33,862 tests in 2025
Fiat 500x reliability and MOT pass rate
77.3% passed first time. The 22.7% fail rate is 0.1 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 9 years old with 54,626 miles.
Pass rate
77.3%
22.6% of all cars failed; 22.7% of these did.
Fixed on the day
4.7%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
54,626 mi
9 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 4,513 | 9.9% |
| 6-9 years | 22,752 | 23.5% |
| 10-13 years | 6,551 | 28.7% |
| 14+ years | 0 | — |
What the 500x 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.
- Steering20 dangerous35.7%
- Tyres2,154 dangerous27.9%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment5 dangerous26%
- Suspension77 dangerous24.9%
- Noise, emissions and leaks5 dangerous13.5%
- Brakes640 dangerous12.4%
- Visibility1 dangerous9.4%
- Body, chassis, structure20 dangerous6.6%
Is the 500x getting worse?
The fail rate rose 10.3 points to 23.3% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 31,890 | 6 | 13% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 33,051 | 7 | 16.1% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 29,690 | — | 20.3% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 32,447 | — | 23.3% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical 500x 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 500x in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Track rod end: ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt1,830 tests
- 2Position lamp: not working1,390 tests
- 3Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm864 tests
- 4Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction663 tests
- 5Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play643 tests
- 6Linkage ball joints: ball joint excessively worn600 tests
- 7Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords448 tests
- 8Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick433 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical 500x collects 2.39 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 1.6mm5,838 tests
- 2Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure4,508 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened4,136 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn2,251 tests
- 5Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick2,221 tests
- 6Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt1,493 tests
- 7Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn1,441 tests
- 8Linkage ball joints: ball joint excessively worn832 tests
Questions
What is the Fiat 500x MOT pass rate?
77.3% of the 33,862 Fiat 500x first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 22.7% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 4.7% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Fiat 500x usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Track rod end: ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt", recorded on 1,830 failed tests, followed by "Position lamp: not working" and "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm". By section, steering appears in 35.7% of failures, tyres appears in 27.9% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 26% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 9.9%; at 10-13 years it was 28.7%. The median Fiat 500x tested in 2025 was 9 years old with 54,626 miles.
Is the Fiat 500x getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 10.3 points to 23.3% 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 500x 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 5 safety recalls naming the Fiat 500x: Fiat 500x recalls.
Other Fiat models
Checking a particular 500x?
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.