Car statistics by year
2019 Smart Forfour
Smart Forfour cars first registered in 2019: how they did at their 2025 MOT, what failed them, how far they have been driven and how many are still on the road. Compared with every car first registered in 2019, so like is set against like.
- MOT first-time pass rate, 2025 80.9% All 2019 cars 84.4%
- Typical mileage at the MOT 27,900 miles; all 2019 cars 42,400
- Left at the end of 2025 1,890 95.1% of the 1,988 at the end of 2019
- Tests finding a dangerous defect 6.3% All 2019 cars 5.4%
- Tests with an advisory 42.4% All 2019 cars 41.0%
- MOT tests in 2025 1,950 normal tests in Great Britain
How do 2019 Smart Forfours do at their MOT?
In 2025, at about 6 years old, 80.9% of 2019 Smart Forfour MOT tests were passed first time, against 84.4% for all cars first registered in 2019. 2019 Smart Forfours did worse than average for their age, by 3.5 points. A year earlier the same cars passed 81.5% of the time (all 2019 cars 85.7%).
MOT pass rate by year of first registration: Smart Forfour vs all cars
Each pair of bars is one year of first registration, tested in 2025. Older cars pass less often, so compare each Smart Forfour bar with the all-cars bar beside it.
| First registered | Smart Forfour | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| ’05 | 59.3% | 57.7% |
| ’06 | 55.4% | 56.9% |
| ’15 | 66.1% | 72.6% |
| ’16 | 70.6% | 75.6% |
| ’17 | 75.8% | 79.1% |
| ’18 | 79.5% | 81.8% |
| ’19 | 80.9% | 84.4% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Most common MOT failures on the 2019 Smart Forfour
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively was the most common single reason a 2019 Smart Forfour failed, on 16.4% of about 400 failed tests. By area of the car, tyres failed most often (37.4% of failed tests; all 2019 cars 33.9%). 6.3% of tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 5.4% for all cars first registered in 2019. A failed test can have several defects, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Most common reasons for failure
Share of failed tests with each defect. The same fault on any wheel or side counts once.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 16.4% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 12.6% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 11.6% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 9.1% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 8.3% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 8.3% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 8.1% |
| Tyre pressure monitoring system: malfunctioning or obviously inoperative Tyres | 6.5% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.6% |
| Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn Brakes | 4.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Failure categories: Smart Forfour vs all 2019 cars
The marker shows the share for all cars first registered the same year.
| Category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Tyres | 37.4% |
| Visibility | 26.1% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 22.3% |
| Suspension | 16.4% |
| Brakes | 15.9% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.7% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 3.5% |
| Identification of the vehicle | 1.1% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Most common MOT advisories on the 2019 Smart Forfour
An advisory is something the tester noticed that did not fail the test but may need work soon. 42.4% of 2019 Smart Forfour tests had at least one (all 2019 cars 41.0%). These are the things to check on one you are thinking of buying.
Most common advisories
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 19.5% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 10.3% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 9.6% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 5.2% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 5.0% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 1.7% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 1.7% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 1.6% |
| Tyres: cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 1.5% |
| Road wheels: slightly distorted Road wheels | 1.3% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What mileage is normal for a 2019 Smart Forfour?
Half of the 2019 Smart Forfours tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 27,900 miles. A quarter had covered fewer than 18,300 and a quarter more than 40,800. For all cars first registered in 2019, the middle figure was 42,400 miles, so 2019 Smart Forfours have been driven 34.2% less far than average.
Mileage at the 2025 MOT
Odometer readings at each car’s latest MOT of the year. The bar covers the middle half of cars; the line the middle 80%.
| 10% | 25% | Median | 75% | 90% | Cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Smart Forfour | 11,600 | 18,300 | 27,900 | 40,800 | 54,400 | 1,880 |
| All 2019 cars | 20,300 | 30,000 | 42,400 | 57,100 | 74,200 | 2,073,624 |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
How many 2019 Smart Forfours are left?
At the end of 2019, 1,988 2019 Smart Forfours were on the DVLA record in the United Kingdom. By the end of 2025, 1,890 were: 1,871 licensed and 19 declared off the road (SORN). That is 95.1% still on the record, against 97.3% for all cars first registered in 2019.
Share still on the record since 2019
Cars licensed or SORN at each year end, as a share of the number at the end of 2019. Cars scrapped or exported leave the record. Late registrations and imports can push the share above 100%.
| Year end | 2019 Smart Forfour | All 2019 cars |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| 2020 | 97.9% | 99.1% |
| 2021 | 97.0% | 98.5% |
| 2022 | 96.6% | 97.2% |
| 2023 | 96.5% | 97.5% |
| 2024 | 96.1% | 97.5% |
| 2025 | 95.1% | 97.3% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2025 Updated
Recalls that may affect cars built around 2019
None of the Smart Forfour’s 5 recalls in DVSA’s records has build dates that include 2019. 1 has no build dates, so could apply to any year.
The 2019 on this page is the year of first registration, not the year the car was built. A car first registered early in 2019 may have been built in 2018, and recalls apply to particular build dates and VINs, so check the recalls either side too.
Every Smart Forfour recall · Check a specific car on GOV.UK · How we match recalls
Recall details come from manufacturers through DVSA. “Vehicles” is the number the manufacturer reported; “all models” means the figure covers everything in the recall. A recall listed here may not apply to a particular car: only the manufacturer or GOV.UK can say for its VIN.
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated
Other years of the Smart Forfour
7 years of the Smart Forfour, by year of first registration, have their own page with MOT results, common faults, mileage and how many are left. Against all cars of the same age, the 2005 cars did best at their 2025 MOT (59.3% passed first time) and the 2015 cars worst (66.1%).
| Year | Registered | Left | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | – | 1,087 | 59.3% |
| 2006 | – | 1,015 | 55.4% |
| 2015 | 5,793 | 5,341 | 66.1% |
| 2016 | 5,109 | 5,149 | 70.6% |
| 2017 | 4,196 | 4,685 | 75.8% |
| 2018 | 3,867 | 3,752 | 79.5% |
| 2019 | 1,988 | 1,890 | 80.9% |
Registered: cars on the DVLA record at the end of the year they were first registered (these counts start in 2014, so older years show a dash). Left: licensed or declared SORN at the end of 2025. Both cover the United Kingdom. Pass rate: first-time passes at normal MOT tests in Great Britain in 2025; all cars: every car first registered the same year.
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT results and mileage | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 1,950 MOT tests of 2019 Smart Forfour cars | 15 September 2026 |
| Cars on the record | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of 2025 | 1,890 cars still on the record (licensed or SORN) | 15 September 2026 |
- MOT figures cover normal tests in Great Britain in 2025 of Smart Forfour cars first registered in 2019; retests are excluded. “All cars” means every car we match to a model, first registered in 2019.
- Year of first registration is DVSA’s first-use date: when the car was first registered, in the UK or abroad.
- Defects and advisories are DVSA’s descriptions made readable. Where on the car a defect was found (side, front or rear) is ignored, so the same fault on any wheel counts once per test.
- Mileage is the odometer reading at each car’s latest normal MOT of the year, as recorded by the tester. A few readings are in kilometres or mistyped; percentiles are not thrown by a handful of outliers.
- Cars on the record come from DfT table VEH0124 and cover the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland; MOT figures cover Great Britain only.
- DVSA records the model name typed in at the test. We match those names to DVLA’s generic models, so a handful of tests may be counted under a close relative.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.