Fiat Grande Punto: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Fiat Grande Punto fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 14.6 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 6,546 individual Fiat Grande Punto tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 62.1% first-time pass rate means roughly 38 in every 100 Fiat Grande Puntos 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 Grande Punto tested had covered 85,730 miles and was built around 2009.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Fiat Grande Punto sits 14.6 points below the national average, ranked 1,912 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 Grande Punto 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 Grande Punto: £325 at UK salvage auction, from 5 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Fiat Grande Punto

1. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 3.9% of tests (11.16x the national rate for this defect)
2. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 5.7% of tests (11.09x the national rate for this defect)
3. Emissions test unable to be completed, 2.6% of tests (6.4x the national rate for this defect)
4. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 5.6% of tests (5.56x the national rate for this defect)
5. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 4.2% of tests (4.38x the national rate for this defect)
6. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 4.1% of tests (3x the national rate for this defect)
7. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 7% of tests (2.97x the national rate for this defect)
8. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 5.5% of tests (2.48x the national rate for this defect)
9. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.7% of tests (2.07x the national rate for this defect)
10. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 4.5% of tests (1.96x the national rate for this defect)

From 6,539 DVSA-tracked Fiat Grande Punto tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.76% of these flagged Fiat Grande Punto defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Fiat Grande Punto

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 Grande Punto before it actually fails on it.

1. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 33.7% of tests (7.13x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow, 5.8% of tests (5.25x the national rate for this advisory)
3. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 12.3% of tests (4.32x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 5.3% of tests (3.9x the national rate for this advisory)
5. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 4.6% of tests (3.58x the national rate for this advisory)
6. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 18.2% of tests (3.26x the national rate for this advisory)
7. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 16.3% of tests (3.16x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
8. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 8.9% of tests (2.27x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
9. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 4.6% of tests (1.75x the national rate for this advisory)
10. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 20.5% of tests (1.54x the national rate for this advisory)

From 6,539 DVSA-tracked Fiat Grande Punto tests, 2024.

Fiat Grande Punto pass rate by model year

From its 2008 to its 2010 model year, the Fiat Grande Punto's first-time pass rate has fallen 0.8 points, from 63.2% to 62.4%, an unusual pattern where even its newest years fail more than its oldest. First-time pass rate for each Fiat Grande Punto year:

• 2008 Fiat Grande Punto - 63.2% first-time pass, 990 tests
• 2009 Fiat Grande Punto - 62.4% first-time pass, 4,077 tests
• 2010 Fiat Grande Punto - 62.4% first-time pass, 1,274 tests

Fiat Grande Punto by fuel type

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

• Petrol Fiat Grande Punto - 62.6% first-time pass, 6,253 tests
• Diesel Fiat Grande Punto - 61.4% first-time pass, 251 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

• Skoda Felicia - 62.3%
• Audi A2 - 62.2%
• Hyundai Getz - 62.1%
• Rover 45 - 62.1%
• Kia Proceed - 62.1%
• Mercedes-Benz Clc - 62%

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