Fiat Seicento: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Fiat Seicento fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 16.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 1,348 individual Fiat Seicento tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 60% first-time pass rate means roughly 40 in every 100 Fiat Seicentos 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 Seicento tested had covered 57,460 miles and was built around 2002.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Fiat Seicento sits 16.7 points below the national average, ranked 1,953 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 Seicento 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 recorded closing bids for damaged Fiat Seicentos at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Fiat Seicento

1. Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 3.9% of tests (18.43x the national rate for this defect)
2. Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle., 6.8% of tests (12.92x the national rate for this defect)
3. 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, 8.4% of tests (8.88x the national rate for this defect)
4. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 7% of tests (6.59x the national rate for this defect)
5. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 6.5% of tests (6.29x the national rate for this defect)
6. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 12.3% of tests (5.24x the national rate for this defect)
7. A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3% of tests (4.53x the national rate for this defect)
8. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 4.4% of tests (4.32x the national rate for this defect)
9. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 5.8% of tests (3.78x the national rate for this defect)
10. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 4.7% of tests (3.59x the national rate for this defect)

From 1,348 DVSA-tracked Fiat Seicento tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.46% of these flagged Fiat Seicento defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Fiat Seicento

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 Seicento before it actually fails on it.

1. A flexible brake hose excessively damaged, deteriorated, chafed, twisted or stretched, 4.7% of tests (8.34x the national rate for this advisory)
2. 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, 9.1% of tests (5.96x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 6.6% of tests (5.31x the national rate for this advisory)
4. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 24.9% of tests (5.27x the national rate for this advisory)
5. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 13% of tests (4.56x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
6. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 24.6% of tests (3.97x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
7. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 7.9% of tests (3.97x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
8. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 18.5% of tests (3.58x the national rate for this advisory)
9. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 18.3% of tests (3.3x the national rate for this advisory)
10. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 11% of tests (2.81x the national rate for this advisory)

From 1,348 DVSA-tracked Fiat Seicento tests, 2024.

Fiat Seicento pass rate by model year

From its 2002 to its 2003 model year, the Fiat Seicento's first-time pass rate has fallen 5 points, from 63.3% to 58.3%, an unusual pattern where even its newest years fail more than its oldest. First-time pass rate for each Fiat Seicento year:

• 2001 Fiat Seicento - 60.8% first-time pass, 255 tests
• 2002 Fiat Seicento - 63.3% first-time pass, 346 tests
• 2003 Fiat Seicento - 58.3% first-time pass, 422 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

• Chrysler-Jeep Grand Voyager - 60.1%
• Volkswagen Fox - 60%
• Citroen C2 - 60%
• Peugeot 4007 - 59.9%
• Fiat Stilo - 59.9%
• Peugeot 207 - 59.8%

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?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate