Smart (mcc)
41,545 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Fortwos pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 5.7 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
83.2%
Pass-after-fix
4.4%
Fail
12.0%
Avg miles
37,720
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Trim variants
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 41,545 tests
Pass rate climbs 5.8 points across the cohorts — newer Fortwo examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
82.1%
Fail
12.8%
PRS
4.7%
Avg mileage at test
40,316 mi
Pass
88.0%
Fail
8.5%
PRS
3.3%
Avg mileage at test
26,308 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
Generations on file · 3
Smart (mcc) Fortwo · UK market
1998–2007
2007–2014
2014–2020
Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.
The picture
The Smart (mcc) Fortwo is a petrol-powered car sold in the UK market across multiple generations, covering a broad date range in the test population.
MOT data from 25,719 tests puts this car on a 83.3% first-time pass rate, above the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 33,580 miles. The most common fail item is inoperative wiper blade, followed by tyre tread below the legal limit.
Kia EV5 Well-equipped and spacious interior. Easy to drive. Kia's excellent seven-year warranty. Read more.
For used buyers, the Fortwo's pass rate suggests it clears the MOT with fewer surprises than most — but the top failure items above are still worth a pre-purchase inspection, particularly on higher-mileage examples.
Filter failures:
Hide categories
Tick a category to hide it from rankings sitewide. Saved in this browser only.
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
752 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
612 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
607 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
501 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
480 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
Wiper blade defective
435 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer
389 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
331 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
323 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
266 occurrences · 0.6% 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
£168–£335
If every one of this Fortwo'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 →
Try the calculator
Build your own retest budget.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 5.8-point gap between bands means the year you buy Smart (mcc) Fortwo has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
88.0%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 88.0% — a 5.8-point improvement. Tests in this band average 26,308 miles — roughly 14K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, does not clear the windscreen effectively — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. The stricter post-2018 MOT test rules meant manufacturers had to tighten up emissions and electrical checks, but this band still shows far fewer major failures on suspension and bodywork than the older fleet.
Band to be cautious about
82.1%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 82.1% pass rate against a fleet average of 88.0% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, and does not clear the windscreen effectively. Average mileage on test for this band is 40,316 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (88.0% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (82.1% pass). That's a 5.8-point spread across 33,857 older tests and 7,688 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
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
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades
Cheap wipers fail the test on smear streaks. Bosch Aerotwins last a winter and clear a screen properly.
Search Amazon UK
Item 03 · Amazon UK
Brake pad measurement gauge
Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.
Search Amazon UK
My Motor World · affiliate
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Click Mechanic · affiliate
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.
Owner reports · Honest John
Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.
What's good
Kia EV5 Well-equipped and spacious interior. Easy to drive. Kia's excellent seven-year warranty. Read more
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 Fortwo 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.
