MCC Smart 2002: MOT failure rate for its age

44.0% of 3,085 MOT tests of the MCC Smart first registered in 2002 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 98.4 (95% CI 93.2–103.7; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2002 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 2002 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	44.0	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	3085
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 93.2–103.7)	98.4	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	3085
Rank among this model's 5 build years	5	of 5	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	3085
Tested in 2024	326	tests	median 70,183 miles	2024	326

Built 2002 against MCC Smart normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 17: 44.1% vs 47.7%; age 18: 44.2% vs 44.5%; age 19: 47.8% vs 47.7%; age 20: 39.8% vs 38.5%; age 21: 42.9% vs 41.7%; age 22: 39.9% vs n/a%. Axis from 0% to 50%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2002 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 2002 MCC Smart fail at each age?

Cars built in 2002 were tested at ages 17 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 2002: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
Age	Tests	Failed, %	95% interval	Normal for this model at that age, %	Index (100 = normal)
17	875	44.1	40.9–47.4	47.7	92.5
18	668	44.2	40.4–48	44.5	99.2
19	601	47.8	43.8–51.7	47.7	100.1
20	507	39.8	35.7–44.2	38.5	103.4
21	434 (rough estimate)	42.9	38.3–47.6	41.7	102.9
22	326 (rough estimate)	39.9	34.7–45.3	not available	not available

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 3,411 (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 2002 MCC Smart?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2002 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 55 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 2002 were tested at ages 17 to 22.

Failure items per 100 first tests, MCC Smart built 2002 against the MCC Smart in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 2002, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	55	49.5	1,877
Suspension	21.2	19.5	724
Noise, emissions and leaks	19.4	15.1	663
Brakes	15.7	16	537
Visibility	15	14.8	511

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 3,411 (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 2002 compare with the years around it?

Among the 5 published build years of the MCC Smart, 2002 ranks 5 (1 = fails least for its age). 2001: index 98.3. 2003: index 97.7.

MCC Smart build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
2001	98.3	87.1–109.6	no different (rough estimate)	663
2002	98.4	93.2–103.7	no different (rough estimate)	3,085
2003	97.7	91.2–104.2	no different (rough estimate)	2,014
2004	83.6	70.8–96.4	better (rough estimate)	461
2005	60.9	48.5–73.2	better (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 2002 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/2002/

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 2001 · 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