2013 Smart Fortwo Passion — MOT failures & pass rate
The 2013 Smart Fortwo Passion passed 81.4% of its 1,567 recorded MOT tests. That is 1.4 percentage points better than all cars of a similar age, which fail at 20.0%. Failures cluster in lighting & signalling, brakes and tyres.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (7.9%) and brakes (6.7%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are service brake performance, tread depth and headlamp aim — service brake performance alone was recorded 65 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 15.0% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 27.3% once past 90-120k.
The petrol cars hold up better: 16.1% fail against 20.1% for diesel, a 4.0-point gap across 1,567 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 24.5% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 16.0% of tests failed in 2021 against 19.5% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 7.9% | 124 |
| 2 | Brakes | 6.7% | 105 |
| 3 | Tyres | 5.0% | 79 |
| 4 | Suspension | 4.3% | 67 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 4.0% | 63 |
| 6 | Visibility | 3.5% | 55 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Service brake performance | 65 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 58 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 56 |
| 4 | Coil spring | 47 |
| 5 | Wipers | 44 |
| 6 | Stop lamp | 38 |
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 | 24.5% | 384 |
| 2 | Brakes | 22.5% | 352 |
| 3 | Emissions & environmental | 7.5% | 118 |
| 4 | Other defects | 6.3% | 99 |
| 5 | Suspension | 5.0% | 79 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 3.8% | 59 |
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 | 313 | 15.0% |
| 30-60k | 724 | 17.5% |
| 60-90k | 415 | 21.0% |
| 90-120k | 99 | 27.3% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 970 | 20.1% |
| Petrol | 597 | 16.1% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 318 | 16.0% |
| 2022 | 334 | 20.7% |
| 2023 | 325 | 19.4% |
| 2024 | 293 | 17.1% |
| 2025 | 297 | 19.5% |
What to check before buying a 2013 Fortwo Passion
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: lighting & signalling accounted for 7.9% of tests. Start there.
- Lighting & signalling (7.9% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (6.7% 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.
- Tyres (5.0% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
How many 2013 Smart Fortwo Passions pass their MOT?
81.4% of the 1,567 2013 Smart Fortwo Passion MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 18.6% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2013 Smart Fortwo Passion?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 7.9% of tests, followed by brakes (6.7%).
Does the 2013 Fortwo Passion get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 15.0% in the 0-30k band to 27.3% in the 90-120k band.
Methodology & source. Based on 1,567 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.