Pass rate
76.2%
Around average — 4.0 pts ahead of the 72.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 362 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £19–£60
2004 Smart Mcc Fortwo Cabriolet MOT pass rate
- 2004
- typical 73,412 mi
Most common fault
Brakes
21.9% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2012 82.7% pass
- Avoid 2006 72.6% pass
Across the 10 years on record, a spread of 10.1 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 71.1%
- Typical mileage
- 73k mi
The 2004 Smart Mcc Fortwo Cabriolet MOT pass rate is 76.2% of its MOT tests — 4.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 21.9% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Smart Mcc Fortwo Cabriolet does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Lamps & electrics: 1.5× the national share
Lamps & electrics make up 18.2% of everything recorded on the 2004 Smart Mcc Fortwo Cabriolet, against 12.2% nationally — 6.0 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 21.9%, but at 20.9% 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.
- 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 76.2% — 4.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- Based on a small sample. 362 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 Mcc Fortwo Cabriolet? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2004 Smart Mcc Fortwo Cabriolet compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.2%, so this figure is 4.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 71.1%. The median 2004 Smart Mcc Fortwo Cabriolet in this dataset had covered 73,412 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 75.9% of the time, April–September 76.5%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect", noted on 4.97% of tests.
- 362 recorded tests behind this page.
- 76.2% overall pass rate, 71.1% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Smart Mcc Fortwo Cabriolet, the average is 78.2% — best year 2012 (82.7%), worst 2006 (72.6%).
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
- 362
- Typical mileage (median)
- 73,412 mi
- Make and model
- Smart Mcc Fortwo Cabriolet
- 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 Cabriolet MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 57% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Fortwo Cabriolet
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 117 | 80.3% |
| South West | 58 | 69.0% |
| East of England | 55 | 74.5% |
| London | 28 | 82.1% |
| West Midlands | 26 | 73.1% |
| North West | 23 | 78.3% |
| Yorkshire | 18 | 72.2% |
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 Cabriolet
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 Cabriolet
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 5.0% 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 wipers and washers 3.3% of tests
“washers provides insufficient washer liquid”
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.
-
Check the exhaust and emissions 3.0% 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 Cabriolet through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £19–£60 — and 48% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £19–£60
- Cheapest common item: stop lamp with a multiple light source up to…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd…
- £60–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 80%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 48%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 362 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 Cabriolet, side by side
10 model years on record, from 2003 to 2012. Across them the pass rate runs from 72.6% to 82.7% — a spread of 10.1 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2003 79.2% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2004 76.2%headlamp aim projected beam image…
- 2005 73.6% catalyst emissions lambda reading…
- 2006 72.6% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2007 77.1% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2008 77.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 78.4% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2010 77.9% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2011 80.4% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2012 82.7% coil spring fractured or broken
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 2004 Smart Mcc Fortwo Cabriolet 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
- Land Rover Defender 76.2%
- Toyota Avensis 76.3%
- Land Rover Range Rover 76.0%
- Toyota Rav-4 76.0%
- Toyota MR2 76.4%
- Volkswagen Touareg 76.4%
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 Mcc Fortwo Cabriolet 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 1,026 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 229 | 21.90% | 20.89% | +1.01 |
| Suspension | 223 | 21.30% | 20.98% | +0.32 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 191 | 18.20% | 12.21% | +5.99 |
| Tyres | 115 | 11.00% | 19.76% | −8.76 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 89 | 8.50% | 5.52% | +2.98 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 57 | 5.40% | 5.57% | −0.17 |
| Visibility | 44 | 4.20% | 4.97% | −0.77 |
| Steering | 38 | 3.60% | 2.57% | +1.03 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 23 | 2.20% | 1.76% | +0.44 |
| Non-component advisories | 17 | 1.60% | 4.18% | −2.58 |
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 | 5.0% | £30–80 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.3% | £5–20 |
| Washers provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | Major | 3.3% | £5–15 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 3.0% | £60–250 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 3.0% | £25–65 |
| Stop lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.8% | £3–12 |
| Washers not working Visibility | Major | 2.8% | £5–15 |
| Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | Major | 2.2% | £18–45 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 2.2% | £18–45 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.2% | £5–25 |
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 | 18.2% | £80–180 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 15.8% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 12.2% | £45–110 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 11.9% | £200–700 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 11.9% | £45–95 |
| Flexible brake hoses excessively deteriorated Brakes | Advisory | 11.6% | £25–70 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 25 | 76.0% | 27,243 mi |
| 30-60k | 98 | 83.7% | 45,745 mi |
| 60-90k | 139 | 75.5% | 75,337 mi |
| 90-120k | 67 | 73.1% | 101,338 mi |
| 120k+ | 23 | 65.2% | 139,036 mi |
Source: 362 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 Cabriolet MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2004 Smart Mcc Fortwo Cabriolet?
76.2% of the 362 2004 Smart Mcc Fortwo Cabriolet tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.2% for cars first used in 2004. First-attempt pass rate: 71.1%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2004 Smart Mcc Fortwo Cabriolet?
The three most recorded items are headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (4.97%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (3.31%), washers provides insufficient washer liquid (3.31%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2004 Smart Mcc Fortwo Cabriolet MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 76.0% of the time, falling to 65.2% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2004 Smart Mcc Fortwo Cabriolet in this dataset had covered 73,412 mi.
Does the season affect the 2004 Smart Mcc Fortwo Cabriolet MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 75.9% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 76.5%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.