Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Smart (MCC) Fortwo 2007: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 60 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2007 Smart (MCC) Fortwo were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Individual sidelight or tail light (front).

Summary

The 2007 Smart (MCC) Fortwo follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 1,922 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
60 in every 100
Did not pass first time
40 in every 100768 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
18 yearsabout 69,351 miles
First tests counted
1,922

What failed most often

  1. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Petrol engine warning light10 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Headlight10 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 2007 Smart (MCC) Fortwo 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, 16 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 768 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

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 67 first tests16 times as often as similar carsLikely 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.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: horn, 5.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Horn

Failed on 53 first tests5.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A horn that does not work, or is likely to be confused with an emergency vehicle siren, is graded Major. Gongs, bells, sirens and anything with more than one tone, which includes a horn that alternates between its notes, are not allowed, except a gong, bell or siren on vehicles first used before a set date. Sound defects are Minor for named cases such as a bell or harsh sound, and Major under a general row.

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

Brakes

Two faults. The strongest is the brake performance (roller test, rear): 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 65 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A wheel with no recorded braking effort on the roller test is graded Dangerous. Inadequate effort, a brake grabbing severely, abnormal lag and excessive fluctuation in effort are each Major. So is significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied, which indicates a binding brake.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 39 first tests, 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 40 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Chafing, corrosion or damage to a rigid brake pipe justifies rejection once its wall thickness is reduced by a set amount, although DVSA accepts this is not easy to determine. If a tester is not sure, the benefit of the doubt applies. A leaking pipe or connection is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic system and Major on an air system.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 135 first tests, 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: petrol engine warning light, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Petrol engine warning light

Failed on 76 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

The malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) on a petrol engine is a Major failure when it is illuminated indicating a malfunction. The detail line DVSA gives for the same row also names an inoperative lamp. The test covers only certain petrol vehicles, depending on their age, size and fuel type.

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

Suspension

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

Coil spring (rear)

Failed on 50 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. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Macpherson strut pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 22 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm ball joint (front)

Noted on 35 first tests2.6 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
60in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
8in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
32in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 60.0% of 1,922 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 68.2%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 32 not fixed make the 40 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

4060801002007201020152020Older carsNewer cars
406080100200720102020Newer 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, 61 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200462 in every 100515
200558 in every 100615
200657 in every 100809
2007 This car60 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.

The 2007 Smart (MCC) Fortwo follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Individual sidelight or tail light (front), about 11 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 60.0% of 1,922 first MOTs on the 2007 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 68.2%. Among 768 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Fuel cap appears more often than on similar cars (8.7% of those tests; 67 observed failures; about 16× 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 2007 Smart (MCC) Fortwo at the first attempt were Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (11.3%), Petrol engine warning light (9.9%) and Headlight (9.6%), 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 (8.7% of those tests; 67 observed failures; about 16× 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 (8.7% of those tests; 67 observed failures; about 16× 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 2007 Smart (MCC) Fortwo include Fuel cap, Horn, Brake performance (roller test, rear). 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 2007 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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