Smart (mcc)
City Cabriolet
1,391 MOT tests analysed. runs below the UK fleet average — here's where City Cabriolets pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 9.6 points below the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — buyers should expect more first-time fails than the typical UK car.
Pass
67.9%
Pass-after-fix
5.0%
Fail
25.8%
Avg miles
68,340
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
This model's production run straddles the January 2006 Euro 4 cutoff. Individual cars vary — check your registration plate on the government's ULEZ checker. Daily charges if driven in the zone: London £12.50 · Birmingham £8.00 .
The picture
City Cabriolet: a below-average pass rate worth digging into
Across 986 MOT tests, the City Cabriolet returns 67.8% first-time pass — well below the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a defective headlamp lens. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits and a stop-lamp out round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 66,147, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
Top ten reasons for rejection.
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- 01
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements
58 occurrences · 4.2% of tests
- 02
Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective
45 occurrences · 3.2% of tests
- 03
Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer
40 occurrences · 2.9% of tests
- 04
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
38 occurrences · 2.7% of tests
- 05
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
35 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
- 06
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
30 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
- 07
Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen
29 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
- 08
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
28 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
- 09
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
27 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
- 10
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
27 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 4 failures
£108–£435
If every one of this City Cabriolet's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Tools that pre-empt a retest.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
Headlight restoration kit
Yellowed lenses fail the light-output test. A restoration kit lifts the haze in an afternoon for £20.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
H7 / W21W bulb pack
A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.
Search Amazon UK
My Motor World · affiliate
Parts & supplies for this fix
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Click Mechanic · affiliate
Book a mobile mechanic
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Mobile mechanic · UK-wide
Book a mechanic at your door.
Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.
Buying or keeping a City Cabriolet?
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a City Cabriolet and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.