Smart Fortwo MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Smart Fortwo MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Smart Fortwo passed on its first attempt in 75.3%, and its overall record sits −1.3 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Smart Fortwo in the 2023–2025 data: 2,683 tests across 8 model years (2004–2013). 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 Fortwo MOT Problems by Failure Category

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

Top Recorded Smart Fortwo DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Smart Fortwo, each with how many of the model's 2,683 tests it was noted on.

• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 86 Smart Fortwo tests, 3.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp not working on dipped beam" (Major) — noted on about 74 Smart Fortwo tests, 2.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Stop lamp not working" (Rectified) — noted on about 56 Smart Fortwo tests, 2.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Service brake performance excessively binding" (Major) — noted on about 45 Smart Fortwo tests, 1.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 40 Smart Fortwo tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 40 Smart Fortwo tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Smart Fortwo Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Smart Fortwo model year on record is 2013 (83.4% across 1,652 tests), and the weakest is 2006 (71.2%). The gap between them is 12.2 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Smart Fortwo reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 2.7 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

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

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Smart Fortwo Owners

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

• the coil springs — “coil spring fractured or broken”

  Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.

• the lights — “headlamp not working on dipped beam”

  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 Fortwo. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Smart Fortwo is most common

Across every Fortwo model year on record (2004–2013): 1,180 Smart Fortwo cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 2,683 tests. Enfield (EN) has the most, with 51 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.

The twenty areas with the most Smart Fortwo cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →

Frequently Asked Questions: Smart Fortwo MOT & Reliability