Smart City Pulse MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

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

The Smart City Pulse passed on its first attempt in 68.2%, and its overall record sits −6.6 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Smart City Pulse in the 2023–2025 data: 293 tests across 2 model years (2003–2004). 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 Pulse MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Smart City Pulse, 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 Pulse's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

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

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Smart City Pulse, each with how many of the model's 293 tests it was noted on.

• "Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits" (Major) — noted on about 15 Smart City Pulse tests, 5.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect" (Major) — noted on about 15 Smart City Pulse tests, 5.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp not working on dipped beam" (Major) — noted on about 11 Smart City Pulse tests, 3.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 8 Smart City Pulse tests, 2.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Horn not working" (Major) — noted on about 8 Smart City Pulse tests, 2.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 7 Smart City Pulse tests, 2.4% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Smart City Pulse Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Smart City Pulse model year on record is 2003 (76.7% across 120 tests), and the weakest is 2004 (72.8%). The gap between them is 3.9 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 Pulse Owners

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

• 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.

• 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 windscreen — “windscreen damaged”

  Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.

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

Frequently Asked Questions: Smart City Pulse MOT & Reliability