Fiat Punto: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Fiat Punto fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 13.2 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 58,670 individual Fiat Punto tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 63.5% first-time pass rate means roughly 37 in every 100 Fiat 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 Punto tested had covered 78,754 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. On a Fiat Punto 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 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 what damaged Fiat Puntos actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Fiat Punto

1. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 3.4% of tests (8.71x the national rate for this defect)
2. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 4.2% of tests (5.56x the national rate for this defect)
3. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 2.3% of tests (5.23x the national rate for this defect)
4. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3% of tests (3.05x the national rate for this defect)
5. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 5.2% of tests (2.98x the national rate for this defect)
6. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.9% of tests (2.96x the national rate for this defect)
7. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 2.6% of tests (2.76x the national rate for this defect)
8. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 2.2% of tests (2.61x the national rate for this defect)
9. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 4% of tests (2.46x the national rate for this defect)
10. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 3.4% of tests (2.08x the national rate for this defect)

From 84,294 DVSA-tracked Fiat Punto tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.6% of these flagged Fiat Punto defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Fiat Punto 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 Punto year:

• 2001 Fiat Punto - 68.3% first-time pass, 325 tests
• 2002 Fiat Punto - 64% first-time pass, 742 tests
• 2003 Fiat Punto - 59.2% first-time pass, 1,256 tests
• 2004 Fiat Punto - 59.5% first-time pass, 2,207 tests
• 2005 Fiat Punto - 61.5% first-time pass, 1,639 tests
• 2006 Fiat Punto - 60.4% first-time pass, 6,039 tests
• 2007 Fiat Punto - 59.5% first-time pass, 8,951 tests
• 2008 Fiat Punto - 61% first-time pass, 5,680 tests
• 2009 Fiat Punto - 64.3% first-time pass, 1,877 tests
• 2010 Fiat Punto - 64.2% first-time pass, 4,924 tests
• 2011 Fiat Punto - 65.3% first-time pass, 4,338 tests
• 2012 Fiat Punto - 67.4% first-time pass, 5,885 tests
• 2013 Fiat Punto - 64.3% first-time pass, 4,382 tests
• 2014 Fiat Punto - 66% first-time pass, 3,686 tests
• 2015 Fiat Punto - 72.5% first-time pass, 2,484 tests
• 2016 Fiat Punto - 75.6% first-time pass, 1,704 tests
• 2017 Fiat Punto - 78.3% first-time pass, 1,247 tests
• 2018 Fiat Punto - 77.7% first-time pass, 318 tests

Fiat 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 Punto - 64% first-time pass, 56,110 tests
• Diesel Fiat Punto - 64.2% first-time pass, 2,069 tests

Other Fiat models

• Fiat 500 - 71.6%
• Fiat Panda - 69.3%
• Fiat Ducato - 77.1%
• Fiat Doblo - 68.9%
• Fiat 500x - 79.2%
• Fiat 500l - 69.9%
• Fiat 500c - 70.4%
• Fiat Tipo - 77.4%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Honda Fr-V - 63.7%
• Dodge Nitro - 63.7%
• Vauxhall Antara - 63.6%
• Daihatsu Hijet - 63.3%
• Volkswagen Beetle - 63.2%
• Volvo S40 - 63.2%

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

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate