How reliable is the Fiat 124 compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Fiat 124, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages.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 84.2% across 2,833 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 do testers most often warn about on a Fiat 124?

The most common advisory is "Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured", noted on 16.3% of all Fiat 124 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Fiat 124 usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 33,361 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.

Model reliability file

Fiat 124 MOT pass rate & common failures

From 2,833 recorded MOT tests of the Fiat 124, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 2,833 MOT tests, 84.2% of Fiat 124 tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Fiat 124 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 lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, which appears in 25.6% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 33,361 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

84.2%unadjusted, not comparable2,833 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the 124. 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 2,833 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Fiat 124 tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning25.6%
87 occurrencesLamp not working explained
2.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened18.2%
62 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm17.9%
61 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen13.5%
46 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
5.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements7.6%
26 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
6.A tyre seriously damaged6.2%
21 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
7.Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen6.2%
21 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
8.Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake6.2%
21 occurrencesBrake binding or imbalanced across an axle explained
9.A headlamp cleaning device inoperative in the case of LED or gas discharge systems (HID)5.6%
19 occurrencesHeadlamp not working explained
10.A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps5.6%
19 occurrencesLamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Fiat 124 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 fractured16.3%
463 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged15.6%
443 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements13.0%
368 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm11.6%
329 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.6%
186 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting2.9%
83 testsRoad wheel damaged, distorted or cracked explained
7.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded2.0%
56 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
8.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn2.0%
56 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained

What gets tested

The 124 fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 33,361
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.

124 2000 SPIDER
124 SPORT SPIDER

Check a specific Fiat 124

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

Compare within the range

Other Fiat models

Fiat 500 — 65.3% adjusted
Fiat Panda — 65.2% adjusted
Fiat Ducato — 73.4% adjusted
Fiat Punto — 56.5% adjusted
Fiat Doblo — 65.4% adjusted
Fiat 500X — 75.2% adjusted
All Fiat models

Common questions

How reliable is the Fiat 124 compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Fiat 124, 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 84.2% across 2,833 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 Fiat 124?: The item recorded most often is "A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning", which appears in 25.6% of failed Fiat 124 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 Fiat 124?: The most common advisory is "Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured", noted on 16.3% of all Fiat 124 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Fiat 124 usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 33,361 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.

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.