2025 MOT results
Smart Fortwo common problems
The most common reason a Smart Fortwo fails its MOT is a broken coil spring, on 12.5% of its 14,465 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 2 faults stand out: a weak or uneven footbrake at 8.1% of failures against 3.0% expected; emissions above the limit at 5.6% of failures against 2.2% expected.
- Tests in 2025 50,178 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 28.8% 14,465 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 5.8% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 48.9% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Smart Fortwo MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Smart Fortwo tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 12.5% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 10.8% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 9.1% |
| Service brake performance: excessively binding Brakes | 8.1% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 8.0% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 7.3% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 7.3% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 6.7% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 6.4% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.7% |
| Catalyst emissions: lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | 5.6% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 4.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Broken coil spring
12.5% of failures 9.9% expected somewhat more often
A broken suspension spring, which usually snaps in the bottom coil and often fails on both sides within a year.
Look at each corner for a sagging ride height, and listen for a knock over speed bumps.
-
Brake light out
10.8% of failures 7.3% expected 1.5 times as often
A brake light not working, from a bulb, a poor earth, or the switch on the pedal.
Reverse up to a wall or window at dusk and press the pedal to see all three lamps light.
-
Sidelight out
9.1% of failures 10.1% expected about as expected
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
-
Weak or uneven footbrake
8.1% of failures 3.0% expected 2.7 times as often
The footbrake is either weak overall or pulls unevenly across an axle, which the rolling road measures.
A pull to one side under firm braking, or a long pedal, is the sign to get it looked at before a test.
-
Engine management light on
8.0% of failures 5.5% expected 1.5 times as often
The engine management light is on, or has been disconnected. Either fails the test.
A cheap code reader on the diagnostic socket will say what the car has stored before you pay for a test.
-
Headlamp out
7.3% of failures 5.3% expected somewhat more often
A headlamp out on dipped beam, which is the beam the test checks.
Both bulbs age at the same rate, so a pair usually goes within months of each other.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Smart Fortwo, on 42.0% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is noise, emissions and leaks, on 17.3% against 11.8% expected.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 42.0% |
| Suspension | 27.9% |
| Brakes | 23.7% |
| Tyres | 18.3% |
| Visibility | 17.4% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 17.3% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 9.2% |
| Steering | 1.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
48.9% of Smart Fortwo tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Smart Fortwos, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 12.9% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 12.8% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 9.4% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 6.2% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 5.3% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.2% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 3.2% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 3.0% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 2.7% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 2.0% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 1.9% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 1.9% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Smart Fortwo gets older
A 2018 Smart Fortwo failed 17.0% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2007 one failed 39.0%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2018 Smart Fortwo 17.0% failed, from 3,366 tests
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 15.5%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 14.3%
- Washers that do not work 9.6%
- Worn brake pads 9.4%
- Cut tyre 6.8%
- Brake light out 6.5%
2007 Smart Fortwo 39.0% failed, from 2,008 tests
- Broken coil spring 14.0%
- Sidelight out 12.4%
- Engine management light on 10.2%
- Brake light out 9.9%
- Headlamp out 9.3%
- Headlamp aim out of line 8.4%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Smart Fortwo problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Smart Fortwo?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Coil spring: fractured or broken” is the most common: it appears on 12.5% of failed Smart Fortwo tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 42.0% of failed tests.
How often does a Smart Fortwo fail its MOT?
28.8% of Smart Fortwo tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 50,178 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 54 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Smart Fortwo than on other cars?
Yes. “Service brake performance: excessively binding” appears on 8.1% of its failures against 3.0% for cars of the same age, and “Catalyst emissions: lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits” appears on 5.6% of its failures against 2.2% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Smart Fortwo aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 50,178 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.