Is the Fiat 500 reliable?

On MOT evidence the Fiat 500 is well below average. It passes 65.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 219 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. 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 Fiat 500?

The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 23.4% of failed Fiat 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 Fiat 500?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 25.3% of all Fiat 500 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 55,396 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.

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

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 87.5% of Fiat 500 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 55.5%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Fiat 500 models petrol or diesel?

Of the Fiat 500 cars tested, 99% are petrol, 1% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Fiat 500 MOT pass rate & common failures

From 333,521 recorded MOT tests of the Fiat 500, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Fiat 500 passes 65.3% 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 well below average, ranking it 219 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 333,521 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, which appears in 23.4% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 55,396 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

65.3%national average72.3%unadjusted67.8%range covered98%rank219 of 262

The 500 is 7.0 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well below average. The unadjusted figure is 67.8%; 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 Fiat 500 tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn23.4%
21,108 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
2.A shock absorber bush excessively worn14.3%
12,878 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
3.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage11.4%
10,307 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
4.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements10.0%
9,054 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
5.A tyre cords visible or damaged8.9%
8,026 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
6.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn8.8%
7,951 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
7.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement8.0%
7,243 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
8.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen6.1%
5,479 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
9.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm6.0%
5,433 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
10.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements5.6%
5,047 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Fiat 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.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements25.3%
84,526 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged17.5%
58,378 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened14.8%
49,199 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured12.2%
40,806 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn10.2%
33,960 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage9.3%
31,008 testsShock absorber defective explained
7.Exhaust system leaking or insecure7.6%
25,470 testsExhaust leaking or insecure explained
8.A shock absorber bush excessively worn6.3%
20,877 testsShock absorber defective explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs87%

6–8 yrs77%

9–11 yrs65%

12–14 yrs61%

15+ yrs56%

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: 55,396
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol98.8%
Diesel1.0%

Trim names grouped into this model (39)

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

500 0.9 LOUNGE AUTO
500 0.9 TWIN AIR PLUS 3DR
500 1.2 AUTO COLOR THERAPY
500 1.2 LOUNGE
500 1.2 POP STAR STOP/STOP AUTO 3DR
500 CONNECT MHEV
500 DOLCEVITA
500 DOLCEVITA + MHEV
500 DOLCEVITA MHEV
500 DOLCEVITA S-A
500 HEY GOOGLE MHEV
500 LAUNCH EDITION MHEV
500 LOUNGE
500 LOUNGE DUALLOGIC 86 TWINAIR AUTO
500 LOUNGE DUALOGIC
500 LOUNGE DUALOGIC AUTO
500 LOUNGE MHEV
500 MHEV
500 POP
500 POP MHEV
500 RED MHEV
500 ROCKSTAR
500 ROCKSTAR MHEV
500 ROCKSTAR S-A
500 ROCKSTAR TWINAIR
500 S
500 S TWINAIR
500 SPORT
500 SPORT MHEV
500 SPORT S-A
500 SPORT TWINAIR
500 STAR
500 STAR MHEV
500 STAR S-A
500 STAR TWINAIR
500 TWIN AIR
500 TWIN AIR TURBO
500 TWINAIR
500 TWINAIR (2DR)

Check a specific Fiat 500

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

Compare within the range

Other Fiat models

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
Fiat 500C — 64.8% adjusted
All Fiat models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Nissan Juke — 66.5% adjusted, ranked 210
Honda Jazz — 75.5% adjusted, ranked 101
Volkswagen Transporter — 73.7% adjusted, ranked 125
Ford Kuga — 75.3% adjusted, ranked 106

Common questions

Is the Fiat 500 reliable?: On MOT evidence the Fiat 500 is well below average. It passes 65.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 219 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. 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 Fiat 500?: The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 23.4% of failed Fiat 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 Fiat 500?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 25.3% of all Fiat 500 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Fiat 500 usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 55,396 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.
Does a Fiat 500 get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 87.5% of Fiat 500 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 55.5%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Fiat 500 models petrol or diesel?: Of the Fiat 500 cars tested, 99% are petrol, 1% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

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.