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40,311 tests in 2025

Smart (MCC) Fortwo reliability and MOT pass rate

78.2% passed first time. The 21.8% fail rate is 0.8 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 12 years old with 50,585 miles.

MOT pass rates / Smart (MCC)

Pass rate

78.2%

22.6% of all cars failed; 21.8% of these did.

Fixed on the day

6.4%

Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.

Median at test

50,585 mi

12 years old.

Fail rate by age

Age at testTestsFail rate
3-5 years27—
6-9 years14,45215%
10-13 years7,83419.1%
14+ years17,99828.5%

What the Fortwo 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.

  1. Suspension128 dangerous35.4%
  2. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment55 dangerous33.1%
  3. Brakes780 dangerous29.4%
  4. Tyres2,127 dangerous22.7%
  5. Noise, emissions and leaks9 dangerous20.2%
  6. Visibility11 dangerous15.2%
  7. Body, chassis, structure50 dangerous11%
  8. Steering8 dangerous2%

Is the Fortwo getting worse?

The fail rate rose 2 points to 21.8% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.

YearTestsMedian ageFail rate All cars
202247,346—19.8%22.5%
202346,405—20.9%22.8%
202438,053—21.7%23.2%
202540,287—21.8%22.6%

Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Fortwo 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 Fortwo in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.

  1. 1Coil spring: fractured or broken1,327 tests
  2. 2Service brake performance: excessively binding839 tests
  3. 3Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm746 tests
  4. 4Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction716 tests
  5. 5Stop lamp: not working679 tests
  6. 6Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits652 tests
  7. 7Position lamp: not working641 tests
  8. 8Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively632 tests

What wears out first

Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Fortwo collects 2.39 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.

  1. 1Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure5,191 tests
  2. 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm4,653 tests
  3. 3Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded3,557 tests
  4. 4Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened2,622 tests
  5. 5Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick2,153 tests
  6. 6Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine1,616 tests
  7. 7Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn1,417 tests
  8. 8Registration plates: inscription illegible1,238 tests

Questions

What is the Smart (MCC) Fortwo MOT pass rate?

78.2% of the 40,311 Smart (MCC) Fortwo first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 21.8% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 6.4% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.

What does a Smart (MCC) Fortwo usually fail on?

The single most common failure is "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded on 1,327 failed tests, followed by "Service brake performance: excessively binding" and "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm". By section, suspension appears in 35.4% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 33.1% of failures, brakes appears in 29.4% of failures.

Does age change the odds?

Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 14.8%; at 14+ years it was 28.5%. The median Smart (MCC) Fortwo tested in 2025 was 12 years old with 50,585 miles.

Is the Smart (MCC) Fortwo getting less reliable?

The fail rate rose 2 points to 21.8% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.

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 Fortwo trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.

Other Smart (MCC) models

Checking a particular Fortwo?

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.

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