Does the Smart Fortwo fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Smart Fortwo records 0.73 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 2.88 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−2.15, 95% interval −2.21 to −2.09). It ranks 494 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 Fortwo by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Smart Fortwo is “A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play”, recorded 658 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 658 | 0.21 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 630 | 0.20 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 504 | 0.16 |
| Steering lock missing or not functioning | 168 | 0.05 |
| Relative movement between steering wheel and column indicating looseness | 40 | 0.01 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 311,254 (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 Fortwo gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
9.0% of Smart Fortwo MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 2,950 miles later (1,373 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,373 (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
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