Fiat Ducato MOT pass rate & common failures

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

The Ducato is 1.1 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is above average. The unadjusted figure is 73.3%; 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 Ducato tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1. 1.The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired18.0%

   2,860 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained

2. 2.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen11.2%

   1,786 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained

3. 3.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement10.5%

   1,666 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained

4. 4.Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced10.1%

   1,609 occurrencesCorrosion in a structural area explained

5. 5.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning9.5%

   1,519 occurrencesLamp not working explained

6. 6.Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake9.3%

   1,485 occurrencesBrake binding or imbalanced across an axle explained

7. 7.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning8.7%

   1,386 occurrencesLamp not working explained

8. 8.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements7.7%

   1,233 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained

9. 9.Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement6.7%

   1,067 occurrencesBraking efficiency below requirement explained

10. 10.An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning6.4%

    1,015 occurrencesLamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

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

1. 1.A tyre seriously damaged11.4%

   8,335 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

2. 2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured7.8%

   5,694 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

3. 3.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded6.8%

   4,977 testsBrake pipe corroded explained

4. 4.A wheel bearing with excessive play5.8%

   4,275 testsWheel bearing has excessive play or is rough explained

5. 5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn5.8%

   4,232 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained

6. 6.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users5.6%

   4,115 tests

7. 7.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements5.2%

   3,833 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

8. 8.Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced3.7%

   2,684 testsCorrosion in a structural area explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

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

What gets tested

The Ducato fleet

Average mileage recorded at test

58,551

Across examples of every age, so this is a description of the fleet rather than an annual figure.

Fuel mix of tested cars

Diesel98.7%

Petrol1.2%

Compare within the range

Other Fiat models

• Fiat 500 — 65.3% adjusted
• Fiat Panda — 65.2% 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

• Mazda CX-5 — 78.5% adjusted, ranked 71
• Suzuki Vitara — 76.2% adjusted, ranked 94
• Volvo XC90 — 77.6% adjusted, ranked 78
• Skoda Yeti — 72.3% adjusted, ranked 143

Common questions

Is the Fiat Ducato reliable?

On MOT evidence the Fiat Ducato is above average. It passes 73.4% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 129 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 Ducato?

The item recorded most often is "The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired", which appears in 18.0% of failed Fiat Ducato 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 Ducato?

The most common advisory is "A tyre seriously damaged", noted on 11.4% of all Fiat Ducato tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 58,551 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 Ducato get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 88.4% of Fiat Ducato tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 67.3%. 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 Ducato models petrol or diesel?

Of the Fiat Ducato cars tested, 99% are diesel, 1% are petrol. 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.

Further reading

Make sense of the numbers

• How to judge reliability from evidence rather than reputation
• What counts as high or low mileage for a car’s age
• The most common MOT failures and how to avoid them
• What to check before buying a used Fiat