1,693 tests in 2025
Abarth 124 reliability and MOT pass rate
89% passed first time. The 11% fail rate is 11.6 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 7 years old with 28,742 miles.
Pass rate
89%
22.6% of all cars failed; 11% of these did.
Fixed on the day
2.8%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
28,742 mi
7 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 0 | — |
| 6-9 years | 1,693 | 11% |
| 10-13 years | 0 | — |
| 14+ years | 0 | — |
What the 124 fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment33.3%
- Tyres52 dangerous29%
- Brakes27 dangerous26.9%
- Suspension15.6%
- Visibility11.8%
- Noise, emissions and leaks10.2%
- Body, chassis, structure1.1%
- Road Wheels1.1%
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a 124 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Position lamp: not working32 tests
- 2Coil spring: fractured or broken20 tests
- 3Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick18 tests
- 4Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm17 tests
- 5Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively16 tests
- 6Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords13 tests
- 7Service brake performance: excessively binding13 tests
- 8Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits8 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical 124 collects 2.34 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened171 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm146 tests
- 3Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure111 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick103 tests
- 5Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn90 tests
- 6Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm31 tests
- 7Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords30 tests
- 8Service brake performance: excessively binding26 tests
Questions
What is the Abarth 124 MOT pass rate?
89% of the 1,693 Abarth 124 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 11% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 2.8% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Abarth 124 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Position lamp: not working", recorded on 32 failed tests, followed by "Coil spring: fractured or broken" and "Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick". By section, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 33.3% of failures, tyres appears in 29% of failures, brakes appears in 26.9% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was n/a%; at 6-9 years it was 11%. The median Abarth 124 tested in 2025 was 7 years old with 28,742 miles.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every 124 trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
Other Abarth models
Checking a particular 124?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.