Does the MCC Smart fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The MCC Smart records 16.04 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 25.17 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−9.13, 95% interval −10.24 to −8.03). It ranks 641 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a MCC Smart by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the MCC Smart is “Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded”, recorded 267 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 267 | 3.38 |
| Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle. | 161 | 2.04 |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 72 | 0.91 |
| Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn | 71 | 0.90 |
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 65 | 0.82 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 7,894 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a MCC Smart gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
12.4% of MCC Smart MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.2 months and 1,692 miles later (1,652 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,652 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
MCC Smart 2001 · 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 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