Smart Eq Fortwo Prime MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Pass rate, every year

95.0% Above average

1,148 tests across 3 model years, 2020–2022.

+14.0 pts vs the national average

MOT PASS RATES

How the Smart Eq Fortwo Prime really fares

95.0% of its MOTs pass — over 1,148 class-4 tests, 2023–2025

Pass rates

Every figure on this page comes from the DVSA's MOT test record.

The Smart Eq Fortwo Prime MOT pass rate is 95.0%, +14.0 percentage points above the UK average. That is 1,148 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2020 and 2022. This page lists the most common Smart Eq Fortwo Prime MOT failures by category, names the best and worst model years, and finishes with a pre-MOT checklist you can run at home.

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MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Smart Eq Fortwo Prime MOT pass rates does in your corner of the country.

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Smart Eq Fortwo Prime MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Smart Eq Fortwo Prime passed on its first attempt in 94.8%, and its overall record sits +14.0 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Smart Eq Fortwo Prime in the 2023–2025 data: 1,148 tests across 3 model years (2020–2022). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

MeasureThis model
Tests analysed1,148
Overall pass rate95.0%
Passed on first attempt94.8%
Average mileage at test11,528 mi
Model years covered2020–2022 (3 years)
Versus UK national average+14.0 pts above

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

Most Common Smart Eq Fortwo Prime MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Smart Eq Fortwo Prime, the Visibility section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Inspection section Share of failures Est. recorded instances
Visibility 55% 49
Tyres 27% 24
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 15% 13
Brakes 2% 2
Suspension 1% 1

Shares are over the Smart Eq Fortwo Prime's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Visibility

Around 55% of the recorded Smart Eq Fortwo Prime failures fall in the Visibility section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (2.7%), "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (0.9%), "Wipers blade defective" (0.5%) among the Smart Eq Fortwo Prime's visibility faults.

Tyres

Around 27% of the recorded Smart Eq Fortwo Prime failures fall in the Tyres section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (0.9%), "Has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure" (0.5%), "Has ply or cords exposed" (0.3%) among the Smart Eq Fortwo Prime's tyres faults.

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

Around 15% of the recorded Smart Eq Fortwo Prime failures fall in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Headlamp aim too low" (0.5%), "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (0.4%), "Stop lamp lens defective which has no effect on emitted light" (0.1%) among the Smart Eq Fortwo Prime's lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment faults.

Top Recorded Smart Eq Fortwo Prime DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Smart Eq Fortwo Prime, each with how many of the model's 1,148 tests it was noted on.

  • "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (Major) — noted on about 31 Smart Eq Fortwo Prime tests, 2.7% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (Major) — noted on about 10 Smart Eq Fortwo Prime tests, 0.9% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 10 Smart Eq Fortwo Prime tests, 0.9% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 6 Smart Eq Fortwo Prime tests, 0.5% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure" (Major) — noted on about 6 Smart Eq Fortwo Prime tests, 0.5% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Headlamp aim too low" (Rectified) — noted on about 6 Smart Eq Fortwo Prime tests, 0.5% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Smart Eq Fortwo Prime Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Smart Eq Fortwo Prime model year on record is 2022 (98.6% across 147 tests), and the weakest is 2020 (93.8%). The gap between them is 4.8 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Smart Eq Fortwo Prime reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 2.4 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

Year Tests Pass rate First attempt Avg mileage Most common failure
2022 Eq Fortwo Prime 147 98.6% 98.6% 9,264 mi Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting drive
2021 Eq Fortwo Prime 302 96.0% 95.8% 12,581 mi Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough
2020 Eq Fortwo Prime 699 93.8% 93.5% 12,739 mi Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively

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

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Smart Eq Fortwo Prime Owners

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

  • the wipers and washers — “wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively”

    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 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.

  • the lights — “headlamp aim too low”

    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.

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

Frequently Asked Questions: Smart Eq Fortwo Prime MOT & Reliability

What is the Smart Eq Fortwo Prime MOT pass rate?

95.0% of the 1,148 recorded Smart Eq Fortwo Prime MOT tests ended in a pass, +14.0 percentage points above the national average. 94.8% of those passed on the first attempt.

Which Smart Eq Fortwo Prime model years pass the MOT most often?

2022 is the strongest Smart Eq Fortwo Prime year on record at 98.6%, while 2020 is the weakest at 93.8%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.

What are the most common Smart Eq Fortwo Prime MOT failures?

The most recorded Smart Eq Fortwo Prime failures are "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" and "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" — together around 4% of tests, mostly in the Visibility section.