Smart ForFour MOT pass rates & common failures

Every completed first-attempt MOT on a Smart ForFour in Great Britain in 2025 — 25,038 tests. Figures cover every ForFour first-tested in 2025, all trims grouped. How the ForFour ages, what it fails on, and what mileage is normal, computed directly from the official DVSA record of every test.

Pass rate 2025
72.7%
0.4 points above the class-4 average (72.3%); unadjusted for age — the age-matched comparison is below
Tests analysed
25,038
first tests, 2025
Arrived with a dangerous fault
7.3%
of ForFour first tests; national 7.3%
Typical mileage at 10 years
53,750
middle half: 41,250–68,750 miles (2,500-mile-band midpoints)

How many Smart ForFour cars are still on the road?

At the end of 2025, DVLA's register held 25,223 Smart ForFour cars that were taxed or on SORN: 23,874 taxed and 1,349 on SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification — kept, but declared off the road by the keeper). The MOT figures above count tests; these count cars, across the whole United Kingdom, cars only. Smart ForFour vans, where they exist, are counted by DVLA as goods vehicles and are not in these figures.

Still taxed, end of 2025
23,874
94.7% of the 25,223 ForFour cars taxed or on SORN; 142 model variants grouped
On SORN, end of 2025
1,349
declared off the road by their keepers — 5.3% of that total

How the numbers are moving

The number of taxed ForFour cars peaked at 26,354 at the end of 2019 and has since fallen by 2,480 (9.4%) to 23,874 at the end of 2025. Cars on SORN went from 216 at the end of 2014 to 1,349 at the end of 2025, up 524.5%. A car leaves the taxed count when it is scrapped, exported or declared off the road; the year-end counts do not say which.

Taxed ForFour cars, year by year

Cars of this model taxed and on the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025.

010k20k30k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)Taxed ForFour cars, year 2014: 8kTaxed ForFour cars, year 2015: 13kTaxed ForFour cars, year 2016: 18kTaxed ForFour cars, year 2017: 22kTaxed ForFour cars, year 2018: 25kTaxed ForFour cars, year 2019: 26kTaxed ForFour cars, year 2020: 26kTaxed ForFour cars, year 2021: 26kTaxed ForFour cars, year 2022: 26kTaxed ForFour cars, year 2023: 25kTaxed ForFour cars, year 2024: 25kTaxed ForFour cars, year 2025: 24k24k
View this chart as a table
YearTaxed ForFour cars
20148,062
201513,469
201617,703
201721,553
201824,911
201926,354
202026,168
202126,027
202226,065
202325,435
202424,572
202523,874

ForFour cars on SORN, year by year

Cars of this model declared off the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025. Its own scale — SORN counts are a fraction of the taxed count.

05001k2k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)ForFour cars on SORN, year 2014: 216ForFour cars on SORN, year 2015: 332ForFour cars on SORN, year 2016: 478ForFour cars on SORN, year 2017: 631ForFour cars on SORN, year 2018: 723ForFour cars on SORN, year 2019: 852ForFour cars on SORN, year 2020: 991ForFour cars on SORN, year 2021: 1kForFour cars on SORN, year 2022: 1kForFour cars on SORN, year 2023: 1kForFour cars on SORN, year 2024: 1kForFour cars on SORN, year 2025: 1k1k
View this chart as a table
YearForFour cars on SORN
2014216
2015332
2016478
2017631
2018723
2019852
2020991
20211,032
20221,019
20231,116
20241,204
20251,349

Which model years survive

Taxed ForFour cars at the end of 2025 by year of manufacture, and each year's share of the 23,874 taxed in all. Every build year holding at least 1% has its own row; the rest share one. A build year's count depends on how many were sold that year as well as how many have lasted.

Year of manufacture Taxed, end of 2025Share of taxed ForFour cars
20225502.3%
20215502.3%
20205912.5%
20191,8717.8%
20183,71515.6%
20174,59719.3%
20165,06521.2%
20155,20421.8%
20067253.0%
20056802.8%
All other build years (four years, each under 1%)3261.4%

Population source: Department for Transport / DVLA vehicle licensing statistics, table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026; counts of the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, United Kingdom, cars only, excluding cars recorded with no model name. SortedCars groups DVLA's model name FORFOUR under this model. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, DVLA or the Department for Transport.

How the ForFour ages

First-time pass rate by vehicle age, ForFour vs all cars, 2025.

Smart ForFourAll cars
50%60%70%80%90%100%3579111315171920Vehicle age (years)Smart ForFour, vehicle age 3: 88.6%Smart ForFour, vehicle age 4: 82.8%Smart ForFour, vehicle age 5: 84.5%Smart ForFour, vehicle age 6: 80.9%Smart ForFour, vehicle age 7: 79.5%Smart ForFour, vehicle age 8: 75.8%Smart ForFour, vehicle age 9: 70.6%Smart ForFour, vehicle age 10: 66.1%Smart ForFour, vehicle age 19: 55.4%Smart ForFour, vehicle age 20: 59.2%All cars, vehicle age 3: 88.5%All cars, vehicle age 4: 87.2%All cars, vehicle age 5: 86%All cars, vehicle age 6: 83.5%All cars, vehicle age 7: 80.9%All cars, vehicle age 8: 78.2%All cars, vehicle age 9: 74.9%All cars, vehicle age 10: 71.9%All cars, vehicle age 11: 68.6%All cars, vehicle age 12: 65.8%All cars, vehicle age 13: 63.5%All cars, vehicle age 14: 61.2%All cars, vehicle age 15: 59.3%All cars, vehicle age 16: 58.3%All cars, vehicle age 17: 57.2%All cars, vehicle age 18: 57.4%All cars, vehicle age 19: 57%All cars, vehicle age 20: 57.6%Smart ForFour 59.2%All cars 57.6%
View this chart as a table
Age (years)ForFour testsForFour pass rateAll cars
359488.6%88.5%
461182.8%87.2%
562184.5%86.0%
61,95080.9%83.5%
73,78579.5%80.9%
84,74375.8%78.2%
95,26470.6%74.9%
105,41866.1%71.9%
1983855.4%57.0%
2080959.2%57.6%

Better or worse than the average car?

The ForFour's pass rate minus the all-cars pass rate at each age, in percentage points. Bars above zero: the ForFour beats the average car of that age. Below zero: it trails.

ForFour aheadForFour behind
-6-3+0+3+6Age 3: +0.1 points vs the average car3Age 4: -4.4 points vs the average carAge 5: -1.5 points vs the average car5Age 6: -2.6 points vs the average carAge 7: -1.4 points vs the average car7Age 8: -2.4 points vs the average carAge 9: -4.3 points vs the average car9Age 10: -5.8 points vs the average carAge 19: -1.6 points vs the average car19Age 20: +1.6 points vs the average car20Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)Gap (points)
3+0.1
4-4.4
5-1.5
6-2.6
7-1.4
8-2.4
9-4.3
10-5.8
19-1.6
20+1.6

The ForFour fleet on the road, by age

How many took a first MOT in 2025 at each age — the shape of the ForFour fleet still in use.

01k3k4k6kAge 3: 5943Age 4: 611Age 5: 6215Age 6: 1kAge 7: 3k7Age 8: 4kAge 9: 5k9Age 10: 5kAge 19: 83819Age 20: 80920Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)First tests
3594
4611
5621
61,950
73,785
84,743
95,264
105,418
19838
20809

What a ForFour fails on

Where the failure items land when a ForFour fails or needs a fix at test, 2025. Use it as a pre-purchase checklist: these are the areas to look at first.

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment21.6%
Tyres18.7%
Suspension17.0%
Noise, emissions and leaks12.7%
Visibility12.0%
Brakes9.3%
Body, chassis, structure5.1%
Steering1.7%

Share of all failure items, 2025 — the 8 biggest categories shown (98.1% of the items); smaller categories are not listed.

The advisories to watch

Where testers most often write "keep an eye on this" for a ForFour, 2025 — the faults in the post.

Tyres: 44.1% of advisories44.1%Brakes: 26.0% of advisories26.0%Suspension: 13.1% of advisories13.1%Non-component advisories: 4.7% of advisoriesNoise, emissions and leaks: 2.8% of advisoriesBody, chassis, structure: 2.6% of advisories
TyresBrakesSuspensionNon-component advisoriesNoise, emissions and leaksBody, chassis, structure
View this chart as a table
CategoryShare of advisories
Tyres44.1%
Brakes26.0%
Suspension13.1%
Non-component advisories4.7%
Noise, emissions and leaks2.8%
Body, chassis, structure2.6%

Petrol, diesel or hybrid ForFour?

First-time pass rate for the two most-tested ForFour fuel types, 2025, against the all-cars average. Fleet ages differ by fuel — newer fleets help the electrified bars.

50%60%70%80%90%100%all cars 72.3%Petrol: 71.7% of 22,577 tests71.7%Petrol22,577 testsElectric: 84.7% of 2,209 tests84.7%Electric2,209 tests
View this chart as a table
FuelTestsPass rate
Petrol22,57771.7%
Electric2,20984.7%

What mileage is normal for a ForFour?

Mileage recorded at test by vehicle age, 2025. The line is the typical (median) ForFour; the shaded band holds the middle half. A car far outside the band, in either direction, is worth questions the recorded history can answer.

Typical ForFour (median)
0k25k50k75k100k125k35791920Vehicle age (years)Age 3: typical 11,250 miles (middle half 6,250–16,250)Age 4: typical 13,750 miles (middle half 8,750–21,250)Age 5: typical 16,250 miles (middle half 11,250–23,750)Age 6: typical 28,750 miles (middle half 18,750–41,250)Age 7: typical 33,750 miles (middle half 23,750–46,250)Age 8: typical 41,250 miles (middle half 28,750–56,250)Age 9: typical 46,250 miles (middle half 33,750–61,250)Age 10: typical 53,750 miles (middle half 41,250–68,750)Age 19: typical 93,750 miles (middle half 71,250–118,750)Age 20: typical 96,250 miles (middle half 71,250–121,250)96k mi

Mileage values are midpoints of 2,500-mile bands.

View this chart as a table
Age (years)Lower quarterTypical (median)Upper quarter
36,25011,25016,250
48,75013,75021,250
511,25016,25023,750
618,75028,75041,250
723,75033,75046,250
828,75041,25056,250
933,75046,25061,250
1041,25053,75068,750
1971,25093,750118,750
2071,25096,250121,250

What fails at each age

The ForFour's failure mix by age band, 2025 — each band's top categories at their true share of that band's failure items; the pale remainder is everything else. How the mix shifts with age is the point of the chart.

TyresVisibilityLamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentBrakesSuspensionNoise, emissions and leaksBody, chassis, structureEverything else
View this chart as a table
Age bandCategoryShare of the band's failure items
3-5 yrsTyres45.5%
3-5 yrsVisibility32.8%
3-5 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment7.7%
3-5 yrsBrakes5.3%
3-5 yrsSuspension5.3%
3-5 yrsEverything else3.4%
6-9 yrsTyres26.5%
6-9 yrsSuspension17.7%
6-9 yrsNoise, emissions and leaks16.9%
6-9 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment11.0%
6-9 yrsBrakes10.6%
6-9 yrsEverything else17.3%
10-13 yrsSuspension28.4%
10-13 yrsTyres18.1%
10-13 yrsNoise, emissions and leaks16.7%
10-13 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment13.8%
10-13 yrsVisibility7.6%
10-13 yrsEverything else15.4%
14+ yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment31.3%
14+ yrsBrakes15.6%
14+ yrsSuspension15.6%
14+ yrsBody, chassis, structure10.1%
14+ yrsTyres6.9%
14+ yrsEverything else20.5%
How these figures are computed. Every number on this page is calculated by SortedCars from the DVSA anonymised MOT results dataset (every MOT test in Great Britain — 2025 for single-year figures; trend figures state their span, currently 2023–2025). Where a figure comes from a sample or uses banded values (mileage is banded to 2,500 miles), the page says so beside the figure. Test class 4 only, first tests only — retests are excluded. Class 4 is the car MOT class and also covers car-derived vans, pickups and motorhomes tested to the same standard; where this page says "cars" it means class 4. Pass rate = passes ÷ (passes + failures + pass-after-rectification): a vehicle that failed and was fixed during the visit counts as a fail. Pass rates describe fleets, not individual machines: they reflect how cars were driven, maintained and used as well as how they were built, and beyond recorded mileage none of that is in the data. A well-kept example of a model with a weak average can still pass; a neglected example of a strong one can still fail. No figure is shown for any group with fewer than 500 tests. Alias spellings of a make in the DVSA file are counted under one make name, and all trims and variants of a model are grouped under one model name, using SortedCars' grouping tables. The taxed and SORN counts on this page are the one exception: they are not computed from MOT records but taken from the Department for Transport's vehicle licensing statistics (DfT/DVLA table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0), which count the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, UK-wide, cars only. They describe a model as a whole, grouped under SortedCars' model names, and say nothing about any one car. “Dangerous” is DVSA's statutory defect category (in force since May 2018): a defect posing an immediate risk to road safety — driving the vehicle before repair is an offence. What these figures are for. These statistics are general information about groups of vehicles. They are not advice, a valuation or a recommendation to buy, avoid or price any particular vehicle, and no decision about one car should rest on them alone — check the car itself and its own records. We take care over the calculations, but we cannot guarantee they are complete, current or free of error, and we accept no liability for loss arising from reliance on them. This does not limit any liability that cannot lawfully be limited — see our Terms & Conditions. If you believe any figure on this page is inaccurate, contact us. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the DVSA or DVLA. DVSA publishes the raw test records; the statistics on this page are SortedCars' own calculations from them. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.