Does the Smart City fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Smart City records 5.94 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 6.06 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (−0.12, 95% interval −0.72 to +0.47). It ranks 239 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 by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Smart City is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc”, recorded 134 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 | 134 | 2.02 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 125 | 1.89 |
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 95 | 1.44 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 6,619 (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
Other pages for this model
Smart City 2004 · Smart City 2005 · Smart City 2006 · Smart City 2007 · Smart City by postcode area · Smart City body, chassis and structure failures · Smart City brakes failures · Smart City vehicle identification failures · Smart City lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Smart City noise, emissions and leaks failures · Smart City seat belts and airbags failures · Smart City suspension failures · Smart City tyres failures · Smart City visibility failures