Smart MCC Forfour MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Smart MCC Forfour took 23,095 MOT tests in Britain and passed 76% of them first time, above the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.
- MOT tests in 2023
- 23,095
- First-time pass rate
- 76%
- All cars
- 71%
What the Forfour fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Tyres7.7% (all cars 6.4%)
- Lights and electrics6.7% (all cars 11.3%)
- Visibility6.2% (all cars 4.8%)
- Suspension5.0% (all cars 9.0%)
- Brakes3.6% (all cars 6.8%)
- Exhaust and emissions3.3% (all cars 3.1%)
- Body and structure1.7% (all cars 3.5%)
- Steering0.5% (all cars 1.8%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 3.6%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 3.1%
- Stop lamp: not working 2.6%
- Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint excessively worn 2.0%
- Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid 2.0%
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 1.7%
- Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits 1.7%
- Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 1.6%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 18.6%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 9.8%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 9.1%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 6.0%
- Brake discs: worn, but not excessively 4.0%
- Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt 1.6%
- Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread 1.4%
- Tyres, condition: has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.3%
Pass rate by year of registration
Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.
| First registered | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 734 | 56% |
| 2006 | 556 | 58% |
| 2015 | 5,549 | 70% |
| 2016 | 5,284 | 74% |
| 2017 | 4,796 | 79% |
| 2018 | 3,863 | 83% |
| 2019 | 1,955 | 85% |
Typical mileage by age
Average odometer reading at the MOT, by the car's age in years at the test.
| Age at test | Average mileage |
|---|---|
| 4 years | 20,748 miles |
| 5 years | 26,363 miles |
| 6 years | 33,717 miles |
| 7 years | 39,485 miles |
| 8 years | 46,109 miles |
| 17 years | 96,625 miles |
| 18 years | 95,407 miles |
| 19 years | 104,609 miles |
Check a particular Forfour
Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.
Other Smart MCC models
Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.