MOT statistics · Smart
Smart MOT failure rates by model, 2024–25
Our analysis of DVSA's anonymised MOT data covers 150,221 initial MOT tests on Smart vehicles in Great Britain in 2024 and 2025. 28.7% failed at the first attempt — about as often as vehicles of the same age and fuel (30.0%).
- initial tests analysed
- 150,221initial tests analysed
- failed at the first attempt
- 28.7%failed at the first attempt
- expected for the same age and fuel mix
- 30.0%expected for the same age and fuel mix
- typical age at the test
- 9 yrstypical age at the test
Fuel mix of the vehicles tested: 95% petrol, 4% diesel and 1% hybrid or electric. Smart is 15 of 34 makes with 100,000+ tests, ranked from least to most often failing against same-age vehicles — see the full table.
Smart MOT failure rate by age
Each age band compares Smart vehicles with all vehicles of exactly the same ages and fuel types, so the difference is not just a matter of how old they are. Bands with fewer than 1,000 tests are left out.
SmartCars of the same age and fuel (all makes)
| Age | Tests | Bars | Smart | Same age & fuel | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3–5 years | 10,940 | 15.4% | 14.9% | About the same | |
| 6–9 years | 65,591 | 24.0% | 22.4% | 6% higher | |
| 10–14 years | 37,983 | 31.2% | 35.9% | 12% lower | |
| 15–19 years | 29,951 | 38.4% | 42.7% | 9% lower | |
| 20–40 years | 5,756 | 40.1% | 41.4% | About the same |
What Smart vehicles fail on
The share of initial tests that failed in each defect category, against what vehicles of the same ages and fuel types would show. Smart vehicles failed noticeably more often on visibility, glass & wipers; and emissions, noise & leaks.
SmartCars of the same age and fuel (all makes)
| Category | Bars | Smart | Same age & fuel | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lights & electrics | 11.2% | 11.9% | About the same | |
| Suspension & axles | 7.7% | 9.7% | 19% lower | |
| Wheels & tyres | 6.2% | 6.7% | About the same | |
| Brakes | 6.1% | 6.7% | About the same | |
| Visibility, glass & wipers | 5.7% | 4.8% | 15% higher | |
| Emissions, noise & leaks | 5.1% | 3.7% | 37% higher | |
| Body, structure & corrosion | 2.6% | 3.5% | 24% lower | |
| Steering | 0.6% | 2.1% | 68% lower | |
| Seat belts & other equipment | 0.5% | 0.9% | 47% lower | |
| Plates & VIN | 0.4% | 0.3% | About the same |
Categories are our grouping of DVSA's defect sections. A dash means too few failures in that category to compare.
Smart MOT failure rates by model
Every Smart model with at least 1,000 initial tests for a fuel type, most-tested first. “Same age & fuel” is the rate vehicles of the same ages and fuel types failed at; “Difference” is how far the model is from it.
| Model | Tests | Typical age | Failure rate | Same age & fuel | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ForTwo | 97,261 | 11 yrs | 28.3% | 32.1% | 11% lower |
| ForFour | 43,797 | 8 yrs | 27.1% | 23.0% | 16% higher |
| City Coupe | 7,748 | 20 yrs | 40.7% | 41.9% | About the same |
| Cabriolet | 1,415 | 18 yrs | 34.8% | 41.4% | 10% lower |
Model names are as recorded at the MOT, grouped by us; a few are conversions built on a Smart base vehicle. “Typical age” is the median age of the vehicles tested.
How to read these figures
- They are MOT outcomes, not a reliability rating, and describe groups of vehicles — never one car.
- How vehicles are used and maintained shows up as much as how they were built: vans, taxis and high-mileage fleet vehicles fail more often than second cars.
- The comparison is with vehicles of the same age and fuel type, not the same mileage.
- Differences are the conservative end of a 95% confidence interval. Full methodology.
Looking at one Smart?
A model's average says nothing certain about one vehicle. Its own MOT history shows every test, the mileage at each and the faults found — free, from the registration.
More on Smart
MOT failure rates for other makes
Common questions
What percentage of Smart vehicles fail their MOT?
In our analysis of DVSA's anonymised MOT data for 2024 and 2025, 28.7% of 150,221 initial MOT tests on Smart vehicles failed at the first attempt — about as often as vehicles of the same age and fuel (30.0%). Because failure rates rise steeply with age, we compare with vehicles of the same age and fuel rather than with the overall average.
Which Smart models fail their MOT least and most often?
Among Smart models with at least 20,000 initial tests, and against vehicles of the same age and fuel: the ForTwo failed 11% less often (28.3% of 97,261 tests). The ForFour failed 16% more often (27.1% of 43,797 tests). These are MOT outcomes, which reflect how vehicles are used and maintained as well as how they are built — not a reliability rating.
How do I check a specific Smart's MOT history?
These figures describe groups of vehicles, never one car. Our free MOT history check shows every MOT test on record for a registration, with the mileage at each test and the faults and advisories found.
Cite this data
Free to quote and reuse with a link back to this page. Please describe the figures as our analysis of DVSA's anonymised MOT data, not as DVSA figures.
FindServiceHistory (2026). Smart MOT failure rates by model, 2024–25: an analysis of DVSA anonymised MOT test data. https://www.findservicehistory.com/mot-statistics/smart
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source data: the DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results dataset. The analysis, groupings and comparisons are FindServiceHistory's own and are not endorsed by DVSA.