Fiat 500 C: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Fiat 500 C fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 11.4 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 4,134 individual Fiat 500 C tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 65.3% first-time pass rate means roughly 35 in every 100 Fiat 500 Cs 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 C tested had covered 65,375 miles and was built around 2011.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Fiat 500 C sits 11.4 points below the national average, ranked 1,863 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. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Fiat 500 C 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 recorded closing bids for damaged Fiat 500 Cs at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Fiat 500 C

1. A shock absorber bush excessively worn, 6.4% of tests (32.97x the national rate for this defect)
2. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 3.5% of tests (6.81x the national rate for this defect)
3. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 4.8% of tests (5.08x the national rate for this defect)
4. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 3.6% of tests (3.53x the national rate for this defect)
5. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 13.3% of tests (2.65x the national rate for this defect)
6. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 3.2% of tests (2.46x the national rate for this defect)
7. A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps, 2.1% of tests (2.38x 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, 2.3% of tests (1.89x the national rate for this defect)
9. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 3.9% of tests (1.64x the national rate for this defect)
10. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.2% of tests (1.63x the national rate for this defect)

From 4,146 DVSA-tracked Fiat 500 C tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.06% of these flagged Fiat 500 C 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 C

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 C before it actually fails on it.

1. A shock absorber bush excessively worn, 9.1% of tests (19.02x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 13.7% of tests (4.8x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 20.2% of tests (4.27x 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, 12.6% of tests (3.23x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting, 2.9% of tests (2.71x the national rate for this advisory)
6. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 3.2% of tests (2.31x the national rate for this advisory)
7. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 10.6% of tests (2.05x the national rate for this advisory)
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 19.7% of tests (1.47x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
9. A tyre seriously damaged, 20.2% of tests (1.31x the national rate for this advisory)
10. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 6.8% of tests (1.22x the national rate for this advisory)

From 4,146 DVSA-tracked Fiat 500 C tests, 2024.

Fiat 500 C pass rate by model year

From its 2009 to its 2014 model year, the Fiat 500 C's first-time pass rate has risen 12.5 points, from 60.1% to 72.6%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Fiat 500 C year:

• 2009 Fiat 500 C - 60.1% first-time pass, 396 tests
• 2010 Fiat 500 C - 61.3% first-time pass, 620 tests
• 2011 Fiat 500 C - 65.2% first-time pass, 1,313 tests
• 2012 Fiat 500 C - 65.8% first-time pass, 716 tests
• 2013 Fiat 500 C - 69.3% first-time pass, 469 tests
• 2014 Fiat 500 C - 72.6% first-time pass, 573 tests

Other Fiat models

• Fiat 500 - 71.6%
• 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%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Mazda B Series - 65.5%
• SEAT Altea Xl - 65.5%
• Chrysler Grand Voyager - 65.4%
• Toyota Dyna - 65.3%
• Isuzu D-Max Yukon D/C Intercooler Td - 65.3%
• Volvo C30 - 65.2%

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?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate