Fiat 500L MOT pass rate & common failures
The Fiat 500L appears in 136,085 MOT tests spanning model years 1995–2022, and 78.4% of them passed. Against MPVs of a similar age (18.7% fail rate), the 500L comes out 2.9pp worse. Its most common failure areas are suspension, lighting & signalling and brakes.
Best and worst 500L years
Ranked across 500L 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: 2018 cars pass 84.4% of the time while 2011 cars manage 74.0%, a 10.4-point spread.
No single area dominates — suspension (9.7%) and lighting & signalling (8.8%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are coil spring, pins and bushes and headlamp aim — coil spring alone was recorded 7,200 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 32.1% versus 12.3%.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 2.0pp more often than petrol ones (22.2% vs 20.3%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 27.6% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 18.2% of tests failed in 2021 against 25.0% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every 500L model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 104 | 73.1% | 26.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 2,346 | 74.0% | 26.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 1,804 | 74.3% | 25.7% | Suspension |
| 2013 | 40,293 | 76.6% | 23.4% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 52,806 | 77.7% | 22.3% | Suspension |
| 2015 | 18,546 | 80.3% | 19.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 9,797 | 82.7% | 17.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 5,341 | 82.1% | 17.9% | Suspension |
| 2018 | 3,561 | 84.4% | 15.6% | Suspension |
| 2019 | 758 | 86.5% | 13.5% | Suspension |
| 2020 | 232 | 88.4% | 11.6% | Visibility |
| 2021 | 452 | 85.2% | 14.8% | Visibility |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 9.7% | 13,154 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 8.8% | 11,952 |
| 3 | Brakes | 5.9% | 8,100 |
| 4 | Tyres | 5.5% | 7,482 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.8% | 5,128 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 2.5% | 3,383 |
| 7 | Steering | 2.3% | 3,066 |
| 8 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.8% | 2,502 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coil spring | 7,200 |
| 2 | Pins and bushes | 5,910 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 5,180 |
| 4 | Stop lamp | 4,477 |
| 5 | Brake pads | 3,563 |
| 6 | Wipers | 3,485 |
| 7 | Track rod end | 3,476 |
| 8 | Tread depth | 3,418 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 27.6% | 37,586 |
| 2 | Brakes | 22.5% | 30,613 |
| 3 | Suspension | 12.4% | 16,910 |
| 4 | Other defects | 10.7% | 14,540 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 5.5% | 7,433 |
| 6 | Visibility | 3.6% | 4,929 |
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 | 13,048 | 12.3% |
| 30-60k | 49,571 | 18.9% |
| 60-90k | 50,049 | 23.9% |
| 90-120k | 19,199 | 27.2% |
| 120-150k | 3,535 | 29.3% |
| 150k+ | 592 | 32.1% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 93,120 | 22.2% |
| Petrol | 42,954 | 20.3% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 26,726 | 18.2% |
| 2022 | 26,948 | 19.3% |
| 2023 | 27,496 | 21.6% |
| 2024 | 27,705 | 23.7% |
| 2025 | 27,210 | 25.0% |
What to check before buying a Fiat 500L
- Suspension (9.7% 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 (8.8% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (5.9% 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 500L?
78.4% of the 136,085 Fiat 500L MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 21.6% fail rate, across model years 1995–2022.
What does the Fiat 500L most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 9.7% of tests, then lighting & signalling (8.8%).
Which 500L years are best and worst for MOT results?
2018 has the best pass rate at 84.4% and 2011 the weakest at 74.0%, from 3,561 and 2,346 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect 500L MOT results?
Fail rates run at 12.3% for cars in the 0-30k band and 32.1% for 150k+, a 19.7-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel 500L more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 20.3% of the time against 22.2% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 136,085 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.