Reliability Report · Multi-Source Data

Smart fortwo Reliability

The Smart fortwo (current generation) doesn't yet have external composite reliability data in our index. The risk picture below is built from documented owner-reported issues and workshop bulletins.

Composite Score
No external reliability reports yet for this model. See documented issues below.
Market Snapshot
Documented issues0
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Buying a Smart fortwo? Check its VIN history first

Reliability data covers the model. A VIN history report covers the exact Smart fortwo you're looking at — accident and write-off records, mileage rollback, outstanding finance and theft checks.

carVertical is our one disclosed affiliate partner — we earn a commission if you buy a report. It doesn't affect our reliability scores, which come from TÜV, ADAC, DVSA MOT and NHTSA data.

Reliability by Source

Each independent organization measures reliability differently. TÜV reports inspection defect rates by age band. ADAC reports pan-European breakdowns per 1,000 vehicles. NHTSA aggregates US consumer complaints. DVSA MOT data is the UK fleet's annual safety inspection — every car 3+ years old. Lower variance across sources = higher confidence in the composite.

ADAC (European Auto Club)
All model years · 2025 report
17.3/1000 breakdowns
View source ↗
51
/ 100
DVSA MOT (UK Inspections)
Model years 2010–2021 · 2024 report · n=34392
34,392 UK MOT tests · overall 14.3% fail rate vs UK fleet baseline
View source ↗
82
/ 100
DVSA MOT (UK Inspections)
Model years 2009–2020 · 2023 report · n=21600
21,600 UK MOT tests · overall 13.9% fail rate vs UK fleet baseline
View source ↗
78
/ 100

UK MOT Reliability Detail

Based on 34,392 MOT tests in the UK during the 2024 reporting period. Score for each age band reflects this model's fail rate vs the UK-fleet baseline fail rate at the same age — a generation-aware metric.

Age 35 yrs
81
8.0% fail vs 10.9% fleet
3,157 tests
Age 69 yrs
80
14.3% fail vs 19.2% fleet
24,568 tests
Age 1014 yrs
89
17.2% fail vs 32.1% fleet
6,667 tests

Most Common MOT Failure Categories

#1
Wipers
1,682
25.7%
#2
Condition
1,596
24.3%
#3
Tread depth
1,227
18.7%
#4
Catalyst emissions
1,077
16.4%
#5
Windscreen
975
14.9%

Categories ranked across all MOT tests of this model in the UK during the 2024 period. "Condition" covers cosmetic / wear issues; suspension and braking dominate the rest.

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