Fiat 500l: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Fiat 500l fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 6.8 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 17,543 individual Fiat 500l tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 69.9% first-time pass rate means roughly 30 in every 100 Fiat 500ls 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 500l tested had covered 67,868 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 500l sits 6.8 points below the national average, ranked 1,762 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 500l 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 500l: £350 at UK salvage auction, from 4 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Fiat 500l

1. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 3.4% of tests (4.63x the national rate for this defect)
2. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 6.3% of tests (2.76x the national rate for this defect)
3. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 3.3% of tests (2.55x the national rate for this defect)
4. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 1.6% of tests (2x the national rate for this defect)
5. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.5% of tests (1.86x the national rate for this defect)
6. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 7.7% of tests (1.54x the national rate for this defect)
7. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 3.3% of tests (1.54x the national rate for this defect)
8. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 1.8% of tests (1.44x the national rate for this defect)
9. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 1.7% of tests (1.34x the national rate for this defect)
10. A tyre seriously damaged, 3.1% of tests

From 17,508 DVSA-tracked Fiat 500l tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 6.12% of these flagged Fiat 500l defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Fiat 500l

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 500l before it actually fails on it.

1. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 5.8% of tests (1.81x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. A stub axle swivel pin and/or bush excessively worn, 1.1% of tests (1.74x the national rate for this advisory)
3. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 17.4% of tests (1.42x the national rate for this advisory)
4. A tyre seriously damaged, 19% of tests (1.23x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 1.6% of tests (1.21x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
6. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 27.7% of tests
7. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 10.8% of tests, also fails
8. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 9.8% of tests, also fails
9. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 5.7% of tests
10. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 3.4% of tests

From 17,508 DVSA-tracked Fiat 500l tests, 2024.

Fiat 500l pass rate by model year

From its 2013 to its 2018 model year, the Fiat 500l's first-time pass rate has risen 10.9 points, from 68.1% to 79%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Fiat 500l year:

• 2013 Fiat 500l - 68.1% first-time pass, 4,161 tests
• 2014 Fiat 500l - 68.7% first-time pass, 6,823 tests
• 2015 Fiat 500l - 70.4% first-time pass, 2,980 tests
• 2016 Fiat 500l - 74.1% first-time pass, 1,632 tests
• 2017 Fiat 500l - 73.9% first-time pass, 885 tests
• 2018 Fiat 500l - 79% first-time pass, 605 tests

Fiat 500l by fuel type

The Fiat 500l's two most-tested fuel types split by 5 points: diesel passes first time 68.7% of the time (11,925 tests) against 73.7% for petrol (5,515 tests).

• Diesel Fiat 500l - 68.7% first-time pass, 11,925 tests
• Petrol Fiat 500l - 73.7% first-time pass, 5,515 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 500c - 70.4%
• Fiat Tipo - 77.4%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Peugeot 308 - 70%
• Ford S-Max - 70%
• Kia Carens - 70%
• Hyundai Ix35 - 69.8%
• Chrysler-Jeep Grand Cherokee - 69.8%
• Toyota Granvia - 69.8%

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