How reliable is the Abarth 500 compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Abarth 500, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 66.9% across 5,235 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Abarth 500?

The item recorded most often is "A shock absorber bush excessively worn", which appears in 16.0% of failed Abarth 500 tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Abarth 500?

The most common advisory is "Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured", noted on 27.5% of all Abarth 500 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Abarth 500 usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 72,873 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Which Abarth 500 years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Abarth 500 cars first registered 2014–2016 do best at 68.1%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 67.7%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.

Does a Abarth 500 get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 9 to 11 years old, 68.1% of Abarth 500 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 67.7%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Model reliability file

Abarth 500 MOT pass rate & common failures

From 5,235 recorded MOT tests of the Abarth 500, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 5,235 MOT tests, 66.9% of Abarth 500 tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Abarth 500 fleet does not yet cover a wide enough spread of ages and distances to compare it fairly against other models. Its most commonly recorded failure is shock absorber bush excessively worn, which appears in 16.0% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 72,873 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

66.9%unadjusted, not comparable5,235 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the 500. The examples tested do not cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages to compare it fairly, and an unadjusted pass rate mostly sorts models by how recently they were bought rather than how well they were built. The failure and advisory patterns below come from the same 5,235 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Abarth 500 tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A shock absorber bush excessively worn16.0%
229 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
2.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc15.0%
215 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
3.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn13.8%
198 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn13.6%
195 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements10.3%
148 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
6.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements9.5%
136 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
7.A tyre cords visible or damaged8.5%
121 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
8.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage8.2%
118 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
9.Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer8.2%
118 occurrencesEmissions above the permitted limit explained
10.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning8.1%
116 occurrencesLamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Abarth 500 tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured27.5%
1,442 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements23.9%
1,249 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened19.5%
1,019 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn13.0%
678 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged8.6%
452 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.0%
419 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
7.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage7.5%
391 testsShock absorber defective explained
8.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded6.6%
343 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Abarth 500

The 15 other defects testers recorded on this model, beyond the most common listed above. Each links to what it means and what it takes to put right.

How wear changes the picture

500 pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Abarth 500 passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 9 to 11 was first used in 2014–2016.

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201668%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201365%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier68%

Read this as an age curve rather than a verdict on particular model years. Nearly every car passes less often as it gets older, so a newer 500 outscoring an older one says more about wear than about how that year’s cars were built. Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The 500 fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 72,873
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol100.0%

Check a specific Abarth 500

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Abarth models

Abarth 595 — 76.0% adjusted
Abarth 595C — 81.3% unadjusted
Abarth 124 Spider — 86.6% unadjusted
Abarth 695 — 85.4% unadjusted
All Abarth models

Common questions

How reliable is the Abarth 500 compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Abarth 500, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 66.9% across 5,235 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Abarth 500?: The item recorded most often is "A shock absorber bush excessively worn", which appears in 16.0% of failed Abarth 500 tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Abarth 500?: The most common advisory is "Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured", noted on 27.5% of all Abarth 500 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Abarth 500 usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 72,873 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Which Abarth 500 years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Abarth 500 cars first registered 2014–2016 do best at 68.1%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 67.7%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.
Does a Abarth 500 get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 9 to 11 years old, 68.1% of Abarth 500 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 67.7%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. No adjusted rate is shown because this model's tested examples do not cover enough of the national age and mileage range for standardisation to mean anything.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.