Pass rate
78.3%
Around average — 6.1 pts ahead of the 72.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 2,542 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £16–£46
2004 Smart Roadster MOT pass rate
- 2004
- 3 trims combined
- typical 79,781 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Brakes
25.4% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2005 80.5% pass
- Avoid 2004 78.3% pass · this year
Across the 4 years on record, a spread of 2.2 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 73.6%
- Typical mileage
- 80k mi
The 2004 Smart Roadster MOT pass rate is 78.3% of its MOT tests — 6.1 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 25.4% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Lamps & electrics: 1.5× the national share
Lamps & electrics make up 18.5% of everything recorded on the 2004 Smart Roadster, against 12.2% nationally — 6.3 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 25.4%, 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 78.3% — 6.1 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- Failures here tend to be cheap ones. 64% of the repairs this model fails on cost under £30 in parts. The pass rate matters less than what a bad afternoon at the test centre actually costs you.
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 Roadster? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every Smart Roadster first registered in 2004 is combined here — 3 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2004 Smart Roadster compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.2%, so this figure is 6.1 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 73.6%. The median 2004 Smart Roadster in this dataset had covered 79,781 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 78.7% of the time, April–September 78.0%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 5.74% of tests.
- 2,542 recorded tests behind this page.
- 78.3% overall pass rate, 73.6% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Smart Roadster, the average is 79.2% — best year 2005 (80.5%), worst 2004 (78.3%).
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
- 2,542
- Typical mileage (median)
- 79,781 mi
- Make and model
- Smart Roadster
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Number Plate Lamp
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Roadster MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 68% so small gaps stay visible.
Where the Smart Roadster is most common
Across all Roadster model years on record (2003–2006): 2,173 Smart Roadster cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 4,792 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 102 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.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham (B) | 102 | 84.7% |
| 2 | Guildford (GU) | 60 | 76.0% |
| 3 | Peterborough (PE) | 54 | 80.7% |
| 4 | Gloucester (GL) | 49 | 77.5% |
| 5 | Bristol (BS) | 45 | 72.9% |
| 6 | Nottingham (NG) | 42 | 79.2% |
| 7 | Norwich (NR) | 40 | 83.3% |
| 8 | Sheffield (S) | 39 | 80.7% |
| 9 | Luton (LU) | 38 | 87.9% |
| 10 | Preston (PR) | 35 | 76.9% |
| 11 | Portsmouth (PO) | 34 | 69.8% |
| 12 | Truro (TR) | 33 | 75.6% |
| 13 | Ashford (TN) | 33 | 81.0% |
| 14 | Edinburgh (EH) | 31 | 76.1% |
| 15 | Coventry (CV) | 31 | 83.6% |
| 16 | Leicester (LE) | 30 | 78.1% |
| 17 | Reading (RG) | 29 | 82.6% |
| 18 | Exeter (EX) | 29 | 78.7% |
| 19 | Northampton (NN) | 28 | 76.9% |
| 20 | Kingston upon Thames (KT) | 28 | 86.9% |
The twenty areas with the most Smart Roadster 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 →
Regional pass rates for the Roadster
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 511 | 79.6% |
| South West | 394 | 72.8% |
| East of England | 314 | 82.5% |
| West Midlands | 271 | 79.3% |
| Scotland | 221 | 73.8% |
| North West | 210 | 76.7% |
| East Midlands | 190 | 78.9% |
| Yorkshire | 170 | 77.1% |
| North East | 94 | 87.2% |
| London | 91 | 81.3% |
| Wales | 76 | 81.6% |
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 Roadster
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 Roadster
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 5.7% of tests
“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.
-
Check the suspension joints 2.7% of tests
“track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or 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 windscreen 2.6% of tests
“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.
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 Roadster through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £16–£46 — and 64% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £16–£46
- Cheapest common item: stop lamp not working
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 90%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 64%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 2,542 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 Roadster, side by side
4 model years on record, from 2003 to 2006. Across them the pass rate runs from 78.3% to 80.5% — a spread of 2.2 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2003 80.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2004 78.3%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2005 80.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 78.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
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 Roadster 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
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 Roadster 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 5,514 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 | 1,434 | 25.40% | 20.89% | +4.51 |
| Suspension | 1,312 | 23.30% | 20.98% | +2.32 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 1,044 | 18.50% | 12.21% | +6.29 |
| Tyres | 519 | 9.20% | 19.76% | −10.56 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 442 | 7.80% | 5.52% | +2.28 |
| Visibility | 198 | 3.50% | 4.97% | −1.47 |
| Steering | 187 | 3.30% | 2.57% | +0.73 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 168 | 3.00% | 5.57% | −2.57 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 129 | 2.30% | 1.76% | +0.54 |
| Road Wheels | 81 | 1.40% | 0.75% | +0.65 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 5.7% | £5–20 |
| Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt Steering | Minor | 2.7% | £18–45 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 2.6% | £80–200 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.6% | £5–25 |
| Horn not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.4% | £8–25 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 1.8% | £18–45 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 1.7% | £18–45 |
| Stop lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.7% | £3–12 |
| Rear fog lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.6% | £3–15 |
| Headlamp not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.4% | £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 | 21.0% | £80–180 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 12.6% | £200–700 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 11.7% | £45–110 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 9.8% | £45–95 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 7.7% | £25–65 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 6.3% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 141 | 82.3% | 20,034 mi |
| 30-60k | 574 | 81.0% | 48,389 mi |
| 60-90k | 818 | 77.4% | 75,742 mi |
| 90-120k | 675 | 76.6% | 102,547 mi |
| 120k+ | 305 | 79.3% | 141,458 mi |
Source: 2,542 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 Roadster MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2004 Smart Roadster?
78.3% of the 2,542 2004 Smart Roadster tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.2% for cars first used in 2004. First-attempt pass rate: 73.6%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2004 Smart Roadster?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (5.74%), track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (2.68%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (2.60%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2004 Smart Roadster MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 82.3% of the time, falling to 79.3% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2004 Smart Roadster in this dataset had covered 79,781 mi.
Does the season affect the 2004 Smart Roadster MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 78.7% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 78.0%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.