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MCC Smart 2001: MOT failure rate for its age

44.3% of 663 MOT tests of the MCC Smart first registered in 2001 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 98.3 (95% CI 87.1–109.6; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2001 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age. This is a rough estimate from a smaller sample.

MCC Smart built in 2001 at a glance
MeasureValueUnitCompared withYearsTests
Failed first time44.3%all ages tested2019–2024663
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 87.1–109.6)98.3index100 = normal for this model at that age2019–2024663
Rank among this model's 5 build years4of 51 = fails least for its age2019–2024663
Tested in 202476testsmedian 69,805 miles202476
line · MCC Smart built 2001 · first-time MOT failure share by age · built 2001 43.8% vs model normal 48% at age 18 · 2019–2024
Built 2001 against MCC Smart normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 18: 43.8% vs 48%; age 19: 44% vs 48.2%; age 20: 44.8% vs 39.8%; age 21: 45.4% vs 41.4%; age 22: 44.1% vs n/a%. Axis from 0% to 50%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.
Check a 2001 MCC Smart by registration · All MCC Smart MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 2001 MCC Smart fail at each age?

Cars built in 2001 were tested at ages 18 to 22 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

MCC Smart built 2001: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
AgeTestsFailed, %95% intervalNormal for this model at that age, %Index (100 = normal)
18233 (rough estimate)43.837.6–50.24891.2
19168 (rough estimate)4436.8–51.648.291.5
20143 (rough estimate)44.836.8–52.939.8112.5
21119 (rough estimate)45.436.7–54.341.4109.5
22102 (rough estimate)44.134.9–53.8not availablenot available

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 765 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 2001 MCC Smart?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2001 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 48 items per 100 first tests, against 49.5 across all build years of the MCC Smart. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2001 were tested at ages 18 to 22.

Failure items per 100 first tests, MCC Smart built 2001 against the MCC Smart in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure groupBuilt 2001, per 100All build years, per 100Items
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment4849.5404
Suspension20.619.5173
Brakes1916160
Visibility18.714.8157
Noise, emissions and leaks11.915.1100

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 841 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 2001 compare with the years around it?

Among the 5 published build years of the MCC Smart, 2001 ranks 4 (1 = fails least for its age). 2002: index 98.4.

MCC Smart build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build yearIndex (100 = normal)95% intervalVerdictTests
200198.387.1–109.6no different (rough estimate)663
200298.493.2–103.7no different (rough estimate)3,085
200397.791.2–104.2no different (rough estimate)2,014
200483.670.8–96.4better (rough estimate)461
200560.948.5–73.2better (rough estimate)353

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 6,576 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). MCC Smart 2001 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/mcc-smart/2001/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

Other pages for this model

MCC Smart 2002 · MCC Smart 2003 · MCC Smart 2004 · MCC Smart 2005 · MCC Smart by postcode area · MCC Smart body, chassis and structure failures · MCC Smart brakes failures · MCC Smart vehicle identification failures · MCC Smart lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · MCC Smart noise, emissions and leaks failures · MCC Smart seat belts and airbags failures · MCC Smart steering failures · MCC Smart suspension failures · MCC Smart tyres failures · MCC Smart visibility failures