Is the Fiat 500X reliable?

On MOT evidence the Fiat 500X is above average. It passes 75.2% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 61% 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 do testers most often warn about on a Fiat 500X?

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

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 56,502 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 500X get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 87.5% of Fiat 500X tests pass. By 9 to 11 years, that falls to 66.3%. 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 500X models petrol or diesel?

Of the Fiat 500X cars tested, 71% are petrol, 29% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Fiat 500X MOT pass rate & common failures

From 36,470 recorded MOT tests of the Fiat 500X, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Fiat 500X passes 75.2% 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 36,470 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, which appears in 34.0% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 56,502 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

75.2%national average72.3%unadjusted72.7%range covered61%

The 500X is 2.8 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is above average. The unadjusted figure is 72.7%; 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 500X tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc34.0%
2,805 occurrencesSteering rack gaiter split, damaged or missing explained
2.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning22.1%
1,826 occurrencesLamp not working explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements14.6%
1,203 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn9.3%
767 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play9.0%
742 occurrencesBall joint worn explained
6.A tyre seriously damaged7.1%
584 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
7.A tyre cords visible or damaged6.8%
559 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
8.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm6.4%
531 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
9.Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc5.9%
490 occurrencesSteering rack gaiter split, damaged or missing explained
10.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn5.8%
474 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Fiat 500X 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%
9,212 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged20.0%
7,287 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured16.7%
6,100 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn10.8%
3,934 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm7.6%
2,772 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
6.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn5.4%
1,969 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
7.Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt5.1%
1,864 tests
8.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements3.2%
1,158 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs88%

6–8 yrs78%

9–11 yrs66%

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The 500X fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 56,502
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol70.8%
Diesel29.2%

Trim names grouped into this model (24)

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

500X 120TH ANNIVERSARY S-A
500X 4X4
500X CONNECT
500X CONNECT S-A
500X DOLCEVITA CONNECT
500X DOLCEVITA CROSS
500X DOLCEVITA CROSS MHEV S-A
500X DOLCEVITA CROSS S-A
500X DOLCEVITA RED
500X DOLCEVITA RED MHEV S-A
500X DOLCEVITA RED S-A
500X DOLCEVITA SPORT
500X DOLCEVITA SPORT MHEV S-A
500X DOLCEVITA SPORT S-A
500X HEY GOOGLE
500X HEY GOOGLE S-A
500X LOUNGE S-A
500X MHEV S-A
500X RED
500X RED MHEV S-A
500X RED S-A
500X SPORT
500X SPORT MHEV S-A
500X SPORT S-A

Check a specific Fiat 500X

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 500C — 64.8% adjusted
All Fiat models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Kia Sorento — 72.2% adjusted, ranked 146
Isuzu D-Max — 72.3% adjusted, ranked 142
Volkswagen Touareg — 79.4% adjusted, ranked 60
Peugeot 5008 — 64.0% adjusted, ranked 228

Common questions

Is the Fiat 500X reliable?: On MOT evidence the Fiat 500X is above average. It passes 75.2% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 61% 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 Fiat 500X?: The item recorded most often is "Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc", which appears in 34.0% of failed Fiat 500X 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 500X?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 25.3% of all Fiat 500X tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Fiat 500X usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 56,502 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 500X get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 87.5% of Fiat 500X tests pass. By 9 to 11 years, that falls to 66.3%. 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 500X models petrol or diesel?: Of the Fiat 500X cars tested, 71% are petrol, 29% 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.