Does the Smart Forfour fail the MOT on body, chassis and structure more than it should?
The Smart Forfour records 2.76 body, chassis and structure failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 3.26 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) (−0.50, 95% interval −0.59 to −0.40). It ranks 338 of 663 models on body, chassis and structure (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on body, chassis and structure · check a Smart Forfour by registration
What exactly fails on body, chassis and structure?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Smart Forfour is “Exhaust system leaking or insecure”, recorded 1,006 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Exhaust system leaking or insecure | 1,006 | 0.74 |
| A door will not open using the relevant control or close properly | 836 | 0.61 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 593 | 0.44 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated | 549 | 0.40 |
| Bumper insecure or with damage likely to cause injury when grazed or contacted | 161 | 0.12 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 136,129 (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 Forfour gets a body, chassis and structure advisory, how often does it fail next time?
14.2% of Smart Forfour MOTs with a body, chassis and structure advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 4,956 miles later (1,338 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,338 (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 Forfour 2004 · Smart Forfour 2005 · Smart Forfour 2006 · Smart Forfour 2007 · Smart Forfour 2015 · Smart Forfour 2016 · Smart Forfour 2017 · Smart Forfour 2018 · Smart Forfour 2019 · Smart Forfour in Finland · Smart Forfour in the Netherlands · Smart Forfour by postcode area · Smart Forfour brakes failures · Smart Forfour vehicle identification failures · Smart Forfour lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Smart Forfour noise, emissions and leaks failures · Smart Forfour road wheels failures · Smart Forfour seat belts and airbags failures · Smart Forfour steering failures · Smart Forfour suspension failures · Smart Forfour tyres failures · Smart Forfour visibility failures