Fiat 500: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Fiat 500 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 5.1 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 306,338 individual Fiat 500 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 71.6% first-time pass rate means roughly 28 in every 100 Fiat 500s presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Fiat 500 tested had covered 55,170 miles and was built around 2014.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Fiat 500 sits 5.1 points below the national average, ranked 1,717 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. See how it stacks up against the Ford Fiesta.

Looking at a specific Fiat 500 rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Fiat 500: £450 at UK salvage auction, from 62 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Fiat 500

1. A shock absorber bush excessively worn, 4.7% of tests (24.59x the national rate for this defect)
2. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 3.1% of tests (3.22x the national rate for this defect)
3. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 1.3% of tests (2.54x the national rate for this defect)
4. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 10.9% of tests (2.17x the national rate for this defect)
5. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 2% of tests (1.94x the national rate for this defect)
6. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.2% of tests (1.7x the national rate for this defect)
7. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 2.3% of tests (1.34x the national rate for this defect)
8. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 1.5% of tests (1.25x the national rate for this defect)
9. A tyre seriously damaged, 3.1% of tests
10. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 3.1% of tests

From 306,076 DVSA-tracked Fiat 500 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.83% of these flagged Fiat 500 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Fiat 500

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Fiat 500 before it actually fails on it.

1. A shock absorber bush excessively worn, 6.8% of tests (14.22x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 9.2% of tests (3.24x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 15% of tests (3.18x the national rate for this advisory)
4. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 9.7% of tests (2.48x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 2.1% of tests (1.5x the national rate for this advisory)
6. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 7.1% of tests (1.37x the national rate for this advisory)
7. A tyre seriously damaged, 20.5% of tests (1.33x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 17.2% of tests (1.28x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
9. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 28.1% of tests, also fails
10. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 13.1% of tests

From 306,076 DVSA-tracked Fiat 500 tests, 2024.

Fiat 500 pass rate by model year

From its 2008 to its 2020 model year, the Fiat 500's first-time pass rate has risen 30.6 points, from 60.8% to 91.4%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Fiat 500 year:

• 2008 Fiat 500 - 60.8% first-time pass, 10,954 tests
• 2009 Fiat 500 - 60.8% first-time pass, 19,110 tests
• 2010 Fiat 500 - 62.8% first-time pass, 19,863 tests
• 2011 Fiat 500 - 65.5% first-time pass, 18,760 tests
• 2012 Fiat 500 - 67.1% first-time pass, 26,717 tests
• 2013 Fiat 500 - 70% first-time pass, 32,603 tests
• 2014 Fiat 500 - 70.5% first-time pass, 38,551 tests
• 2015 Fiat 500 - 70.7% first-time pass, 36,886 tests
• 2016 Fiat 500 - 74.7% first-time pass, 31,331 tests
• 2017 Fiat 500 - 79.8% first-time pass, 22,709 tests
• 2018 Fiat 500 - 83.8% first-time pass, 23,645 tests
• 2019 Fiat 500 - 87.7% first-time pass, 19,021 tests
• 2020 Fiat 500 - 91.4% first-time pass, 4,366 tests

Fiat 500 by fuel type

The Fiat 500's two most-tested fuel types split by 10.2 points: petrol passes first time 72.1% of the time (300,901 tests) against 61.9% for diesel (3,906 tests).

• Petrol Fiat 500 - 72.1% first-time pass, 300,901 tests
• Diesel Fiat 500 - 61.9% first-time pass, 3,906 tests

Other Fiat models

• Fiat Panda - 69.3%
• Fiat Ducato - 77.1%
• Fiat Punto - 63.5%
• Fiat Doblo - 68.9%
• Fiat 500x - 79.2%
• Fiat 500l - 69.9%
• Fiat 500c - 70.4%
• Fiat Tipo - 77.4%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Nissan Micra - 71.7%
• Chrysler Crossfire - 71.7%
• Volvo 700 Series - 71.7%
• Kia Ceed - 71.6%
• Toyota Starlet - 71.6%
• Nissan Nv400 - 71.6%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

Embed this data

Run a site about the Fiat 500? Embed the real DVSA pass-rate badge free, linked back to this page.

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/fiat-500"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/fiat-500.svg" width="340" height="92" alt="Fiat 500 MOT Pass Rate: 71.6% - Salvage Prophet"></a>

Run a garage or parts site? Embed the Fiat 500's top real failure reason instead, linked back here.

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/fiat-500"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/failure/fiat-500.svg" width="340" height="106" alt="Fiat 500 most common MOT failure: A shock absorber bush excessively worn (4.7% of tests) - Salvage Prophet"></a>

All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate