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2004 Smart City Pulse 61 Semi-auto — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 2004 perform at MOT as they age

22 years
Current Age
39.5%
Latest Pass Rate
1,333
Total Tests (All Years)
70,058 mi
Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Compared to Average at Age 20

This car: 39.5%
Average: 56.6%

⚠️ 17.1% below average (6824 models compared)

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 2004 Smart City Pulse 61 Semi-auto as it ages.

5 yrs66.7%
6 yrs59.7%
7 yrs61.5%
8 yrs55.6%
9 yrs56.5%
10 yrs57.3%
11 yrs50.9%
12 yrs54.1%
13 yrs53.8%
14 yrs63.3%
15 yrs63.0%
16 yrs62.8%
17 yrs57.4%
18 yrs64.7%
19 yrs59.0%
20 yrs39.5%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 5 to 20 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
5 yrs66.7%129
6 yrs59.7%119
7 yrs61.5%130
8 yrs55.6%126
9 yrs56.5%124
10 yrs57.3%110
11 yrs50.9%110
12 yrs54.1%98
13 yrs53.8%91
14 yrs63.3%49
15 yrs63.0%46
16 yrs62.8%43
17 yrs57.4%47
18 yrs64.7%34
19 yrs59.0%39
20 yrs39.5%38

Pass Rate Trend

How the 2004 Smart City Pulse 61 Semi-auto pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows declining over 16 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2024 (20 yrs)39.5%38
2023 (19 yrs)59%39
2022 (18 yrs)64.7%34
2021 (17 yrs)57.4%47
2020 (16 yrs)62.8%43
2019 (15 yrs)63%46
2018 (14 yrs)63.3%49
2017 (13 yrs)53.8%91
2016 (12 yrs)54.1%98
2015 (11 yrs)50.9%110
2014 (10 yrs)57.3%110
2013 (9 yrs)56.5%124
2012 (8 yrs)55.6%126
2011 (7 yrs)61.5%130
2010 (6 yrs)59.7%119
2009 (5 yrs)66.7%129

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009
66.7%
Age (yrs) 5Tests 129Avg Mileage 37,055Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 24.8%
2010High Fail Rate
59.7%
Age (yrs) 6Tests 119Avg Mileage 40,745Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 21.8%
2011High Fail Rate
61.5%
Age (yrs) 7Tests 130Avg Mileage 46,375Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.2%
2012High Fail Rate
55.6%
Age (yrs) 8Tests 126Avg Mileage 51,290Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 33.3%
2013High Fail Rate
56.5%
Age (yrs) 9Tests 124Avg Mileage 57,111Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 50.0%
2014High Fail Rate
57.3%
Age (yrs) 10Tests 110Avg Mileage 58,753Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 65.5%
2015High Fail Rate
50.9%
Age (yrs) 11Tests 110Avg Mileage 62,253Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 72.7%
2016High Fail Rate
54.1%
Age (yrs) 12Tests 98Avg Mileage 65,546Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 56.1%
2017High Fail Rate
53.8%
Age (yrs) 13Tests 91Avg Mileage 72,079Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 64.8%
2018High Fail Rate
63.3%
Age (yrs) 14Tests 49Avg Mileage 70,803Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 30.6%
2019High Fail Rate
63.0%
Age (yrs) 15Tests 46Avg Mileage 73,918Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 58.7%
2020High Fail Rate
62.8%
Age (yrs) 16Tests 43Avg Mileage 71,626Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 58.1%
2021High Fail Rate
57.4%
Age (yrs) 17Tests 47Avg Mileage 70,957Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 74.5%
2022High Fail Rate
64.7%
Age (yrs) 18Tests 34Avg Mileage 69,516Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 85.3%
2023High Fail Rate
59.0%
Age (yrs) 19Tests 39Avg Mileage 67,628Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 51.3%
2024High Fail Rate
39.5%
Age (yrs) 20Tests 38Avg Mileage 70,058Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 73.7%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 2004 Smart City Pulse 61 Semi-auto, with age trends.

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
61.7%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
43.0%
↓ Decreases with age
Brakes
30.2%
↑ Increases with age
Body, chassis, structure
28.9%
— Consistent
Visibility
26.5%
— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Suspension5.4% (5 yrs)42.1% (20 yrs)
+36.7%
🔴 ↑
Brakes10.1% (5 yrs)26.3% (20 yrs)
+16.2%
🔴 ↑

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 2004 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2024, covering 1,333 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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