Abarth 500 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Abarth 500 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Abarth 500 passed on its first attempt in 72.6%, and its overall record sits −3.2 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Abarth 500 in the 2023–2025 data: 19,130 tests across 8 model years (2009–2016). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Abarth 500 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Abarth 500, the Suspension section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Abarth 500's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Abarth 500 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Abarth 500, each with how many of the model's 19,130 tests it was noted on.

• "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 669 Abarth 500 tests, 3.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Ball joint excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 523 Abarth 500 tests, 2.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (Major) — noted on about 521 Abarth 500 tests, 2.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 510 Abarth 500 tests, 2.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 414 Abarth 500 tests, 2.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 384 Abarth 500 tests, 2.0% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Abarth 500 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Abarth 500 model year on record is 2016 (82.6% across 213 tests), and the weakest is 2009 (76.5%). The gap between them is 6.1 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Abarth 500 reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.1 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Abarth 500 Owners

These checks follow this Abarth 500's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Abarth 500.

• the suspension joints — “ball joint excessively worn”

  With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.

• the windscreen — “windscreen damaged”

  Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.

• the lights — “registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”

  Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Abarth 500. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Abarth 500 is most common

Across every 500 model year on record (2009–2016): 8,602 Abarth 500 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 19,122 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 213 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.

The twenty areas with the most Abarth 500 cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →

Frequently Asked Questions: Abarth 500 MOT & Reliability