Does the Smart Fortwo fail the MOT on visibility more than it should?

The Smart Fortwo records 7.82 visibility failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 7.96 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) (−0.14, 95% interval −0.24 to −0.04). It ranks 320 of 746 models on visibility (1 = most failures above expected).

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on visibility · check a Smart Fortwo by registration

What exactly fails on visibility?

The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Smart Fortwo is “Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen”, recorded 7,513 times in 2019–2024.

Smart Fortwo: most frequent visibility defect wordings, 2019–2024 (30+ items each)
DVSA defect wording	Items	Per 100 tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen	7,513	2.41
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view	5,832	1.87
Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen	5,086	1.63
Wiper blade defective	3,597	1.16
Obligatory mirror or device slightly damaged or loose	677	0.22

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

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Does the Smart Fortwo fail the MOT on visibility more than it should?

What exactly fails on visibility?

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