Fiat Tipo MOT pass rate & common failures
The Fiat Tipo appears in 70,498 MOT tests spanning model years 1986–2023, and 82.9% of them passed. That is 5.8 percentage points worse than small family cars of a similar age, which fail at 11.3%. Its most common failure areas are suspension, tyres and visibility.
Best and worst Tipo years
Ranked across Tipo 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
The strongest year on this record is 2020 (88.0% pass rate); the weakest is 2017 (81.0%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — suspension (7.0%) and tyres (5.8%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are wipers, tread depth and brake pads — wipers alone was recorded 3,562 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 22.3% versus 10.9%.
The petrol cars hold up better: 16.7% fail against 18.3% for diesel, a 1.6-point gap across 70,476 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 26.2% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 14.6% of tests failed in 2021 against 18.9% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Tipo model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 34 | 76.5% | 23.5% | Suspension |
| 1993 | 47 | 74.5% | 25.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1994 | 111 | 73.9% | 26.1% | Brakes |
| 1995 | 55 | 78.2% | 21.8% | Brakes |
| 2016 | 6,944 | 82.7% | 17.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 37,240 | 81.0% | 19.0% | Suspension |
| 2018 | 11,958 | 84.1% | 15.9% | Suspension |
| 2019 | 7,500 | 86.8% | 13.3% | Visibility |
| 2020 | 3,543 | 88.0% | 12.0% | Visibility |
| 2021 | 2,486 | 86.0% | 14.0% | Visibility |
| 2022 | 503 | 87.3% | 12.7% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 7.0% | 4,910 |
| 2 | Tyres | 5.8% | 4,094 |
| 3 | Visibility | 5.6% | 3,939 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 4.7% | 3,295 |
| 5 | Brakes | 4.2% | 2,945 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 1.7% | 1,228 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.6% | 420 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.3% | 201 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 3,562 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 2,621 |
| 3 | Brake pads | 2,157 |
| 4 | Shock absorbers | 2,129 |
| 5 | Coil spring | 1,938 |
| 6 | Headlamp aim | 1,848 |
| 7 | Washers | 1,198 |
| 8 | Linkage ball joints | 1,070 |
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 | 26.2% | 18,436 |
| 2 | Brakes | 20.7% | 14,571 |
| 3 | Suspension | 13.6% | 9,581 |
| 4 | Other defects | 9.0% | 6,370 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.5% | 2,433 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 1.8% | 1,268 |
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 | 17,867 | 10.9% |
| 30-60k | 33,625 | 17.7% |
| 60-90k | 15,182 | 21.6% |
| 90-120k | 3,058 | 22.8% |
| 120-150k | 562 | 23.7% |
| 150k+ | 197 | 22.3% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 50,243 | 16.7% |
| Diesel | 20,233 | 18.3% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 11,182 | 14.6% |
| 2022 | 13,252 | 15.9% |
| 2023 | 14,428 | 17.0% |
| 2024 | 15,576 | 18.3% |
| 2025 | 16,060 | 18.9% |
What to check before buying a Fiat Tipo
- Suspension (7.0% 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.
- Tyres (5.8% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
- Visibility (5.6% 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.
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 Tipo?
82.9% of the 70,498 Fiat Tipo MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 17.1% fail rate, across model years 1986–2023.
What does the Fiat Tipo most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 7.0% of tests, then tyres (5.8%).
Which Tipo years are best and worst for MOT results?
2020 has the best pass rate at 88.0% and 2017 the weakest at 81.0%, from 3,543 and 37,240 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Tipo MOT results?
Fail rates run at 10.9% for cars in the 0-30k band and 22.3% for 150k+, a 11.4-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Tipo more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 16.7% of the time against 18.3% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 70,498 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.