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2003 Smart City Pulse 61 Semi-auto — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 2003 perform at MOT as they age

23 years
Current Age
57.5%
Latest Pass Rate
899
Total Tests (All Years)
75,548 mi
Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Best vintage for City Pulse 61 Semi-auto

Compared to Average at Age 18

This car: 57.5%
Average: 54.3%

✅ 3.2% above average (8383 models compared)

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 2003 Smart City Pulse 61 Semi-auto as it ages.

6 yrs63.2%
7 yrs63.7%
8 yrs53.3%
9 yrs65.2%
10 yrs65.5%
11 yrs57.1%
12 yrs69.7%
13 yrs52.0%
14 yrs56.3%
15 yrs42.2%
16 yrs66.7%
17 yrs63.6%
18 yrs57.5%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 6 to 18 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
6 yrs63.2%95
7 yrs63.7%91
8 yrs53.3%90
9 yrs65.2%89
10 yrs65.5%87
11 yrs57.1%84
12 yrs69.7%76
13 yrs52.0%75
14 yrs56.3%64
15 yrs42.2%45
16 yrs66.7%30
17 yrs63.6%33
18 yrs57.5%40

Pass Rate Trend

How the 2003 Smart City Pulse 61 Semi-auto pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows declining over 13 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2021 (18 yrs)57.5%40
2020 (17 yrs)63.6%33
2019 (16 yrs)66.7%30
2018 (15 yrs)42.2%45
2017 (14 yrs)56.3%64
2016 (13 yrs)52%75
2015 (12 yrs)69.7%76
2014 (11 yrs)57.1%84
2013 (10 yrs)65.5%87
2012 (9 yrs)65.2%89
2011 (8 yrs)53.3%90
2010 (7 yrs)63.7%91
2009 (6 yrs)63.2%95

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
63.2%
Age (yrs) 6Tests 95Avg Mileage 40,219Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 27.4%
2010High Fail Rate
63.7%
Age (yrs) 7Tests 91Avg Mileage 44,279Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 22.0%
2011High Fail Rate
53.3%
Age (yrs) 8Tests 90Avg Mileage 51,896Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 27.8%
2012
65.2%
Age (yrs) 9Tests 89Avg Mileage 53,127Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 22.5%
2013
65.5%
Age (yrs) 10Tests 87Avg Mileage 58,780Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 52.9%
2014High Fail Rate
57.1%
Age (yrs) 11Tests 84Avg Mileage 61,116Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 70.2%
2015
69.7%
Age (yrs) 12Tests 76Avg Mileage 64,803Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 38.2%
2016High Fail Rate
52.0%
Age (yrs) 13Tests 75Avg Mileage 69,905Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 61.3%
2017High Fail Rate
56.3%
Age (yrs) 14Tests 64Avg Mileage 68,490Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 59.4%
2018High Fail Rate
42.2%
Age (yrs) 15Tests 45Avg Mileage 70,014Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 68.9%
2019
66.7%
Age (yrs) 16Tests 30Avg Mileage 74,127Top Failure Brakes — 53.3%
2020High Fail Rate
63.6%
Age (yrs) 17Tests 33Avg Mileage 75,742Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 90.9%
2021High Fail Rate
57.5%
Age (yrs) 18Tests 40Avg Mileage 75,548Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 67.5%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 2003 Smart City Pulse 61 Semi-auto, with age trends.

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
61.8%
— Consistent
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
42.4%
↑ Increases with age
Brakes
32.5%
↑ Increases with age
Visibility
28.3%
↑ Increases with age
Noise, emissions and leaks
22.4%
— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Brakes7.4% (6 yrs)60.0% (18 yrs)
+52.6%
🔴 ↑
Suspension8.4% (6 yrs)42.5% (18 yrs)
+34.1%
🔴 ↑
Tyres11.6% (6 yrs)15.0% (18 yrs)
+3.4%
🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Smart City Pulse 61 Semi-auto page →

About This Data

This page shows how Smart City Pulse 61 Semi-auto cars manufactured in 2003 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2021, covering 899 tests. Pass rates naturally decline with age as components wear.

Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.

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