Smart Roadster
Registered from 2003 to 2007.
About this model
The Smart Roadster (W452) is a two-door, two-seater sports car classified in the S-segment in Europe. It was first introduced in 2002 by Smart GmbH. The Roadster and its variant, the Roadster Coupé, enjoyed mostly successful sales during their production run. In total, approximately 43,000 units were produced before the model was discontinued in November 2005. The final Smart Roadster built now resides in the Mercedes-Benz Museum. It is defined by a consortium between Switzerland (Swatch), Germany (Mercedes-Benz) and France, whose vehicle remains "Made in France" because it is built entirely at its Hambach factory in Moselle.
From the Wikipedia article Smart Roadster, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What fails its inspection
Great Britain's MOT record for the 2004 0.7 petrol. 284 of 1,434 tests failed, 20%.
Better than 89% of 2004 cars. The typical one fails 28%, across 750 models with enough tests behind them to say.
| Where | Share of failures | Failed tests |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and electrics | 54% | 154 |
| Brakes | 32% | 92 |
| Suspension | 32% | 92 |
| Tyres and wheels | 15% | 43 |
| Visibility | 14% | 40 |
| Exhaust and emissions | 12% | 33 |
The defects inspectors cite
- A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- Audible warning inoperative
- Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements
- The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- Brakes — 32% of its failures
- Suspension — 32% of its failures
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- Tyres and wheels — 15% of its failures
- A tyre seriously damaged
- Exhaust and emissions — 12% of its failures
- Lights and electrics — 54% of its failures
- A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements
- Visibility — 14% of its failures
When it starts failing
At 140–160k miles this one fails 9% of its inspections, against the 31% an ordinary car of the same age fails.
| Odometer | Failure rate | Rate | Its age | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–20k miles | 16% | 13% | 37 | |
| 20–40k miles | 14% | 17% | 110 | |
| 40–60k miles | 15% | 22% | 239 | |
| 60–80k miles | 21% | 25% | 335 | |
| 80–100k miles | 23% | 28% | 332 | |
| 100–120k miles | 22% | 29% | 209 | |
| 120–140k miles | 24% | 30% | 103 | |
| 140–160k miles | 9% | 31% | 33 |
1,398 British inspections, grouped by the odometer reading recorded at the test.
Half of these have more than 60k miles on them. That is how far people drive this car, not how long it lasts.