Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Smart (MCC) Fortwo 2006: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 57 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2006 Smart (MCC) Fortwo were passes.

Summary

With 809 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2006 Smart (MCC) Fortwo differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist.

At a glance

How 809 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
57 in every 100
Did not pass first time
43 in every 100349 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
19 yearsabout 64,232 miles
First tests counted
809

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 2006 Smart (MCC) Fortwo vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Lamps and electrical

One fault and one wear pattern. The strongest is the headlight: 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 347 of 349 failed first attempts (99.4%) 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.

Headlight

Failed on 44 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

On vehicles first used on or after a set date, a halogen headlamp unit converted to take HID or LED bulbs fails for light source and lamp not compatible, which is Major. A complete unit built with those light sources is not failed for that. The precise position of the lamps is not part of the inspection beyond a visual look to see that they sit at about the same height and distance from each side.

Headlight aim (front)

Failed on 42 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

Beam aim too high, too low or off to either side is Major. Where a driver's beam aim control is fitted, the aim is tested without altering the setting, and rechecked at the highest setting only if it would fail for being too low. Masks or converter kits on right hand dip headlamps are acceptable.

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

Visibility

One fault: windscreen washers, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Windscreen washers

Failed on 44 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible 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), 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Petrol emissions (with catalyst)

Failed on 34 first tests2.1 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.

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.

Track rod end (front)

Noted on 26 first tests6.6 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Coil spring (front)

Noted on 27 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Number plates (rear)

Noted on 29 first tests2.0 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
57in 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
36in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 56.9% of 809 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 63.8%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 36 not fixed make the 43 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

4060801002006201020152020Older carsNewer cars
406080100200620102020Newer 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
200462 in every 100515
200558 in every 100615
2006 This car57 in every 100809
200760 in every 1001,922
200862 in every 1004,177
200963 in every 1005,126
201065 in every 1004,870
201168 in every 1003,561
201271 in every 1004,302
201371 in every 1004,256
201475 in every 1003,581
201576 in every 1002,115
201677 in every 1005,484
201780 in every 1004,597
201883 in every 1003,261
201986 in every 1001,802
202090 in every 100534
202191 in every 100728
202294 in every 100481

FAQs

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

With 809 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2006 Smart (MCC) Fortwo differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist. In 2025, 56.9% of 809 first MOTs on the 2006 Smart (MCC) Fortwo passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 63.8%. Among 349 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Headlight appears more often than on similar cars (12.7% of those tests; 44 observed failures; about 2.2× 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.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Headlight (12.7% of those tests; 44 observed failures; about 2.2× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Headlight shows up more often than on similar cars (12.7% of those tests; 44 observed failures; about 2.2× 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 2006 Smart (MCC) Fortwo include Headlight, 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 2006 Smart (MCC) Fortwo (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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