Does the Smart Roadster fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Smart Roadster records 16.16 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 23.92 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−7.76, 95% interval −9.03 to −6.49). It ranks 620 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a Smart Roadster by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Smart Roadster is “Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded”, recorded 243 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 243 | 4.26 |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 68 | 1.19 |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 57 | 1.00 |
| Warning device shows system malfunction | 51 | 0.89 |
| Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle. | 50 | 0.88 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 5,699 (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 Roadster gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
12.7% of Smart Roadster MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 1,626 miles later (1,291 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,291 (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 Roadster 2005 · Smart Roadster 2006 · Smart Roadster by postcode area · Smart Roadster body, chassis and structure failures · Smart Roadster lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Smart Roadster noise, emissions and leaks failures · Smart Roadster seat belts and airbags failures · Smart Roadster steering failures · Smart Roadster suspension failures · Smart Roadster tyres failures · Smart Roadster visibility failures