At a glance
How 4,256 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 71 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 29 in every 1001,253 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 12 yearsabout 49,965 miles
- First tests counted
- 4,256
What failed most often
- Coil spring (front)13 in every 100 failed tests
- Brake performance (roller test, rear)13 in every 100 failed tests
- Headlight aim7 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 2013 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.
Brakes
Three faults. The strongest is the brake performance (plate test, rear): 6.2 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 1,249 of 1,253 failed first attempts (99.7%) 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.
Brake performance (plate test, rear)
Brake performance (roller test, rear)
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 53 first tests, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.
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 191 first tests, 4.5 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.
Tyres
One wear pattern: tyre tread depth (rear), 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.
Tyre tread depth (rear)
What it means
Only primary grooves count when tread depth is assessed: those holding the wear indicators, or cut as deep as those when new. Shallower secondary grooves are ignored. Tread depth below the minimum for the vehicle is Dangerous, and so is a pattern not visible over the whole tread, but that second row applies only to vehicles that need the lower minimum.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Noise, emissions and leaks
Two faults. The strongest is the petrol emissions (with catalyst): 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.
Petrol emissions (with catalyst)
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.
Petrol emissions not tested
What it means
On a petrol car, an emissions test recorded as not tested or unable to be completed is failed as Major. DVSA's wording gives no reason why.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Body and structure
One fault: exhaust system (rear), 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.
Exhaust system (rear)
What it means
Exhaust fumes causing a danger to health of persons on board are graded Dangerous, and so is a silencer likely to become detached. Fumes entering the cabin are Major. One or more missing or defective mountings does not necessarily make the exhaust insecure, since testers assess the overall security of the system.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. 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
- 71in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 6in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 23in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 70.6% of 4,256 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 77.2%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 6 fixed and the 23 not fixed make the 29 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
Petrol and diesel
Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.
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 | 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 This car | 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 2013 Fortwo.
Of 2013 Fortwo vehicles with under 32,000 miles, 81 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 72,000 miles or more, 58 in every 100 did.
Petrol or diesel?
| Typical mileage | Passed first time, as tested | Passed first time, same mileage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 49,259 miles | 70 | 70 |
| Diesel | 60,961 miles | 75 | 77 |
Figures are in every 100 first tests. At the same mileage, diesel passed more often (77 against 70 in every 100).
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 32,000 | 44,000–56,000 | 72,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coil spring (front) | 1.9 | 3.1 | 4.7 |
| Brake performance (roller test, rear) | 4.2 | 4.4 | 3.8 |
| Headlight aim | 1.5 | 2.2 | 3.1 |
| Petrol emissions (with catalyst) | 1.3 | 1.5 | 2.7 |
| Brake light | 0.8 | 1.8 | 3.2 |
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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