Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Smart (MCC) City-Coupe 2003: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 59 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2003 Smart (MCC) City-Coupe were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Windscreen washers.

Summary

With 982 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2003 Smart (MCC) City-Coupe differs from the model years either side.

At a glance

How 982 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
59 in every 100
Did not pass first time
41 in every 100403 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
22 yearsabout 68,742 miles
First tests counted
982

What failed most often

  1. Windscreen washers19 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Petrol emissions (with catalyst)19 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Headlight aim14 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2003 Smart (MCC) City-Coupe vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Body and structure

One fault: fuel cap, 8.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 400 of 403 failed first attempts (99.3%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Fuel cap

Failed on 25 first tests8.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing or ineffective fuel filler cap is Major, as is a plain fuel system leak, while a fuel system leaking excessively or a risk of fire has its own, separate wording. A fuel tank with a hole, or a split filler neck, from which fuel can leak must be failed for leaking even if the hole or split is above the fuel line.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Visibility

One fault: windscreen washers, 3.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Windscreen washers

Failed on 75 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Windscreen washers that are not working, or do not provide sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, are graded Major. They must provide enough fluid for the wipers to clear the windscreen effectively. Vehicles with an opening windscreen, or some other adequate view to the front, left and right, are not inspected for washers.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: petrol emissions (with catalyst), 2.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Petrol emissions (with catalyst)

Failed on 74 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Emissions levels over the manufacturer's specified limits are Major, as are levels over default limits, which apply when no exact match is found for the vehicle. Dense blue or clearly visible black smoke at idle, held for a set period, is Major, except for certain older vehicles and two stroke engines where smoke is unavoidable. An induction or exhaust leak that could affect emissions levels is Major too.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Brakes

One fault: brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear), 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear)

Failed on 26 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A wheel giving less than a set share of the maximum effort from the other wheel on the same axle is Major. On a steered axle, less than half is graded Dangerous. Testers disregard an imbalance if the lower effort is the result of a locked wheel, or if the higher effort from a wheel is at or below a low set figure.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Suspension

One fault: coil spring (front), 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Coil spring (front)

Failed on 26 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail.

Shock absorbers (rear)

Noted on 22 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
59in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
7in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
34in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 59.0% of 982 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 66.1%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 34 not fixed make the 41 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

406080100200220032004200520062007Older carsNewer cars
406080100200220032004200520062007Newer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 58 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200255 in every 100601
2003 This car59 in every 100982
200462 in every 100889
200560 in every 100576
200658 in every 100732
200757 in every 100535

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

With 982 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2003 Smart (MCC) City-Coupe differs from the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Windscreen washers, about 19 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 59.0% of 982 first MOTs on the 2003 Smart (MCC) City-Coupe passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 66.1%. Among 403 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Fuel cap appears more often than on similar cars (6.2% of those tests; 25 observed failures; about 8.9× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2003 Smart (MCC) City-Coupe at the first attempt were Windscreen washers (18.8%), Petrol emissions (with catalyst) (18.5%) and Headlight aim (14.5%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Fuel cap (6.2% of those tests; 25 observed failures; about 8.9× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Fuel cap shows up more often than on similar cars (6.2% of those tests; 25 observed failures; about 8.9× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2003 Smart (MCC) City-Coupe include Fuel cap, Windscreen washers, Petrol emissions (with catalyst). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2003 Smart (MCC) City-Coupe (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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