Smart (mcc)
City Coupe
8,195 MOT tests analysed. runs below the UK fleet average — here's where City Coupes pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 10.7 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
66.8%
Pass-after-fix
7.2%
Fail
24.8%
Avg miles
69,205
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 Coupe: a below-average pass rate worth digging into
Across 6,478 MOT tests, the City Coupe returns 66.8% first-time pass — well below the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is headlamp aim out of spec. A defective headlamp lens and a broken or weak spring round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 67,902, 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
426 occurrences · 5.2% of tests
- 02
Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective
276 occurrences · 3.4% of tests
- 03
Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer
256 occurrences · 3.1% of tests
- 04
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
246 occurrences · 3.0% of tests
- 05
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
244 occurrences · 3.0% of tests
- 06
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
210 occurrences · 2.6% of tests
- 07
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
192 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
- 08
Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen
169 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
- 09
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
159 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
- 10
A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
157 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 Coupe'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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Build your own retest budget.
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.
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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 Coupe?
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 Coupe 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.