Pass rate
70.3%
Below average — 3.0 pts behind the 73.3% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 101 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £25–£83
2001 Smart Mcc Fortwo MOT pass rate
- 2001
- 2 trims combined
- typical 78,236 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
26.1% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2019 91.5% pass
- Avoid 2001 70.3% pass · this year
Across the 20 years on record, a spread of 21.2 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 62.5%
- Typical mileage
- 78k mi
The 2001 Smart Mcc Fortwo MOT pass rate is 70.3% of its MOT tests — 3.0 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 26.1% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Smart Mcc Fortwo does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Lamps & electrics: 1.7× the national share
Lamps & electrics make up 20.2% of everything recorded on the 2001 Smart Mcc Fortwo, against 12.2% nationally — 8.0 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 26.1%, but at 21.0% nationally that one is ordinary. 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.
- Falls short of its own age and mileage. Like-for-like, cars this age and mileage expect about 73.3%; this one manages 70.3% — 3.0 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 33% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
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 Mcc Fortwo? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every Smart Mcc Fortwo first registered in 2001 is combined here — 2 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2001 Smart Mcc Fortwo compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 73.3%, so this figure is 3.0 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 62.5%. The median 2001 Smart Mcc Fortwo in this dataset had covered 78,236 mi.
77% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 70.5% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 74.0% of the time, April–September 66.7%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect", noted on 8.91% of tests.
- 101 recorded tests behind this page.
- 70.3% overall pass rate, 62.5% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Smart Mcc Fortwo, the average is 82.4% — best year 2019 (91.5%), worst 2001 (70.3%).
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
- 101
- Typical mileage (median)
- 78,236 mi
- Make and model
- Smart Mcc Fortwo
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Headlight Alignment
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the Fortwo MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 56% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (77% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Fortwo
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South West | 21 | 66.7% |
| North West | 20 | 75.0% |
| East of England | 19 | 68.4% |
| South East | 17 | 76.5% |
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 2001 Fortwo
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 2001 Fortwo
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 8.9% of tests
“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.
-
Check the coil springs 5.9% of tests
“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.
-
Check the exhaust and emissions 4.0% of tests
“catalyst emissions hydrocarbon content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default 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 2001 Fortwo through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £25–£83 — and 33% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £25–£83
- Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
- £5–£20
- Dearest common item: catalyst emissions hydrocarbon content after…
- £60–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 33%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 101 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 →
Every year of the Fortwo, side by side
20 model years on record, from 2001 to 2020. Across them the pass rate runs from 70.3% to 91.5% — a spread of 21.2 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2001 70.3%headlamp aim projected beam image…
- 2002 72.4% stop lamp not working
- 2003 73.5% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2004 74.5% headlamp aim projected beam image…
- 2005 70.9% headlamp aim projected beam image…
- 2006 74.1% headlamp aim projected beam image…
- 2007 75.6% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2008 76.7% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2009 76.7% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2010 78.0% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2011 79.4% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2012 81.9% service brake performance…
- 2013 82.6% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2014 85.5% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2015 85.0% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2016 85.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2017 87.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2018 89.8% wipers does not clear the…
- 2019 91.5% wipers does not clear the…
- 2020 91.2% tread depth below requirements of…
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2001 Smart Mcc Fortwo 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 2001 cars with a similar record
- Land Rover Freelander 70.2%
- Nissan Micra 70.4%
- Honda Cr-V 70.4%
- Peugeot 106 70.1%
- Audi A2 70.6%
- Ford Focus 70.7%
Closest pass rates among 2001 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 2001 Smart Mcc Fortwo 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 351 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 93 | 26.10% | 20.98% | +5.12 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 72 | 20.20% | 12.21% | +7.99 |
| Brakes | 65 | 18.20% | 20.89% | −2.69 |
| Tyres | 39 | 10.90% | 19.76% | −8.86 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 39 | 10.90% | 5.52% | +5.38 |
| Visibility | 16 | 4.50% | 4.97% | −0.47 |
| Road Wheels | 9 | 2.50% | 0.75% | +1.75 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 8 | 2.20% | 5.57% | −3.37 |
| Steering | 7 | 2.00% | 2.57% | −0.57 |
| Non-component advisories | 3 | 0.80% | 4.18% | −3.38 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 8.9% | £30–80 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 6.9% | £5–25 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 5.9% | £25–65 |
| Catalyst emissions hydrocarbon content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 4.0% | £60–250 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 4.0% | £5–20 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Major | 4.0% | £8–22 |
| Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | Major | 3.0% | £18–45 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 3.0% | £18–45 |
| Brake discs significantly and obviously worn Brakes | Major | 3.0% | £45–110 |
| Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 3.0% | £60–250 |
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 | 21.8% | £80–180 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 18.8% | £200–700 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 16.8% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 15.8% | £45–110 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 14.8% | £25–65 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 14.8% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 8 | 75.0% | 20,995 mi |
| 30-60k | 30 | 73.3% | 46,281 mi |
| 60-90k | 25 | 64.0% | 77,759 mi |
| 90-120k | 29 | 72.4% | 106,132 mi |
| 120k+ | 8 | 75.0% | 134,521 mi |
Source: 101 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.
2001 Fortwo MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2001 Smart Mcc Fortwo?
70.3% of the 101 2001 Smart Mcc Fortwo tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 73.3% for cars first used in 2001. First-attempt pass rate: 62.5%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2001 Smart Mcc Fortwo?
The three most recorded items are headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (8.91%), headlamp lens slightly defective (6.93%), coil spring fractured or broken (5.94%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2001 Smart Mcc Fortwo MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 75.0% of the time, falling to 75.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2001 Smart Mcc Fortwo in this dataset had covered 78,236 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2001 Smart Mcc Fortwo?
Petrol: 70.5% pass rate across 78 tests. Diesel: 69.6% pass rate across 23 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2001 Smart Mcc Fortwo MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 74.0% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 66.7%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.