8,015 tests in 2025
Fiat Swift reliability and MOT pass rate
93.3% passed first time. The 6.7% fail rate is 15.9 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 6 years old with 15,429 miles.
Pass rate
93.3%
22.6% of all cars failed; 6.7% of these did.
Fixed on the day
3.3%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
15,429 mi
6 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 2,678 | 5.7% |
| 6-9 years | 4,934 | 6.7% |
| 10-13 years | 241 | 10.8% |
| 14+ years | 126 | — |
What the Swift 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 equipment13 dangerous35.3%
- Visibility23.8%
- Brakes24 dangerous19.6%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems15.7%
- Noise, emissions and leaks10%
- Tyres51 dangerous9.2%
- Suspension3 dangerous6.8%
- Body, chassis, structure1 dangerous4.1%
Is the Swift getting worse?
The fail rate rose 1 point to 6.9% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 5.5 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 5,935 | 4 | 5.9% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 6,455 | 5 | 6.1% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 5,456 | 6 | 7.4% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 6,456 | 7 | 6.9% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Swift 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 Swift in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively95 tests
- 2SRS malfunction indicator lamp: warning lamp indicates a fault81 tests
- 3Outline marker lamp: not working49 tests
- 4Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction44 tests
- 5Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements40 tests
- 6Position lamp: not working24 tests
- 7Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords20 tests
- 8Washers: not working19 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Swift collects 1.95 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.
- 1Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure484 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm133 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened88 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn68 tests
- 5Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick52 tests
- 6Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine33 tests
- 7Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre31 tests
- 8Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords27 tests
Questions
What is the Fiat Swift MOT pass rate?
93.3% of the 8,015 Fiat Swift first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 6.7% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 3.3% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Fiat Swift usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively", recorded on 95 failed tests, followed by "SRS malfunction indicator lamp: warning lamp indicates a fault" and "Outline marker lamp: not working". By section, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 35.3% of failures, visibility appears in 23.8% of failures, brakes appears in 19.6% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 5.7%; at 10-13 years it was 10.8%. The median Fiat Swift tested in 2025 was 6 years old with 15,429 miles.
Is the Fiat Swift getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 1 point to 6.9% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 5.5 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 Swift 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
- 500 27.2%
- Panda 30.6%
- 500l 32.3%
- 500c 30.4%
- Tipo 23.1%
- Auto Trail 7.7%
- Fiorino 30.5%
- Grand Punto 37.2%
- Scudo 38.9%
- 500e 12.2%
Checking a particular Swift?
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.