade for cars with 25 to 174 left.
By how many are left it ranks 60th of the 102 Mercedes-Benz models and equal 1,369th of all 2,903 cars in Spotto's catalogue.
The six grades: Common, 8,000 or more · Uncommon, 1,200 to 7,999 · Scarce, 175 to 1,199 · Rare, 25 to 174 · Super rare, 5 to 24 · Unicorn, fewer than 5.
Seen one?
Spotto grades every car on New Zealand roads by how many are still registered, down to the generation and the badge. Log the ones you spot, build a collection, and see who else has found one.