Fiat 500c: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Fiat 500c fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 6.3 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 17,177 individual Fiat 500c tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

First-time pass rate70.4%
UK national average76.7%
Difference-6.3 points
Tests analysed17,177
Average mileage at test54,454 miles
Average year of manufacture2014
Reliability rank1,745 of 2,005 models

What this means if you are buying one

A 70.4% first-time pass rate means roughly 30 in every 100 Fiat 500cs 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 500c tested had covered 54,454 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. On a Fiat 500c bought as a 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 500c 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 what damaged Fiat 500cs actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Fiat 500c

  1. A shock absorber bush excessively worn, 3.9% of tests (27.1x 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, 5.1% of tests (7.26x the national rate for this defect)
  3. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 1% of tests (2.44x the national rate for this defect)
  4. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 7.9% of tests (2.15x the national rate for this defect)
  5. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 1.1% of tests (1.51x the national rate for this defect)
  6. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 1.5% of tests (1.49x the national rate for this defect)
  7. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 1.7% of tests (1.37x the national rate for this defect)
  8. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.5% of tests (1.24x the national rate for this defect)
  9. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 1.1% of tests (1.23x the national rate for this defect)
  10. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 1.9% of tests

From 26,712 DVSA-tracked Fiat 500c tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.93% of these flagged Fiat 500c defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Fiat 500c pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Fiat 500c year:

Fiat 500c by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

Other Fiat models

Models with a similar pass rate

If this car is a salvage or write-off

Embed this data

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

Fiat 500c MOT pass rate badge: 70.4%

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/fiat-500c"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/fiat-500c.svg" width="340" height="92" alt="Fiat 500c MOT Pass Rate: 70.4% - Salvage Prophet"></a>

All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate