Pass rate
75.8%
Around average — 3.6 pts ahead of the 72.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 66 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £19–£65
2004 Smart Fortwo Passion Sp-G MOT pass rate
- 2004
- typical 62,901 mi
Only 66 tests of this exact model and year are in the DVSA data, below the 100 we ask for before a page goes in the index. The figures are still shown, because they are the only ones there are.
Most common fault
Lamps & electrics
27.6% of faults · 12.2% nationally
Which year to buy
- Best 2004 75.8% pass · this year
- Avoid 2004 75.8% pass · this year
Across the 1 years on record, a spread of 0 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 69.2%
- Typical mileage
- 63k mi
The 2004 Smart Fortwo Passion Sp-G MOT pass rate is 75.8% of its MOT tests — 3.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Lamps & electrics is the biggest single reason it fails, at 27.6% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Smart Fortwo Passion Sp-G does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Lamps & electrics: 2.3× the national share
Lamps & electrics make up 27.6% of everything recorded on the 2004 Smart Fortwo Passion Sp-G, against 12.2% nationally — 15.4 points above. Walk round the car with the lights on before the test: bulbs, indicators and number-plate lamps are the cheapest failures to prevent and among the most common.
- Beats its own age and mileage. Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 72.2% and this one manages 75.8% — 3.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- Based on a small sample. 66 tests back this page. That is enough to publish and to index, not enough to treat the decimal places as precise — read the pattern, not the second digit.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Smart Fortwo Passion Sp-G? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2004 Smart Fortwo Passion Sp-G compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.2%, so this figure is 3.6 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 69.2%. The median 2004 Smart Fortwo Passion Sp-G in this dataset had covered 62,901 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 72.2% of the time, April–September 80.0%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Headlamp lens slightly defective", noted on 10.61% of tests.
- 66 recorded tests behind this page.
- 75.8% overall pass rate, 69.2% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Smart Fortwo Passion Sp-G, the average is 75.8% — best year 2004 (75.8%), worst 2004 (75.8%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 66
- Typical mileage (median)
- 62,901 mi
- Make and model
- Smart Fortwo Passion Sp-G
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Headlight Bulb
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Fortwo Passion Sp-G MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 66% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Fortwo Passion Sp-G
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 29 | 79.3% |
| South West | 18 | 66.7% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2004 Fortwo Passion Sp-G
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2004 Fortwo Passion Sp-G
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the lights 10.6% of tests
“headlamp lens slightly defective”
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.
-
Check the suspension joints 9.1% of tests
“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.
-
Check the exhaust and emissions 4.5% of tests
“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.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2004 Fortwo Passion Sp-G through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £19–£65 — and 44% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £19–£65
- Cheapest common item: stop lamp not working
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd…
- £60–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 44%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 66 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Compare the 2004 Smart Fortwo Passion Sp-G with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2004 cars with a similar record
- Mercedes-Benz Slk 75.8%
- BMW 525 75.7%
- Nissan Elgrand 75.7%
- BMW 120 75.7%
- Land Rover Range Rover 76.0%
- Toyota Rav-4 76.0%
Closest pass rates among 2004 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2004 Smart Fortwo Passion Sp-G 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 153 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 43 | 27.60% | 12.21% | +15.39 |
| Suspension | 31 | 19.90% | 20.98% | −1.08 |
| Brakes | 27 | 17.30% | 20.89% | −3.59 |
| Tyres | 19 | 12.20% | 19.76% | −7.56 |
| Non-component advisories | 8 | 5.10% | 4.18% | +0.92 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 7 | 4.50% | 5.52% | −1.02 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 6 | 3.80% | 5.57% | −1.77 |
| Visibility | 6 | 3.80% | 4.97% | −1.17 |
| Steering | 3 | 1.90% | 2.57% | −0.67 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 3 | 1.90% | 0.82% | +1.08 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 10.6% | £5–25 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 9.1% | £18–45 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 9.1% | £30–80 |
| Stop lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 6.1% | £3–12 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 4.5% | £60–250 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 4.5% | £40–150 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.5% | £5–25 |
| Washers not working Visibility | Major | 4.5% | £5–15 |
| Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | Major | 3.0% | £18–45 |
| Flexible brake hoses excessively deteriorated Brakes | Major | 3.0% | £25–70 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 25.8% | £80–180 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 12.1% | £45–95 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 10.6% | £45–95 |
| Non-component advisories Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | Advisory | 9.1% | £45–95 |
| Individual direction indicators incorrect colour Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Advisory | 7.6% | £3–12 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 7.6% | £40–150 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-60k | 23 | 78.3% | 46,740 mi |
| 60-90k | 35 | 74.3% | 68,758 mi |
| 90-120k | 8 | 75.0% | 93,432 mi |
Source: 66 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2004 Fortwo Passion Sp-G MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2004 Smart Fortwo Passion Sp-G?
75.8% of the 66 2004 Smart Fortwo Passion Sp-G tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.2% for cars first used in 2004. First-attempt pass rate: 69.2%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2004 Smart Fortwo Passion Sp-G?
The three most recorded items are headlamp lens slightly defective (10.61%), ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (9.09%), headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (9.09%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2004 Smart Fortwo Passion Sp-G MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 78.3% of the time, falling to 75.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2004 Smart Fortwo Passion Sp-G in this dataset had covered 62,901 mi.
Does the season affect the 2004 Smart Fortwo Passion Sp-G MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 72.2% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 80.0%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.