2025 MOT results
Fiat 500 common problems
The most common reason a Fiat 500 fails its MOT is worn suspension bushes, on 14.2% of its 133,418 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 3 faults stand out: worn suspension bushes at 14.2% of failures against 4.6% expected; a leaking damper at 8.0% of failures against 3.2% expected; a weak handbrake at 6.5% of failures against 3.4% expected.
- Tests in 2025 414,709 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 32.2% 133,418 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 8.0% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 58.3% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Fiat 500 MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Fiat 500 tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (11 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 14.2% |
| Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension | 8.0% |
| Shock absorbers: excessively worn bush Suspension | 7.4% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 6.9% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 6.5% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.5% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 6.2% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 5.9% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 5.8% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.2% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 5.0% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 5.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Worn suspension bushes
14.2% of failures 4.6% expected 3.1 times as often
Worn rubber bushes in a suspension arm, letting the arm move under load.
Perished or cracked rubber at the inner ends of the lower arms, visible with the wheel turned.
-
Leaking damper
8.0% of failures 3.2% expected 2.5 times as often
A damper leaking its oil, so it no longer controls the spring.
A wet, dirty streak down the damper body, or a corner that keeps bouncing after you push it down.
-
Leaking damper
7.4% of failures
A damper leaking its oil, so it no longer controls the spring.
A wet, dirty streak down the damper body, or a corner that keeps bouncing after you push it down.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
6.9% of failures 8.5% expected somewhat less often
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
-
Weak handbrake
6.5% of failures 3.4% expected 1.9 times as often
The handbrake cannot hold the car to the efficiency the test requires, usually from a stretched cable or seized rear callipers.
On a hill, the handbrake should hold the car with a couple of clicks left in the lever.
-
Sidelight out
6.5% of failures 7.4% expected about as expected
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Fiat 500, on 43.6% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 32.5%.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 43.6% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 33.2% |
| Tyres | 21.0% |
| Brakes | 20.6% |
| Visibility | 13.5% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 10.3% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 10.2% |
| Steering | 5.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
58.3% of Fiat 500 tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Fiat 500s, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 19.7% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 12.0% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 10.2% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 7.7% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 7.4% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 7.2% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 6.7% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 5.2% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 5.0% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 4.2% |
| Shock absorbers: slightly worn bush Suspension | 4.0% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 2.3% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Fiat 500 gets older
A 2022 Fiat 500 failed 9.7% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2008 one failed 45.2%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Fiat 500 9.7% failed, from 13,104 tests
- Tyre worn through to the cords 18.6%
- Cut tyre 11.3%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 9.2%
- Washers that do not work 9.2%
- Headlamp aim set too low 8.1%
- Bulge in a tyre 6.6%
2008 Fiat 500 45.2% failed, from 9,965 tests
- Weak handbrake 15.8%
- Leaking damper 10.4%
- Headlamp aim out of line 9.6%
- Sidelight out 9.0%
- Brake light out 8.5%
- Braking fault 8.4%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Fiat 500 problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Fiat 500?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” is the most common: it appears on 14.2% of failed Fiat 500 tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 43.6% of failed tests.
How often does a Fiat 500 fail its MOT?
32.2% of Fiat 500 tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 414,709 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 37 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Fiat 500 than on other cars?
Yes. “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” appears on 14.2% of its failures against 4.6% for cars of the same age, and “Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak” appears on 8.0% of its failures against 3.2% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Fiat 500 aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 414,709 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.