1,450 tests in 2025
Smart Fortwo Passion MHD Auto Unclassified reliability and MOT pass rate
76.3% passed first time. The 23.7% fail rate is 1.1 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 13 years old with 53,758 miles.
MOT pass rates / Smart Fortwo Passion MHD Auto
Pass rate
76.3%
22.6% of all cars failed; 23.7% of these did.
Fixed on the day
7.4%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
53,758 mi
13 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 0 | — |
| 6-9 years | 0 | — |
| 10-13 years | 1,441 | 23.7% |
| 14+ years | 9 | — |
What the Unclassified fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Brakes26 dangerous37.2%
- Suspension2 dangerous29.1%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment27%
- Tyres65 dangerous20.3%
- Visibility1 dangerous15.7%
- Noise, emissions and leaks14.2%
- Body, chassis, structure4 dangerous9.3%
- Identification of the vehicle1.5%
Is the Unclassified getting worse?
The fail rate rose 4.8 points to 23.7% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (6.8 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,596 | 10 | 18.9% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 1,598 | 11 | 20.5% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 1,328 | 12 | 23.3% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 1,450 | 13 | 23.7% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Unclassified at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Unclassified in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Service brake performance: excessively binding75 tests
- 2Coil spring: fractured or broken72 tests
- 3Position lamp: not working30 tests
- 4Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively25 tests
- 5Headlamp: not working on dipped beam24 tests
- 6Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm24 tests
- 7Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits23 tests
- 8Condition: has ply or cords exposed22 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Unclassified collects 2.3 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded226 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm187 tests
- 3Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure175 tests
- 4Service brake performance: excessively binding83 tests
- 5Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick62 tests
- 6Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened60 tests
- 7Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine54 tests
- 8Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases42 tests
Questions
What is the Smart Fortwo Passion MHD Auto Unclassified MOT pass rate?
76.3% of the 1,450 Smart Fortwo Passion MHD Auto Unclassified first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 23.7% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 7.4% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Smart Fortwo Passion MHD Auto Unclassified usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Service brake performance: excessively binding", recorded on 75 failed tests, followed by "Coil spring: fractured or broken" and "Position lamp: not working". By section, brakes appears in 37.2% of failures, suspension appears in 29.1% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 27% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was n/a%; at 10-13 years it was 23.7%. The median Smart Fortwo Passion MHD Auto Unclassified tested in 2025 was 13 years old with 53,758 miles.
Is the Smart Fortwo Passion MHD Auto Unclassified getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 4.8 points to 23.7% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (6.8 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every Unclassified trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
Checking a particular Unclassified?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.