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

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. The Fiat 500c sits 6.3 points below the national average, ranked 1,745 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 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 the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Fiat 500c: £425 at UK salvage auction, from 3 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Fiat 500c

1. A shock absorber bush excessively worn, 5.3% of tests (27.6x 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, 6.9% of tests (7.3x the national rate for this defect)
3. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 1.3% of tests (2.52x the national rate for this defect)
4. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 10.8% of tests (2.15x the national rate for this defect)
5. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 1.6% of tests (1.54x the national rate for this defect)
6. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2% of tests (1.51x the national rate for this defect)
7. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 2.4% of tests (1.42x the national rate for this defect)
8. A tyre seriously damaged, 3.6% of tests (1.28x 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, 1.5% of tests (1.24x the national rate for this defect)
10. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 2.7% of tests

From 17,166 DVSA-tracked Fiat 500c tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.19% of these flagged Fiat 500c defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Fiat 500c

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 500c before it actually fails on it.

1. A shock absorber bush excessively worn, 8.6% of tests (18.05x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 15.1% of tests (3.86x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 14.3% of tests (3.03x the national rate for this advisory)
4. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 8.5% of tests (2.99x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 2.4% of tests (1.74x the national rate for this advisory)
6. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 18.9% of tests (1.41x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
7. A tyre seriously damaged, 21.3% of tests (1.38x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
8. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 7% of tests (1.34x the national rate for this advisory)
9. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 15% of tests (1.22x the national rate for this advisory)
10. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 27.8% of tests, also fails

From 17,166 DVSA-tracked Fiat 500c tests, 2024.

Fiat 500c pass rate by model year

From its 2009 to its 2018 model year, the Fiat 500c's first-time pass rate has risen 25.1 points, from 60.9% to 86%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Fiat 500c year:

• 2009 Fiat 500c - 60.9% first-time pass, 796 tests
• 2010 Fiat 500c - 61.9% first-time pass, 1,487 tests
• 2011 Fiat 500c - 65.9% first-time pass, 1,331 tests
• 2012 Fiat 500c - 67.1% first-time pass, 2,190 tests
• 2013 Fiat 500c - 70.7% first-time pass, 1,995 tests
• 2014 Fiat 500c - 70.1% first-time pass, 2,351 tests
• 2015 Fiat 500c - 70.7% first-time pass, 2,554 tests
• 2016 Fiat 500c - 76.2% first-time pass, 2,214 tests
• 2017 Fiat 500c - 81.3% first-time pass, 1,585 tests
• 2018 Fiat 500c - 86% first-time pass, 571 tests

Fiat 500c by fuel type

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

• Petrol Fiat 500c - 71% first-time pass, 16,838 tests
• Diesel Fiat 500c - 53% first-time pass, 247 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 Tipo - 77.4%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Land Rover Freelander - 70.6%
• Hyundai I30 - 70.5%
• Citroen C3 - 70.4%
• Toyota Mr2 - 70.4%
• Toyota Hiace - 70.4%
• Toyota Landcruiser - 70.4%

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

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate