2025 MOT results
Fiat Panda common problems
The most common reason a Fiat Panda fails its MOT is worn suspension bushes, on 10.4% of its 30,452 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 5 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: emissions above the limit at 5.4% of failures against 2.3% expected; a leaking damper at 8.1% of failures against 3.6% expected; an exhaust leak at 6.7% of failures against 3.1% expected.
- Tests in 2025 84,807 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 35.9% 30,452 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 8.4% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 62.1% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Fiat Panda MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Fiat Panda 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 | 10.4% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 9.7% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 9.5% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 8.4% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 8.3% |
| Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension | 8.1% |
| Shock absorbers: excessively worn bush Suspension | 7.6% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 7.4% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 7.3% |
| Exhaust system: major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 6.7% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 6.5% |
| Catalyst emissions: lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | 5.4% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Worn suspension bushes
10.4% of failures 5.0% expected 2.1 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.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
9.7% of failures 7.7% expected somewhat more 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.
-
Sidelight out
9.5% of failures 10.4% 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.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
8.4% of failures 5.8% expected somewhat more often
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
-
Broken coil spring
8.3% of failures 9.8% expected somewhat less often
A broken suspension spring, which usually snaps in the bottom coil and often fails on both sides within a year.
Look at each corner for a sagging ride height, and listen for a knock over speed bumps.
-
Leaking damper
8.1% of failures 3.6% expected 2.3 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.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Fiat Panda, on 47.3% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 36.8%.
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 | 47.3% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 34.2% |
| Brakes | 22.5% |
| Tyres | 18.5% |
| Visibility | 16.0% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 14.7% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 13.5% |
| Steering | 5.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
62.1% of Fiat Panda tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Fiat Pandas, 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 | 21.2% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 14.4% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 9.4% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 9.4% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 8.7% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.2% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 7.0% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 5.6% |
| Shock absorbers: slightly worn bush Suspension | 4.9% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 4.7% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 3.8% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 2.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Fiat Panda gets older
A 2019 Fiat Panda failed 18.9% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2005 one failed 46.6%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2019 Fiat Panda 18.9% failed, from 2,549 tests
- Broken coil spring 25.6%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 21.6%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 7.5%
- Cut tyre 4.8%
- Worn brake discs 4.4%
- Headlamp aim set too high 4.2%
2005 Fiat Panda 46.6% failed, from 2,435 tests
- Weak handbrake 16.4%
- Structural corrosion 11.6%
- Worn suspension bushes 10.1%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 9.8%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 9.2%
- Leaking damper 9.1%
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 Panda problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Fiat Panda?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” is the most common: it appears on 10.4% of failed Fiat Panda tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 47.3% of failed tests.
How often does a Fiat Panda fail its MOT?
35.9% of Fiat Panda tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 84,807 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 43 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Fiat Panda than on other cars?
Yes. “Catalyst emissions: lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits” appears on 5.4% of its failures against 2.3% for cars of the same age, and “Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak” appears on 8.1% of its failures against 3.6% 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 Panda 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 | 84,807 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.