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Smart Forfour Coolstyle MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

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Pass rate, every year

73.7% Below average

711 tests across 2 model years, 2005–2006.

−7.3 pts vs the national average

MOT PASS RATES

How the Smart Forfour Coolstyle really fares

73.7% of its MOTs pass — over 711 class-4 tests, 2023–2025

Pass rates

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

The Smart Forfour Coolstyle MOT pass rate is 73.7%, −7.3 percentage points below the UK average. That is 711 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2005 and 2006. This page lists the most common Smart Forfour Coolstyle MOT failures by category, names the best and worst model years, and finishes with a pre-MOT checklist you can run at home.

Smart Forfour Coolstyle MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Smart Forfour Coolstyle passed on its first attempt in 66.8%, and its overall record sits −7.3 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Smart Forfour Coolstyle in the 2023–2025 data: 711 tests across 2 model years (2005–2006). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

MeasureThis model
Tests analysed711
Overall pass rate73.7%
Passed on first attempt66.8%
Average mileage at test97,483 mi
Model years covered2005–2006 (2 years)
Versus UK national average−7.3 pts below

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

Most Common Smart Forfour Coolstyle MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Smart Forfour Coolstyle, 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.

Inspection section Share of failures Est. recorded instances
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 62% 235
Suspension 18% 67
Steering 14% 53
Noise, emissions and leaks 6% 24

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

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

Around 62% of the recorded Smart Forfour Coolstyle failures fall in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (9.0%), "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (8.2%), "Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect" (5.3%) among the Smart Forfour Coolstyle's lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment faults.

Suspension

Around 18% of the recorded Smart Forfour Coolstyle failures fall in the Suspension section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (8.9%), "Coil spring fractured or broken" (0.3%), "Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (0.3%) among the Smart Forfour Coolstyle's suspension faults.

Steering

Around 14% of the recorded Smart Forfour Coolstyle failures fall in the Steering section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt" (3.9%), "Track rod end ball joint has excessive play" (3.5%) among the Smart Forfour Coolstyle's steering faults.

Top Recorded Smart Forfour Coolstyle DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Smart Forfour Coolstyle, each with how many of the model's 711 tests it was noted on.

  • "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 64 Smart Forfour Coolstyle tests, 9.0% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 63 Smart Forfour Coolstyle tests, 8.9% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (Minor) — noted on about 58 Smart Forfour Coolstyle tests, 8.2% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect" (Major) — noted on about 38 Smart Forfour Coolstyle tests, 5.3% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt" (Minor) — noted on about 28 Smart Forfour Coolstyle tests, 3.9% of the model's MOT record.
  • "Stop lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning" (Minor) — noted on about 26 Smart Forfour Coolstyle tests, 3.7% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Smart Forfour Coolstyle Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Smart Forfour Coolstyle model year on record is 2005 (84.7% across 59 tests), and the weakest is 2006 (72.7%). The gap between them is 12.0 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Year Tests Pass rate First attempt Avg mileage Most common failure
2006 Forfour Coolstyle 652 72.7% 65.2% 91,847 mi Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case o
2005 Forfour Coolstyle 59 84.7% 82.7% 103,119 mi Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated

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

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Smart Forfour Coolstyle Owners

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

  • the lights — “registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”

    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 suspension joints — “ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated”

    With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.

  • the battery — “battery(ies) insecure”

    Check the battery is secure and its terminals are clean and tight — a loose battery is a fail on its own, and a weak one shows up as slow cranking on a cold morning.

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

Frequently Asked Questions: Smart Forfour Coolstyle MOT & Reliability

What is the Smart Forfour Coolstyle MOT pass rate?

73.7% of the 711 recorded Smart Forfour Coolstyle MOT tests ended in a pass, −7.3 percentage points below the national average. 66.8% of those passed on the first attempt.

Which Smart Forfour Coolstyle model years pass the MOT most often?

2005 is the strongest Smart Forfour Coolstyle year on record at 84.7%, while 2006 is the weakest at 72.7%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.

What are the most common Smart Forfour Coolstyle MOT failures?

The most recorded Smart Forfour Coolstyle failures are "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" and "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" — together around 18% of tests, mostly in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section.