Smart Roadster 2004: MOT failure rate for its age

33.1% of 5,781 MOT tests of the Smart Roadster first registered in 2004 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 101.8 (95% CI 97.2–106.3; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2004 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age.

Smart Roadster built in 2004 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	33.1	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	5781
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 97.2–106.3)	101.8	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	5781
Rank among this model's 5 build years	4	of 5	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	5781
Tested in 2024	749	tests	median 79,187 miles	2024	749

Built 2004 against Smart Roadster normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 15: 36.8% vs 37.5%; age 16: 33.2% vs 32.9%; age 17: 32.8% vs 32%; age 18: 30.7% vs 29.1%; age 19: 31.5% vs 30.7%; age 20: 32.3% vs 31.2%. Axis from 0% to 40%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2004 Smart Roadster by registration · All Smart Roadster MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 2004 Smart Roadster fail at each age?

Cars built in 2004 were tested at ages 15 to 20 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

Smart Roadster built 2004: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
Age	Tests	Failed, %	95% interval	Normal for this model at that age, %	Index (100 = normal)
15	1,242	36.8	34.2–39.5	37.5	98.2
16	983	33.2	30.3–36.2	32.9	100.8
17	1,001	32.8	29.9–35.7	32	102.3
18	934	30.7	27.9–33.8	29.1	105.7
19	872	31.5	28.5–34.7	30.7	102.9
20	749	32.3	29.1–35.7	31.2	103.5

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 5,781 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 2004 Smart Roadster?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2004 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 33.4 items per 100 first tests, against 34 across all build years of the Smart Roadster. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2004 were tested at ages 15 to 20.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Smart Roadster built 2004 against the Smart Roadster in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 2004, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	33.4	34	1,929
Brakes	18.3	18.2	1,056
Suspension	16.4	15.4	948
Visibility	8.3	8.3	479
Steering	7.9	6.9	454

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 5,781 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 2004 compare with the years around it?

Among the 5 published build years of the Smart Roadster, 2004 ranks 4 (1 = fails least for its age). 2003: index 110.6. 2005: index 92.5.

Smart Roadster build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
2003	110.6	101.4–119.8	worse (rough estimate)	1,568
2004	101.8	97.2–106.3	no different	5,781
2005	92.5	86.5–98.5	better (rough estimate)	2,963
2006	100.5	88.9–112.1	no different (rough estimate)	877
2007	88.3	65.8–110.9	no different (rough estimate)	203

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 11,392 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). Smart Roadster 2004 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/smart-roadster-review-389672ba/2004/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

Other pages for this model

Smart Roadster 2003 · Smart Roadster 2005 · Smart Roadster 2006 · Smart Roadster 2007 · Smart Roadster in the Netherlands · Smart Roadster by postcode area · Smart Roadster body, chassis and structure failures · Smart Roadster brakes failures · Smart Roadster vehicle identification failures · Smart Roadster lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Smart Roadster noise, emissions and leaks failures · Smart Roadster road wheels failures · Smart Roadster seat belts and airbags failures · Smart Roadster steering failures · Smart Roadster suspension failures · Smart Roadster tyres failures · Smart Roadster visibility failures