Is the Abarth 595 reliable?

On MOT evidence the Abarth 595 is above average. It passes 76.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 64% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Abarth 595?

The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 15.6% of failed Abarth 595 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 595?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 23.2% of all Abarth 595 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Abarth 595 usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 41,007 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 595 years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Abarth 595 cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 87.5%, and those registered 2011–2013 do worst at 67.0%. 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 595 get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 87.5% of Abarth 595 tests pass. By 12 to 14 years, that falls to 67.0%. 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 595 MOT pass rate & common failures

From 18,790 recorded MOT tests of the Abarth 595, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Abarth 595 passes 76.0% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is above average. Based on 18,790 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, which appears in 15.6% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 41,007 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

76.0%national average72.3%unadjusted79.5%range covered64%

The 595 is 3.7 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is above average. The unadjusted figure is 79.5%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Abarth 595 tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements15.6%
505 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A shock absorber bush excessively worn11.4%
369 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
3.A tyre cords visible or damaged10.6%
344 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
4.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened10.2%
330 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn9.0%
291 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.2%
265 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
7.A tyre seriously damaged7.9%
257 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
8.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn7.7%
251 occurrencesBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
9.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.1%
199 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
10.A tyre seriously damaged6.0%
195 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Abarth 595 tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements23.2%
4,352 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured21.3%
3,995 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn9.5%
1,780 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.3%
1,565 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage7.4%
1,392 testsShock absorber defective explained
6.A tyre seriously damaged7.3%
1,371 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
7.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn4.3%
803 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
8.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn4.1%
771 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Abarth 595

The 22 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.

Known faults

Abarth 595 common problems, by part and by year

The same failure record read the way a buyer asks the question: which parts wear out on a 595, when they start, and how each registration year compares — including the steps that mark a generation change.

595 common problems and results by year

How wear changes the picture

595 pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Abarth 595 passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 3 to 5 was first used in 2020–2022.

3–5 yrsreg. 2020–202288%

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201980%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201674%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201367%

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 595 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 595 fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 41,007
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol100.0%

Trim names grouped into this model (2)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

595 ESSEESSE
595 ESSEESSE S-A

Check a specific Abarth 595

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

Compare within the range

Other Abarth models

Abarth 500 — 66.9% unadjusted
Abarth 595C — 81.3% unadjusted
Abarth 124 Spider — 86.6% unadjusted
Abarth 695 — 85.4% unadjusted
All Abarth models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Citroen C5 — 69.6% adjusted, ranked 175
Renault Grand Scenic — 59.4% adjusted, ranked 253
Toyota Estima — 80.3% adjusted, ranked 51
Seat Mii — 74.3% adjusted, ranked 118

Common questions

Is the Abarth 595 reliable?: On MOT evidence the Abarth 595 is above average. It passes 76.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 64% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Abarth 595?: The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 15.6% of failed Abarth 595 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 595?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 23.2% of all Abarth 595 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Abarth 595 usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 41,007 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 595 years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Abarth 595 cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 87.5%, and those registered 2011–2013 do worst at 67.0%. 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 595 get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 87.5% of Abarth 595 tests pass. By 12 to 14 years, that falls to 67.0%. 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. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

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.