Is the Fiat Panda reliable?

On MOT evidence the Fiat Panda is well below average. It passes 65.2% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 220 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 Panda?

The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 16.7% of failed Fiat Panda 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 Panda?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 28.4% of all Fiat Panda tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 62,880 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 Panda get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 84.8% of Fiat Panda tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 55.1%. 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 Panda models petrol or diesel?

Of the Fiat Panda cars tested, 94% are petrol, 6% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Fiat Panda MOT pass rate & common failures

From 83,102 recorded MOT tests of the Fiat Panda, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Fiat Panda passes 65.2% 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 well below average, ranking it 220 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 83,102 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, which appears in 16.7% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 62,880 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

65.2%national average72.3%unadjusted63.7%range covered97%rank220 of 262

The Panda is 7.1 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well below average. The unadjusted figure is 63.7%; 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 Panda 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 worn16.7%
4,285 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements14.8%
3,789 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.A shock absorber bush excessively worn13.1%
3,347 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
4.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened11.0%
2,818 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
5.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage10.5%
2,684 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
6.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen9.2%
2,342 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
7.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning9.1%
2,335 occurrencesLamp not working explained
8.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn8.3%
2,125 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
9.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement8.2%
2,103 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
10.Exhaust system leaking or insecure8.0%
2,052 occurrencesExhaust leaking or insecure explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Fiat Panda 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 requirements28.4%
23,597 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened24.9%
20,696 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged14.0%
11,671 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured12.6%
10,460 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn12.0%
9,983 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users7.4%
6,127 tests
7.Exhaust system leaking or insecure7.2%
6,022 testsExhaust leaking or insecure explained
8.A shock absorber bush excessively worn7.0%
5,819 testsShock absorber defective explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs85%

6–8 yrs78%

9–11 yrs70%

12–14 yrs63%

15+ yrs55%

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

What gets tested

The Panda fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 62,880
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol93.7%
Diesel6.2%

Trim names grouped into this model (8)

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

PANDA 4X4
PANDA ACTIVE
PANDA ACTIVE ECO
PANDA LOUNGE TWINAIR
PANDA MHEV
PANDA ONE
PANDA RED MHEV
PANDA SPORT MHEV

Check a specific Fiat Panda

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 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

Mercedes-Benz GLC — 85.9% adjusted, ranked 14
Dacia Duster — 66.7% adjusted, ranked 208
Vauxhall Meriva — 62.2% adjusted, ranked 245
Mercedes-Benz Vito — 71.0% adjusted, ranked 161

Common questions

Is the Fiat Panda reliable?: On MOT evidence the Fiat Panda is well below average. It passes 65.2% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 220 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 Panda?: The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 16.7% of failed Fiat Panda 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 Panda?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 28.4% of all Fiat Panda tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Fiat Panda usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 62,880 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 Panda get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 84.8% of Fiat Panda tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 55.1%. 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 Panda models petrol or diesel?: Of the Fiat Panda cars tested, 94% are petrol, 6% 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.