Does the Smart City-Coupe fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Smart City-Coupe records 5.31 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 6.12 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−0.81, 95% interval −1.05 to −0.57). It ranks 339 of 640 models on steering (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on steering · check a Smart City-Coupe by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Smart City-Coupe is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc”, recorded 830 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 830 | 1.99 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 757 | 1.81 |
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 361 | 0.86 |
| Free play in the steering, measured at the rim of the steering wheel is excessive | 47 | 0.11 |
| Steering lock missing or not functioning | 38 | 0.09 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 41,807 (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 Smart City-Coupe gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
9.6% of Smart City-Coupe MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.2 months and 2,674 miles later (996 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 996 (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
Smart City-Coupe 2000 · Smart City-Coupe 2001 · Smart City-Coupe 2002 · Smart City-Coupe 2003 · Smart City-Coupe 2004 · Smart City-Coupe 2005 · Smart City-Coupe 2006 · Smart City-Coupe 2007 · Smart City-Coupe 2008 · Smart City-Coupe 2009 · Smart City-Coupe 2010 · Smart City-Coupe by postcode area · Smart City-Coupe body, chassis and structure failures · Smart City-Coupe brakes failures · Smart City-Coupe vehicle identification failures · Smart City-Coupe lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Smart City-Coupe noise, emissions and leaks failures · Smart City-Coupe road wheels failures · Smart City-Coupe seat belts and airbags failures · Smart City-Coupe suspension failures · Smart City-Coupe tyres failures · Smart City-Coupe visibility failures