Which Smart Fortwo years should you avoid?

No Smart Fortwo model year in 2011–2016 scores in the flagged band. The weakest are 2016 and 2013.

What is the best year for the Smart Fortwo?

2011 is the best-scoring Smart Fortwo model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 80 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

How many recalls does the Smart Fortwo have?

1 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Smart Fortwo model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

Which Smart Fortwo years to avoid

No Smart Fortwo model year in 2011–2016 falls into the flagged band. The weakest are 2016 and 2013, and even those sit close to this model’s own median.

Ownership label · Smart Fortwo Full report

Grade 2011–2016

2016 vs model median 1.0×

Model median3× median

Fuel System 4

Engine 3

Electrical 3

Weakest

2013 · 2016

Best

2011 · 2013

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Smart Fortwo
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2011	0.80×	14	B
2013	1.00×	16	B
2016	1.02×	18	B

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2013 B 16 reports · median 7,000 mi

Engine 4

I was on the onramp to a very busy highway going about 50 MPH so that I could merge into traffic without slowing traffic down. All of a sudden I lost power. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Body & Interior 3

In compliance with my 2013 smart fortwo vehicle owner's manual, I washed my vehicle in an automatic car wash, located at a fuel station. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Lights & Visibility 2

1st month of ownership noticed what I thought was a pine needle on drivers side of windshield. Tried to remove only to discover a hairline crack. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

1 fire

2016 B 18 reports · median 13,333 mi

Fuel System 4

My new car and many others have gas gauges that do not work properly at all! You don't know how much gas is in your tank at all. Http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/forums/F208/2016-gas-gauge-issue-107826/ owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Engine 3

My 2016 smart car at only 51000 miles had transmission failure while driving down freeway almost resulting in crash. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Electrical 3

Tysinger replaced the fuel tank on 08/30/2018. The car has had problems with the fuel tank since I purchased the car. The car has been making a loud bang and then there is a strong smell of smoke afterwards. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

1 fire

The best year for the Fortwo

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2011 is the best-scoring Fortwo model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 80 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Best-scoring model years
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2011	0.80×	14	B
2013	1.00×	16	B
2016	1.02×	18	B

Recalls

1 campaign on record.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
17V448000	PARKING BRAKE	2016	5,061

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2016 were reported at a median of 13,333 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Smart Fortwo years should you avoid?: No Smart Fortwo model year in 2011–2016 scores in the flagged band. The weakest are 2016 and 2013.
What is the best year for the Smart Fortwo?: 2011 is the best-scoring Smart Fortwo model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 80 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Smart Fortwo have?: 1 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Smart Fortwo model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2016 Fortwo

Complaints in window: 18
Severity-weighted: 25.5
Model median (weighted): 25
vs model median: 1.02×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 1
Open investigations: 0

Score 72 B