15,699 tests in 2025
Fiat 500c reliability and MOT pass rate
69.6% passed first time. The 30.4% fail rate is 7.8 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 11 years old with 55,607 miles.
Pass rate
69.6%
22.6% of all cars failed; 30.4% of these did.
Fixed on the day
5.2%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
55,607 mi
11 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 7 | — |
| 6-9 years | 4,049 | 22.4% |
| 10-13 years | 8,346 | 31.5% |
| 14+ years | 3,297 | 37.6% |
What the 500c 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.
- Suspension131 dangerous58.5%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment37 dangerous27.2%
- Brakes360 dangerous21.9%
- Tyres1,084 dangerous21.6%
- Body, chassis, structure17 dangerous12.3%
- Noise, emissions and leaks4 dangerous10.1%
- Visibility2 dangerous9.5%
- Steering5 dangerous1.7%
Is the 500c getting worse?
The fail rate rose 5.7 points to 30.4% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 8 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 17,286 | 8 | 24.7% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 17,208 | 9 | 26.5% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 14,520 | 10 | 29.3% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 15,697 | 11 | 30.4% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical 500c 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 500c in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn923 tests
- 2Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak889 tests
- 3Shock absorbers: has an excessively worn bush588 tests
- 4Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn391 tests
- 5Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements349 tests
- 6Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm283 tests
- 7Condition: has ply or cords exposed268 tests
- 8Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively232 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical 500c collects 2.96 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 1.6mm2,704 tests
- 2Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure1,949 tests
- 3Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak1,853 tests
- 4Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened1,820 tests
- 5Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn1,775 tests
- 6Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened1,617 tests
- 7Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases1,142 tests
- 8Shock absorbers: has an excessively worn bush983 tests
Questions
What is the Fiat 500c MOT pass rate?
69.6% of the 15,699 Fiat 500c first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 30.4% 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 500c usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn", recorded on 923 failed tests, followed by "Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak" and "Shock absorbers: has an excessively worn bush". By section, suspension appears in 58.5% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 27.2% of failures, brakes appears in 21.9% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 14.3%; at 14+ years it was 37.6%. The median Fiat 500c tested in 2025 was 11 years old with 55,607 miles.
Is the Fiat 500c getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 5.7 points to 30.4% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 8 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
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 500c 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 Fiat models
Checking a particular 500c?
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.