317,940 tests in 2025
Fiat 500 reliability and MOT pass rate
72.8% passed first time. The 27.2% fail rate is 4.6 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 10 years old with 52,913 miles.
Pass rate
72.8%
22.6% of all cars failed; 27.2% of these did.
Fixed on the day
5.2%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
52,913 mi
10 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 35,412 | 9.2% |
| 6-9 years | 90,686 | 22.1% |
| 10-13 years | 127,909 | 31% |
| 14+ years | 63,280 | 37% |
What the 500 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.
- Suspension2,673 dangerous53.7%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment222 dangerous25.9%
- Brakes8,880 dangerous25.2%
- Tyres22,422 dangerous23.7%
- Body, chassis, structure298 dangerous12.2%
- Noise, emissions and leaks56 dangerous11.5%
- Visibility13 dangerous11%
- Steering60 dangerous2.6%
Is the 500 getting worse?
The fail rate rose 3.5 points to 27.6% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 316,065 | — | 24.1% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 323,822 | — | 25.6% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 282,123 | — | 27.4% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 309,437 | — | 27.6% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical 500 at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a 500 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn16,548 tests
- 2Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak8,823 tests
- 3Shock absorbers: has an excessively worn bush8,492 tests
- 4Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn7,840 tests
- 5Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements7,058 tests
- 6Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm6,675 tests
- 7Condition: has ply or cords exposed6,246 tests
- 8Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick4,752 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical 500 collects 2.84 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.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm56,350 tests
- 2Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure37,485 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened31,077 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn31,072 tests
- 5Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened27,930 tests
- 6Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak25,151 tests
- 7Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases23,587 tests
- 8Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine17,508 tests
Questions
What is the Fiat 500 MOT pass rate?
72.8% of the 317,940 Fiat 500 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 27.2% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 5.2% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Fiat 500 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn", recorded on 16,548 failed tests, followed by "Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak" and "Shock absorbers: has an excessively worn bush". By section, suspension appears in 53.7% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 25.9% of failures, brakes appears in 25.2% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 9.2%; at 14+ years it was 37%. The median Fiat 500 tested in 2025 was 10 years old with 52,913 miles.
Is the Fiat 500 getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 3.5 points to 27.6% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
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 500 trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 21 safety recalls naming the Fiat 500: Fiat 500 recalls.
Other Fiat models
Checking a particular 500?
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.