Smart Fortwo Passion 54 A MOT pass rate & common failures
The Smart Fortwo Passion 54 A appears in 1,058 MOT tests spanning model years 2009–2011, and 76.8% of them passed. All cars of a similar age fail 24.4% of the time, so this is 1.2pp better than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are suspension, lighting & signalling and brakes.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — suspension (11.3%) and lighting & signalling (10.7%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are coil spring, service brake performance and malfunction indicator lamp — coil spring alone was recorded 72 times.
A 120-150k example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 29.4% versus 14.3%.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 26.3% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 23.7% in 2021 to 21.3% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
By model year
Every Fortwo Passion 54 A model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 214 | 79.9% | 20.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 838 | 75.8% | 24.2% | Suspension |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 11.3% | 120 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 10.7% | 113 |
| 3 | Brakes | 9.6% | 101 |
| 4 | Emissions & environmental | 6.4% | 68 |
| 5 | Tyres | 5.0% | 53 |
| 6 | Visibility | 3.1% | 33 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.5% | 16 |
| 8 | Road wheels | 0.4% | 4 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coil spring | 72 |
| 2 | Service brake performance | 63 |
| 3 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 53 |
| 4 | Headlamp aim | 47 |
| 5 | Tread depth | 37 |
| 6 | Pins and bushes | 34 |
| 7 | Position lamp | 31 |
| 8 | Ball joint | 29 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 26.3% | 278 |
| 2 | Brakes | 23.9% | 253 |
| 3 | Suspension | 13.5% | 143 |
| 4 | Emissions & environmental | 7.4% | 78 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 5.5% | 58 |
| 6 | Visibility | 5.4% | 57 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 35 | 14.3% |
| 30-60k | 321 | 23.4% |
| 60-90k | 428 | 22.7% |
| 90-120k | 221 | 24.0% |
| 120-150k | 51 | 29.4% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 993 | 23.5% |
| Petrol | 65 | 20.0% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 253 | 23.7% |
| 2022 | 232 | 24.1% |
| 2023 | 202 | 22.8% |
| 2024 | 188 | 23.9% |
| 2025 | 183 | 21.3% |
What to check before buying a Smart Fortwo Passion 54 A
- Suspension (11.3% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
- Lighting & signalling (10.7% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (9.6% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Smart Fortwo Passion 54 A?
76.8% of the 1,058 Smart Fortwo Passion 54 A MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 23.3% fail rate, across model years 2009–2011.
What does the Smart Fortwo Passion 54 A most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 11.3% of tests, then lighting & signalling (10.7%).
How much does mileage affect Fortwo Passion 54 A MOT results?
Fail rates run at 14.3% for cars in the 0-30k band and 29.4% for 120-150k, a 15.1-point difference.
Methodology & source. Based on 1,058 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.