At a glance
How 4,177 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 62 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 38 in every 1001,583 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 17 yearsabout 69,642 miles
- First tests counted
- 4,177
What failed most often
- Individual sidelight or tail light (front)14 in every 100 failed tests
- Petrol engine warning light12 in every 100 failed tests
- Brake performance (roller test, rear)9 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.
These are patterns across 2008 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.
Body and structure
One fault: fuel cap, 19 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 1,581 of 1,583 failed first attempts (99.9%) 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
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.
Suspension
One fault: suspension arm (front), 7.8 times as often as on similar cars.
Suspension arm (front)
What it means
A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a suspension arm. A component that is fractured, missing or likely to fail is graded Dangerous, and one excessively damaged or corroded is Major. On some vehicles, some highly stressed parts are thin pressed steel, and many of those have hollow box sections or up-facing areas that can collect road dirt and salt, so they get special attention.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Brakes
Three faults. The strongest is the brake performance (plate test, rear): 3.5 times as often as on similar cars.
Brake performance (plate test, rear)
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 22 first tests, 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Brake performance (roller test, rear)
Rigid brake pipes (rear)
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 281 first tests, 2.9 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.
Lamps and electrical
One fault and one wear pattern. The strongest is the headlight aim not tested (front): 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.
Headlight aim not tested (front)
What it means
Headlamp aim recorded as not tested, or unable to be tested, is a Major failure. These results must only be used where it becomes apparent during the test that the item cannot be tested, and this could not have been identified before starting. The reason must be included in the additional information box.
Horn
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.
Noise, emissions and leaks
One fault: petrol engine warning light, 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.
Petrol engine warning light
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.
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.
Side repeater indicators
Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (front)
Macpherson strut pins and bushes (front)
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
- 62in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 9in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 29in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 62.1% of 4,177 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 71.1%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 9 fixed and the 29 not fixed make the 38 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
Same model, other years
Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.
Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 62 in every 100 | 515 |
| 2005 | 58 in every 100 | 615 |
| 2006 | 57 in every 100 | 809 |
| 2007 | 60 in every 100 | 1,922 |
| 2008 This car | 62 in every 100 | 4,177 |
| 2009 | 63 in every 100 | 5,126 |
| 2010 | 65 in every 100 | 4,870 |
| 2011 | 68 in every 100 | 3,561 |
| 2012 | 71 in every 100 | 4,302 |
| 2013 | 71 in every 100 | 4,256 |
| 2014 | 75 in every 100 | 3,581 |
| 2015 | 76 in every 100 | 2,115 |
| 2016 | 77 in every 100 | 5,484 |
| 2017 | 80 in every 100 | 4,597 |
| 2018 | 83 in every 100 | 3,261 |
| 2019 | 86 in every 100 | 1,802 |
| 2020 | 90 in every 100 | 534 |
| 2021 | 91 in every 100 | 728 |
| 2022 | 94 in every 100 | 481 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2008 Fortwo.
Of 2008 Fortwo vehicles with under 47,000 miles, 68 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 93,000 miles or more, 57 in every 100 did.
What to check at your mileage
How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.
| Under 47,000 | 63,000–77,000 | 93,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 1.5 | 6.0 | 8.2 |
| Petrol engine warning light | 2.7 | 3.5 | 6.7 |
| Brake performance (roller test, rear) | 4.3 | 3.2 | 2.2 |
| Coil spring (front) | 2.7 | 3.8 | 2.0 |
| Brake light | 3.2 | 2.7 | 3.5 |
Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.
When a car fails
of failed cars had one item to fix.
of failed cars had three or more items to fix.
of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).
Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.
FAQs
Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.
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.
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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