UK vehicle statistics / Smart
How many Smart cars are left?
At the end of 2026 Q1, DfT recorded 86,020 licensed and 11,144 SORN Smart vehicles in the UK, across 11 published model groups. That means 1 in 9 surviving Smart is currently off the road.
Looking at a Smart?
Population figures describe a model group, not the car in front of you.
Check its registration free for the official tax, MOT and mileage record. Before buying, the optional £9.99 full history check adds outstanding-finance, stolen and insurance write-off checks.
Is the Smart fleet shrinking?
Adding up every published Smart model group: Licensed numbers peaked at 97,230 in 2019 Q3 and stand at 86,020 in 2026 Q1, down 12%. That is down 8% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 11,144 are declared SORN — 1 in 9 of the 97,164 still on the DVLA record is off the road, laid up, part-restored or waiting to be sold.
Smart MOT pass rate
In 2024, 72.1% of 65,326 Smart MOTs passed first time — above the 71.2% UK average.
The items most often behind a first-test failure across published Smart model groups:
- Exhaust Emissions — 4.8% of tests. The car exceeded its emissions limits. Can be a sensor or a service, but on a diesel it can also mean an expensive filter or catalyst.
- Suspension Arms — 2.7% of tests. Worn arms or bushes. A common age-related repair that affects handling and tyre wear.
- Condition — 2.3% of tests. Corrosion, damage or wear on a tested component. Worth seeing in person, as the cost ranges from trivial to structural.
- Headlamp Aim — 2.3% of tests. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
See every model on the Smart MOT pass rate page.
Before you buy
- Exhaust Emissions — 4.8% of tests in 2024. The car exceeded its emissions limits. Can be a sensor or a service, but on a diesel it can also mean an expensive filter or catalyst.
- Suspension Arms — 2.7% of tests in 2024. Worn arms or bushes. A common age-related repair that affects handling and tyre wear.
- Condition — 2.3% of tests in 2024. Corrosion, damage or wear on a tested component. Worth seeing in person, as the cost ranges from trivial to structural.
- Headlamp Aim — 2.3% of tests in 2024. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
- Check the actual Smart — These figures describe the model group. Enter the registration for that vehicle's free MOT, tax and mileage record before you pay a deposit.
Rarest Smart models
The published Smart model groups with the smallest surviving populations.
- 5 PRO — 127 licensed, 0 SORN
- 3 Brabus — 292 licensed, 2 SORN
- 3 Premium — 298 licensed, 1 SORN
- 3 PRO — 355 licensed, 3 SORN
- 1 Brabus — 821 licensed, 10 SORN
Every Smart model
| Model | Licensed | SORN |
|---|---|---|
| Fortwo | 52,846 | 4,985 |
| Forfour | 23,700 | 1,368 |
| City | 3,440 | 2,528 |
| Roadster | 1,826 | 2,237 |
| 1 PRO | 1,208 | 4 |
| 1 Premium | 1,107 | 6 |
| 1 Brabus | 821 | 10 |
| 3 PRO | 355 | 3 |
| 3 Premium | 298 | 1 |
| 3 Brabus | 292 | 2 |
| 5 PRO | 127 | 0 |
How to read these numbers
Licensed means taxed and legal to use on the road at the end of the quarter. SORN means the keeper has declared it off the road — it still exists, but it is not in use. A model group's total is the best available proxy for how many survive, and a shrinking one means fewer donor cars, fewer specialists and slower parts supply.
Common questions
How many Smart cars are left in the UK?
86,020 Smart vehicles were licensed and 11,144 were SORN at the end of 2026 Q1, across 11 published model groups, according to DfT and DVLA statistics.
Which Smart is rarest?
Of the published Smart model groups, the 5 PRO has the smallest surviving population at 127 licensed and 0 SORN.
Is the Smart fleet shrinking?
Licensed numbers peaked at 97,230 in 2019 Q3 and stand at 86,020 in 2026 Q1, down 12%. That is down 8% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 11,144 are declared SORN — 1 in 9 of the 97,164 still on the DVLA record is off the road, laid up, part-restored or waiting to be sold.
What is the Smart MOT pass rate?
72.1% of 65,326 class-4 initial MOT tests on Smart cars passed first time in 2024 — above the 71.2% UK average.
What do Smart cars fail the MOT on?
Across published Smart model groups, the most common initial failure categories in 2024 are exhaust emissions (4.8% of tests), suspension arms (2.7% of tests), condition (2.3% of tests). DVSA publishes each model group's six most common categories, so this ranks the biggest published causes.
Does a Smart population figure describe the car I am looking at?
No. It describes the model group. Enter the registration for that car's own free MOT, tax and mileage record.
Source and limitations
Source: Department for Transport and DVLA, df_VEH0120_UK. Released 2026-07-15 under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
DVLA make and model fields are administrative data and can contain omissions or inconsistencies. These statistics describe model groups, not an individual registration.
Confidential cells marked [c] represent between 1 and 4 vehicles and are treated as zero in aggregates, so totals can be slightly understated.