How reliable is the Abarth 595C compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Abarth 595C, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages.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 81.3% across 2,161 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 595C?

The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 19.8% of failed Abarth 595C 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 595C?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 24.8% of all Abarth 595C tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 31,355 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 595C years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Abarth 595C cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 83.4%, and those registered 2014–2016 do worst at 74.8%. 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 595C get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 83.4% of Abarth 595C tests pass. By 9 to 11 years, that falls to 74.8%. 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 595C MOT pass rate & common failures

From 2,161 recorded MOT tests of the Abarth 595C, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 2,161 MOT tests, 81.3% of Abarth 595C tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Abarth 595C 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 tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, which appears in 19.8% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 31,355 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

81.3%unadjusted, not comparable2,161 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the 595C. 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 2,161 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Abarth 595C 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 requirements19.8%
67 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn16.5%
56 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm13.6%
46 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.A tyre cords visible or damaged12.1%
41 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
5.A shock absorber bush excessively worn11.5%
39 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
6.A tyre seriously damaged6.8%
23 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
7.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction6.5%
22 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained
8.A tyre seriously damaged6.2%
21 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
9.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn5.6%
19 occurrencesBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
10.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened5.0%
17 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Abarth 595C 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 requirements24.8%
536 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured18.0%
389 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm11.0%
237 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage7.4%
161 testsShock absorber defective explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged6.8%
147 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn5.0%
108 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
7.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn4.3%
94 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
8.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements3.1%
68 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Abarth 595C

The 18 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

595C pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Abarth 595C 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. 2020–202283%

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201982%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201675%

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 595C 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 595C fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 31,355
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.

595C ESSEESSE
595C ESSEESSE S-A

Check a specific Abarth 595C

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

Common questions

How reliable is the Abarth 595C compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Abarth 595C, 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 81.3% across 2,161 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 595C?: The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 19.8% of failed Abarth 595C 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 595C?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 24.8% of all Abarth 595C tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Abarth 595C usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 31,355 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 595C years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Abarth 595C cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 83.4%, and those registered 2014–2016 do worst at 74.8%. 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 595C get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 83.4% of Abarth 595C tests pass. By 9 to 11 years, that falls to 74.8%. 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.