2025 MOT results
Fiat Tipo common problems
The most common reason a Fiat Tipo fails its MOT is a broken coil spring, on 17.8% of its 3,737 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 6 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a worn steering or suspension joint at 6.1% of failures against 0.9% expected; a leaking damper at 10.7% of failures against 2.5% expected; a broken coil spring at 17.8% of failures against 6.9% expected.
- Tests in 2025 13,244 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 28.2% 3,737 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 8.2% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 51.6% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Fiat Tipo MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Fiat Tipo 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 |
|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 17.8% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 11.5% |
| Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension | 10.7% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 9.7% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 8.7% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.7% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.7% |
| Linkage ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 6.1% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 5.5% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 5.0% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 4.7% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Broken coil spring
17.8% of failures 6.9% expected 2.6 times as 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.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
11.5% of failures 10.2% expected about as expected
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.
-
Leaking damper
10.7% of failures 2.5% expected 4.3 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.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
9.7% of failures 8.7% expected about as expected
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.
-
Worn brake pads
8.7% of failures 9.3% expected about as expected
Friction material worn under 1.5mm, thinner than the point most manufacturers call the limit.
Look through the wheel spokes at the pad against the disc; wear indicators squeal before they get this far.
-
Engine management light on
7.7% of failures 5.0% expected 1.5 times as often
The engine management light is on, or has been disconnected. Either fails the test.
A cheap code reader on the diagnostic socket will say what the car has stored before you pay for a test.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Fiat Tipo, on 39.0% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 20.7%.
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 | 39.0% |
| Tyres | 26.6% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 26.4% |
| Brakes | 17.4% |
| Visibility | 17.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 9.2% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 2.3% |
| Steering | 1.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
51.6% of Fiat Tipo tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Fiat Tipos, 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 | 23.1% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 11.3% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 10.1% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 8.5% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 7.9% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 4.0% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 3.9% |
| Linkage ball joint has slight play Suspension | 2.6% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 2.2% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 1.5% |
| Tyres: cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 1.4% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 1.3% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Fiat Tipo problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Fiat Tipo?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Coil spring: fractured or broken” is the most common: it appears on 17.8% of failed Fiat Tipo tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 39.0% of failed tests.
How often does a Fiat Tipo fail its MOT?
28.2% of Fiat Tipo tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 13,244 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 32 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Fiat Tipo than on other cars?
Yes. “Linkage ball joint excessively worn” appears on 6.1% of its failures against 0.9% for cars of the same age, and “Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak” appears on 10.7% of its failures against 2.5% 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 Tipo 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 | 13,244 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.