Smart City Passion MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Smart City Passion MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Smart City Passion passed on its first attempt in 68.7%, and its overall record sits −5.9 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Smart City Passion in the 2023–2025 data: 2,118 tests across 5 model years (2003–2007). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Smart City Passion MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Smart City Passion, the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Smart City Passion's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Smart City Passion DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Smart City Passion, each with how many of the model's 2,118 tests it was noted on.

• "Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect" (Major) — noted on about 94 Smart City Passion tests, 4.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Washers provides insufficient washer liquid" (Major) — noted on about 84 Smart City Passion tests, 4.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Stop lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 70 Smart City Passion tests, 3.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 68 Smart City Passion tests, 3.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits" (Major) — noted on about 67 Smart City Passion tests, 3.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 63 Smart City Passion tests, 3.0% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Smart City Passion Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Smart City Passion model year on record is 2005 (76.7% across 472 tests), and the weakest is 2006 (73.5%). The gap between them is 3.2 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Smart City Passion Owners

These checks follow this Smart City Passion's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Smart City Passion.

• the lights — “headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect”

  Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.

• the wipers and washers — “washers provides insufficient washer liquid”

  Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.

• the exhaust and emissions — “catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits”

  Listen for a blow at idle and have someone rev it gently. Then look at the tailpipe smoke: blue is oil, white when warm is coolant, black is over-fuelling. Any of those and the emissions test is the least of it.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Smart City Passion. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: Smart City Passion MOT & Reliability