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

First-time pass rate69.9%
UK national average76.7%
Difference-6.8 points
Tests analysed17,543
Average mileage at test67,868 miles
Average year of manufacture2014
Reliability rank1,762 of 2,005 models

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. On a Fiat 500l 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 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 what damaged Fiat 500ls actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

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, 2.6% of tests (4.73x the national rate for this defect)
  2. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 4.8% of tests (2.94x the national rate for this defect)
  3. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.6% of tests (2.71x the national rate for this defect)
  4. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 1.3% of tests (2.2x 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% of tests (2.01x the national rate for this defect)
  6. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 2.6% of tests (1.69x the national rate for this defect)
  7. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 6% of tests (1.62x the national rate for this defect)
  8. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 1.4% of tests (1.51x the national rate for this defect)
  9. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 1.4% of tests (1.45x the national rate for this defect)
  10. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.4% of tests (1.2x the national rate for this defect)

From 24,355 DVSA-tracked Fiat 500l tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 6.14% of these flagged Fiat 500l defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Fiat 500l 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 500l year:

Fiat 500l 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

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate