1,571 tests in 2025
Fiat Talento reliability and MOT pass rate
72.5% passed first time. The 27.5% fail rate is 4.9 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 7 years old with 76,746 miles.
Pass rate
72.5%
22.6% of all cars failed; 27.5% of these did.
Fixed on the day
5.1%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
76,746 mi
7 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 550 | 18.5% |
| 6-9 years | 1,019 | 32.4% |
| 10-13 years | 0 | — |
| 14+ years | 2 | — |
What the Talento 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.
- Suspension11 dangerous50.5%
- Steering10 dangerous29.4%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment5 dangerous20.8%
- Brakes70 dangerous20.6%
- Noise, emissions and leaks16.7%
- Tyres52 dangerous16.7%
- Visibility1 dangerous10.6%
- Body, chassis, structure3 dangerous6.9%
Is the Talento getting worse?
The fail rate rose 7.3 points to 28.8% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (4.2 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,183 | 5 | 21.5% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 1,309 | 6 | 26.7% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 1,382 | 6 | 27.4% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 1,418 | 7 | 28.8% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Talento 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 Talento in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play110 tests
- 2Coil spring: fractured or broken73 tests
- 3Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction61 tests
- 4Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak60 tests
- 5Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick53 tests
- 6Linkage ball joints: ball joint excessively worn46 tests
- 7Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn44 tests
- 8Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords24 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Talento collects 2.23 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 1.6mm229 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick154 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened143 tests
- 4Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak123 tests
- 5Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine78 tests
- 6Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play75 tests
- 7Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure74 tests
- 8Linkage ball joints: ball joint excessively worn57 tests
Questions
What is the Fiat Talento MOT pass rate?
72.5% of the 1,571 Fiat Talento first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 27.5% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 5.1% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Fiat Talento usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play", recorded on 110 failed tests, followed by "Coil spring: fractured or broken" and "Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction". By section, suspension appears in 50.5% of failures, steering appears in 29.4% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 20.8% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 18.5%; at 6-9 years it was 32.4%. The median Fiat Talento tested in 2025 was 7 years old with 76,746 miles.
Is the Fiat Talento getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 7.3 points to 28.8% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (4.2 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
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 Talento 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 6 safety recalls naming the Fiat Talento: Fiat Talento recalls.
Other Fiat models
Checking a particular Talento?
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.