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. The Fiat Punto sits 13.2 points below the national average, ranked 1,888 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 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 Punto: £250 at UK salvage auction, from 6 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Fiat Punto

1. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 4.1% of tests (8.07x the national rate for this defect)
2. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 5.1% of tests (5.04x the national rate for this defect)
3. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 2.8% of tests (4.72x the national rate for this defect)
4. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 6.3% of tests (2.69x 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, 3.7% of tests (2.68x the national rate for this defect)
6. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 3.5% of tests (2.67x the national rate for this defect)
7. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 2.5% of tests (2.64x the national rate for this defect)
8. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 3.2% of tests (2.44x 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, 4.9% of tests (2.2x the national rate for this defect)
10. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 4.4% of tests (1.92x the national rate for this defect)

From 58,629 DVSA-tracked Fiat Punto tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.57% of these flagged Fiat 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 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 Punto before it actually fails on it.

1. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 29.5% of tests (6.24x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 6.2% of tests (4.54x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 11.8% of tests (4.15x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow, 3.9% of tests (3.56x the national rate for this advisory)
5. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 3.8% of tests (3x 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, 16.5% of tests (2.97x the national rate for this advisory)
7. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 15.2% of tests (2.94x the national rate for this advisory)
8. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 6.6% of tests (1.69x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
9. A tyre seriously damaged, 21% of tests (1.36x the national rate for this advisory)
10. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 3.6% of tests (1.34x the national rate for this advisory)

From 58,629 DVSA-tracked Fiat Punto tests, 2024.

Fiat Punto pass rate by model year

From its 2001 to its 2018 model year, the Fiat Punto's first-time pass rate has risen 9.4 points, from 68.3% to 77.7%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. 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

The Fiat Punto's two most-tested fuel types split by 0.2 points: petrol passes first time 64% of the time (56,110 tests) against 64.2% for diesel (2,069 tests).

• 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
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

Embed this data

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<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/fiat-punto"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/failure/fiat-punto.svg" width="340" height="106" alt="Fiat Punto most common MOT failure: Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer (4.1% of tests) - Salvage Prophet"></a>

All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate