Fiat Carado MOT pass rate & common failures
The Fiat Carado appears in 1,470 MOT tests spanning model years 2013–2022, and 93.4% of them passed. Against all cars of a similar age (11.9% fail rate), the Carado comes out 5.3pp better. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, visibility and brakes.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (5.0%) and visibility (3.5%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are wipers, headlamp aim and outline marker lamp — wipers alone was recorded 58 times.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 9.1% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
How it compares
By model year
Every Carado model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 133 | 94.0% | 6.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 123 | 96.8% | 3.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 320 | 92.5% | 7.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 364 | 92.6% | 7.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 309 | 93.5% | 6.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 168 | 94.0% | 5.9% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 5.0% | 74 |
| 2 | Visibility | 3.5% | 52 |
| 3 | Brakes | 2.0% | 30 |
| 4 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.8% | 12 |
| 5 | Suspension | 0.6% | 9 |
| 6 | Tyres | 0.5% | 7 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.4% | 6 |
| 8 | Emissions & environmental | 0.4% | 6 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 58 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 32 |
| 3 | Outline marker lamp | 25 |
| 4 | Service brake performance | 16 |
| 5 | SRS malfunction indicator lamp | 9 |
| 6 | Rbt (sp) | 8 |
| 7 | Reversing lamps | 8 |
| 8 | Registration plate lamp(s) | 6 |
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 | 9.1% | 134 |
| 2 | Brakes | 3.3% | 48 |
| 3 | Lighting & signalling | 3.3% | 48 |
| 4 | Visibility | 2.3% | 34 |
| 5 | Suspension | 2.1% | 31 |
| 6 | Other defects | 0.9% | 14 |
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 | 1,256 | 6.2% |
| 30-60k | 209 | 8.1% |
Failure rate by age
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 189 | 6.3% |
| 2022 | 279 | 7.2% |
| 2023 | 323 | 4.0% |
| 2024 | 335 | 8.1% |
| 2025 | 344 | 7.3% |
What to check before buying a Fiat Carado
- Lighting & signalling (5.0% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Visibility (3.5% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£150.
- Brakes (2.0% 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 Carado?
93.4% of the 1,470 Fiat Carado MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 6.6% fail rate, across model years 2013–2022.
What does the Fiat Carado most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 5.0% of tests, then visibility (3.5%).
Methodology & source. Based on 1,470 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.