Smart (mcc) Fortwo MOT pass rate & common failures

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

The Fortwo is 4.3 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is below average. The unadjusted figure is 71.8%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Smart (mcc) Fortwo tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1. 1.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened16.7%

   1,590 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained

2. 2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements11.0%

   1,052 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

3. 3.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen9.1%

   865 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained

4. 4.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning8.7%

   827 occurrencesLamp not working explained

5. 5.Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake8.4%

   801 occurrencesBrake binding or imbalanced across an axle explained

6. 6.Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning8.3%

   788 occurrencesStop lamp not working explained

7. 7.Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer7.4%

   700 occurrencesEmissions above the permitted limit explained

8. 8.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements7.3%

   695 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained

9. 9.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction7.2%

   685 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained

10. 10.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.6%

    631 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Smart (mcc) Fortwo tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1. 1.A tyre seriously damaged21.0%

   9,164 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

2. 2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements17.0%

   7,413 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

3. 3.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded11.5%

   5,011 testsBrake pipe corroded explained

4. 4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured8.0%

   3,487 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

5. 5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm5.9%

   2,577 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

6. 6.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users4.0%

   1,742 tests

7. 7.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened3.4%

   1,489 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained

8. 8.Number plate inscription missing or illegible3.3%

   1,428 testsRegistration plate missing, insecure or illegible explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Fortwo fleet

Average mileage recorded at test

54,025

Across examples of every age, so this is a description of the fleet rather than an annual figure.

Fuel mix of tested cars

Petrol91.3%

Diesel6.6%

Electric2.0%

Compare within the range

Other Smart (mcc) models

• Smart (mcc) Forfour — 64.8% adjusted
• Smart (mcc) City — 60.1% unadjusted
• Smart (mcc) Roadster — 74.1% unadjusted
• Smart (mcc) Cabriolet — 63.6% unadjusted
• All Smart (mcc) models →

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

• Jaguar XE — 82.0% adjusted, ranked 39
• Suzuki Alto — 58.8% adjusted, ranked 258
• Volkswagen Scirocco — 72.2% adjusted, ranked 147
• Fiat Doblo — 65.4% adjusted, ranked 218

Common questions

Is the Smart (mcc) Fortwo reliable?

On MOT evidence the Smart (mcc) Fortwo is below average. It passes 68.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 80% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Smart (mcc) Fortwo?

The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 16.7% of failed Smart (mcc) Fortwo tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Smart (mcc) Fortwo?

The most common advisory is "A tyre seriously damaged", noted on 21.0% of all Smart (mcc) Fortwo tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Smart (mcc) Fortwo usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 54,025 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Does a Smart (mcc) Fortwo get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 82.2% of Smart (mcc) Fortwo tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 63.1%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Smart (mcc) Fortwo models petrol or diesel?

Of the Smart (mcc) Fortwo cars tested, 91% are petrol, 7% are diesel, 2% are electric. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.

Further reading

Make sense of the numbers

• How to judge reliability from evidence rather than reputation
• What counts as high or low mileage for a car’s age
• The most common MOT failures and how to avoid them
• What to check before buying a used Smart (mcc)