Fiat 500 MOT pass rate & common failures
1,978,225 MOT tests on the Fiat 500 (1986–2025) give it a 79.5% pass rate. Against city cars of a similar age (17.3% fail rate), the 500 comes out 3.1pp worse. Its most common failure areas are suspension, lighting & signalling and brakes.
Best and worst 500 years
Ranked across 500 years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
Build year matters more than the headline suggests: 2022 cars pass 93.6% of the time while 2008 cars manage 71.4%, a 22.1-point spread.
No single area dominates — suspension (10.7%) and lighting & signalling (7.9%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are shock absorbers, pins and bushes and headlamp aim — shock absorbers alone was recorded 115,877 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 10.4% in the 0-30k band and 30.8% in the 150k+ band, a 20.3-point spread — more than double.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 19.8pp more often than hybrid ones (28.0% vs 8.2%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: suspension was flagged on 27.6% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 18.9% of tests failed in 2021 against 21.6% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every 500 model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 940 | 70.0% | 30.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 76,105 | 71.4% | 28.6% | Suspension |
| 2009 | 133,471 | 71.8% | 28.2% | Suspension |
| 2010 | 137,739 | 73.2% | 26.8% | Suspension |
| 2011 | 132,245 | 74.6% | 25.4% | Suspension |
| 2012 | 178,211 | 75.8% | 24.2% | Suspension |
| 2013 | 208,601 | 78.0% | 22.0% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 245,931 | 78.5% | 21.4% | Suspension |
| 2015 | 230,546 | 78.9% | 21.1% | Suspension |
| 2016 | 189,313 | 81.8% | 18.2% | Suspension |
| 2017 | 131,084 | 85.6% | 14.4% | Suspension |
| 2018 | 131,828 | 88.6% | 11.4% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 94,364 | 90.3% | 9.7% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 45,908 | 91.1% | 8.9% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 27,619 | 92.1% | 7.9% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 13,447 | 93.6% | 6.4% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 768 | 94.8% | 5.2% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 10.7% | 212,042 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 7.9% | 156,323 |
| 3 | Brakes | 5.4% | 106,540 |
| 4 | Tyres | 5.2% | 103,126 |
| 5 | Visibility | 4.2% | 82,866 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.5% | 50,333 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 2.1% | 41,946 |
| 8 | Steering | 0.4% | 8,310 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shock absorbers | 115,877 |
| 2 | Pins and bushes | 107,699 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 67,143 |
| 4 | Wipers | 51,458 |
| 5 | Tread depth | 49,584 |
| 6 | Washers | 45,683 |
| 7 | Headlamp | 42,403 |
| 8 | Ball joint | 41,048 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 27.6% | 545,472 |
| 2 | Tyres | 27.4% | 542,578 |
| 3 | Brakes | 17.6% | 347,490 |
| 4 | Body, structure & corrosion | 8.8% | 174,297 |
| 5 | Other defects | 7.0% | 138,393 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 5.5% | 108,217 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 475,145 | 10.4% |
| 30-60k | 806,737 | 20.4% |
| 60-90k | 499,259 | 26.6% |
| 90-120k | 158,457 | 29.3% |
| 120-150k | 28,347 | 30.2% |
| 150k+ | 4,950 | 30.8% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 1,948,115 | 20.4% |
| Diesel | 28,920 | 28.0% |
| Hybrid | 1,145 | 8.2% |
| Electric | 35 | 14.3% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 355,152 | 18.9% |
| 2022 | 383,900 | 19.6% |
| 2023 | 401,305 | 20.5% |
| 2024 | 413,963 | 21.5% |
| 2025 | 423,905 | 21.6% |
What to check before buying a Fiat 500
- Suspension (10.7% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
- Lighting & signalling (7.9% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (5.4% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Fiat 500?
79.5% of the 1,978,225 Fiat 500 MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 20.5% fail rate, across model years 1986–2025.
What does the Fiat 500 most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 10.7% of tests, then lighting & signalling (7.9%).
Which 500 years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 93.6% and 2008 the weakest at 71.4%, from 13,447 and 76,105 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect 500 MOT results?
Fail rates run at 10.4% for cars in the 0-30k band and 30.8% for 150k+, a 20.3-point difference.
Is the hybrid or diesel 500 more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 8.2% of the time against 28.0% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 1,978,225 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.