2020 Fiat Tipo — MOT failures & pass rate
The 2020 Fiat Tipo passed 88.0% of its 3,543 recorded MOT tests. Small family cars of a similar age fail 8.9% of the time, so this is 3.1pp worse than the group it competes with. Failures cluster in visibility, tyres and lighting & signalling.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — visibility (6.9%) and tyres (4.1%) 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 headlamp aim — wipers alone was recorded 247 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 9.1% in the 0-30k band and 15.4% in the 90-120k band, a 6.2-point spread.
The petrol cars hold up better: 11.6% fail against 14.4% for diesel, a 2.7-point gap across 3,540 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 24.2% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 9.5% of tests failed in 2022 against 13.8% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Visibility | 6.9% | 244 |
| 2 | Tyres | 4.1% | 145 |
| 3 | Lighting & signalling | 2.9% | 102 |
| 4 | Brakes | 2.4% | 86 |
| 5 | Suspension | 2.2% | 78 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.8% | 29 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 247 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 81 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 75 |
| 4 | Brake pads | 68 |
| 5 | Washers | 52 |
| 6 | Linkage ball joints | 35 |
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 | 24.2% | 857 |
| 2 | Brakes | 15.0% | 530 |
| 3 | Other defects | 7.3% | 258 |
| 4 | Suspension | 4.7% | 167 |
| 5 | Visibility | 4.1% | 145 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.8% | 28 |
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 | 1,904 | 9.1% |
| 30-60k | 1,375 | 14.7% |
| 60-90k | 201 | 19.9% |
| 90-120k | 52 | 15.4% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 3,025 | 11.6% |
| Diesel | 515 | 14.4% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 42 | 9.5% |
| 2023 | 1,161 | 10.2% |
| 2024 | 1,144 | 12.2% |
| 2025 | 1,190 | 13.8% |
What to check before buying a 2020 Tipo
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: visibility accounted for 6.9% of tests. Start there.
- Visibility (6.9% 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.
- Tyres (4.1% 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.
- Lighting & signalling (2.9% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£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
How many 2020 Fiat Tipos pass their MOT?
88.0% of the 3,543 2020 Fiat Tipo MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 12.0% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2020 Fiat Tipo?
Visibility, recorded in 6.9% of tests, followed by tyres (4.1%).
Does the 2020 Tipo get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 9.1% in the 0-30k band to 15.4% in the 90-120k band.
Methodology & source. Based on 3,543 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.