2025 MOT results
Fiat Punto common problems
The most common reason a Fiat Punto fails its MOT is a sidelight out, on 14.0% of its 25,449 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 5 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: emissions above the limit at 10.0% of failures against 2.6% expected; an exhaust leak at 10.1% of failures against 3.6% expected; a emissions not tested unable to be completed at 5.3% of failures against 2.0% expected.
- Tests in 2025 56,498 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 45.0% 25,449 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 9.2% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 69.6% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Fiat Punto MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Fiat Punto 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 (12 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 |
|---|---|
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 14.0% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 11.2% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 10.9% |
| Exhaust system: major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 10.1% |
| Catalyst emissions: lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | 10.0% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 9.7% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 7.3% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 7.1% |
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play Steering | 6.8% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 6.4% |
| Emissions not tested: unable to be completed Noise, emissions and leaks | 5.3% |
| Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension | 5.1% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Sidelight out
14.0% of failures 11.7% expected somewhat more often
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.
-
Brake light out
11.2% of failures 8.2% expected somewhat more often
A brake light not working, from a bulb, a poor earth, or the switch on the pedal.
Reverse up to a wall or window at dusk and press the pedal to see all three lamps light.
-
Broken coil spring
10.9% of failures 9.9% expected about as expected
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.
-
Exhaust leak
10.1% of failures 3.6% expected 2.8 times as often
A hole or split letting exhaust gas out before the tailpipe.
A blowing or rasping note under load, loudest from cold.
-
Emissions above the limit
10.0% of failures 2.6% expected 3.8 times as often
The exhaust gases are outside the limits for the car, which can be the catalytic converter, a sensor, or simply a poor state of tune.
A long run before the test helps a catalyst get hot; a persistent failure usually needs a diagnosis.
-
Headlamp aim out of line
9.7% of failures 6.4% expected 1.5 times as often
The beam pattern points too high, too low, or in the wrong place, so it either dazzles others or lights too little road.
Nothing to do at the roadside, but a garage resets the aim in minutes; a sagging suspension corner or a heavy boot load can throw it out.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Fiat Punto, on 52.6% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is noise, emissions and leaks, on 22.7% against 12.9% expected.
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 |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 52.6% |
| Suspension | 34.4% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 22.7% |
| Brakes | 19.9% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 19.2% |
| Visibility | 15.7% |
| Tyres | 15.5% |
| Steering | 12.3% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
69.6% of Fiat Punto tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Fiat Puntos, 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 | 20.7% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 19.4% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 15.0% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 14.5% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 11.1% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 9.1% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 8.4% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 7.8% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 5.0% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 4.5% |
| Individual direction indicators: slightly discoloured Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.0% |
| Transmission oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 3.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Fiat Punto gets older
A 2015 Fiat Punto failed 37.0% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2006 one failed 48.8%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2015 Fiat Punto 37.0% failed, from 2,444 tests
- Worn steering or suspension joint 18.8%
- Broken coil spring 17.5%
- Brake light out 11.4%
- Sidelight out 10.9%
- Exhaust leak 8.6%
- Headlamp aim out of line 7.6%
2006 Fiat Punto 48.8% failed, from 4,349 tests
- Brake light out 12.3%
- Emissions above the limit 11.8%
- Sidelight out 11.1%
- Broken coil spring 10.7%
- Headlamp aim out of line 10.1%
- Exhaust leak 9.8%
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 Punto problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Fiat Punto?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Position lamp: not working” is the most common: it appears on 14.0% of failed Fiat Punto tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 52.6% of failed tests.
How often does a Fiat Punto fail its MOT?
45.0% of Fiat Punto tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 56,498 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 41 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Fiat Punto than on other cars?
Yes. “Catalyst emissions: lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits” appears on 10.0% of its failures against 2.6% for cars of the same age, and “Exhaust system: major leak of exhaust gases” appears on 10.1% 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 Punto 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 | 56,498 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.