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Smart Forfour, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

23,585 Smart Forfours are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 72.7% of initial MOT tests, in line with the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific Forfour? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Smart Forfour at the MOT

72.7% of 25,039 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Forfour 298th of 575 models. Smart Forfours aged 3 to 5 years passed 83.4% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 56.3%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Smart Forfour72.7%
  • All Smart modelsThe Forfour is 1.4 pts ahead71.3%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Smart Forfour tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years2,487 tests83.4%
  • 6 to 10 years20,106 tests72.7%
  • 11 years and over2,052 tests56.3%

Where Forfours fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Smart Forfour tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment21.5%
  • Tyres18.7%
  • Suspension17%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks12.7%
  • Visibility12%

The items testers recorded most often were tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (7.2%), wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (6.5%) and ball joint excessively worn (6.1%).

The MOT page lists every common Forfour MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Smart Forfour MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Forfour's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

    Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.21.5% of Forfour failure items

  2. Tyres

    Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear.18.7% of Forfour failure items

  3. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.17% of Forfour failure items

Smart Forfours in the UK

23,585 were licensed at the end of June 2026, the 2nd most of any Smart. The number licensed has grown 193% since the end of 2014, although it peaked at 26,354 at the end of 2019.

Change since 2014
+193%from 8,062 licensed
Typical year of first use
2016half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2016 or earlier
First registered in 2025
5against 5,915 in 2015
Declared off the road
1,3945.6% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Smart Forfours since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20148,062
End of 201513,469
End of 201617,703
End of 201721,553
End of 201824,911
End of 201926,354
End of 202026,168
End of 202126,027
End of 202226,065
End of 202325,435
End of 202424,572
End of 202523,874
End of June 202623,585

How old they are

Licensed Smart Forfours by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 236 were first used before 2005.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
2022550625
2021550690
2020590722
20191,8712,015
20183,7144,005
20174,5965,035
20165,0635,586
20155,2025,915
20140
20130
20120
20110
20100
20090
20086
200784
2006722
2005670

5,202 Forfours first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 88% of the 5,915 first registered that year.

Forfour engines and fuel

1.0 litre engines made up 54% of Smart Forfour MOT tests in 2025, followed by 0.9 litre at 29%. Petrol accounts for 90% of licensed Forfours and battery electric for 8.7%. Electric examples were 8.8% of tests.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 25,036 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.0 litre53.6%
  • 0.9 litre29.3%
  • 1.1 litre3.4%
  • 1.5 litre2.5%
  • 1.3 litre2.3%

Fuel type, licensed Forfours

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol21,34490%
Diesel1690.7%
Battery electric2,0629%
Gas10<0.1%

Smart Forfour recalls

6 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Smart Forfour. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Forfour is affected.

  1. Sep 2020 R/2020/195

    The software for the advanced emergency braking system may not meet the specification

    Forfours built May 2018 to Sep 2019 · 2,296 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The software for the Advanced Emergency Braking System might not meet the specification
    Remedy
    Update the software for the Advanced Emergency Braking System on the affected vehicles

  2. Oct 2017 R/2017/252

    Steering knuckle incorrectly manufactured

    Forfours built Mar 2017 to Jun 2017 · 1,878 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Due to an error in production the left hand steering knuckle may not conform to specification. In extreme instances the knuckle may fail.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles check the knuckle and replace where necessary.

  3. Sep 2017 R/2017/245

    Handbrake may not hold

    Forfours built Apr 2014 to Jan 2016 · 9,181 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Due to possible loosening of the adjuster lock nut parking brake lever travel may become excessive and the parking brake may not be fully applied. If the vehicle is not parked in accordance with handbook instructions it is possible the vehicle could move.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles check and where necessary replace the adjuster lock nut.

  4. Oct 2016 R/2016/198

    Vehicle may roll away

    Forfours built Apr 2016 · 49 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The bowden cable connected to the gear selector may come loose. This may prevent Park being engaged or disengaged.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles check cable connection and rework where necessary

  5. Jun 2015 R/2015/086

    Steering efficiency may be reduced

    Forfours built Jan 2014 to Aug 2014 · 1,276 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On certain vehicles the steering rack retaining bolts may not have been made to the correct specification. Under heavy loads and vibration the bolt(s) may break. This can adversely affect the steering though the driver may notice changes in steering characteristics in the first instance
    Remedy
    Replace rack steering retaining bolts

  6. Dec 2005 R/2005/165

    Rear seat lock springs may not be correctly located

    41 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The mountings for the rear bench seat runners may not be correctly secured into the floor.
    Remedy
    Recall the likely to be affected vehicles and check the security of the back seat bench. If necessary re-lock the back seat bench runner mountings into the floor.
How to check a specific Forfour for recalls

Other Smart models

The most-tested Smart models in 2025, against the Forfour's 72.7% MOT pass rate.

All 4 Smart models

Smart Forfour FAQs

How many Smart Forfours are there in the UK?

23,585 Smart Forfours were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 1,394 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Smart Forfour reliable?

MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 72.7% first-time pass rate for the Smart Forfour across 25,039 tests in 2025, in line with the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Smart Forfour had any recalls?

6 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Smart Forfour. The most recent was published in September 2020. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used Smart Forfour?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, tyres and suspension. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a Smart Forfour's history?

Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.

Already found a Forfour?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Smart history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Smart VIN check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.