Fiat 124 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Fiat 124 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Fiat 124 passed on its first attempt in 89.1%, and its overall record sits +9.0 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Fiat 124 in the 2023–2025 data: 8,936 tests across 4 model years (2016–2019). 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 Fiat 124 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Fiat 124, the Visibility 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 Fiat 124's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Fiat 124 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Fiat 124, each with how many of the model's 8,936 tests it was noted on.

• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 205 Fiat 124 tests, 2.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (Major) — noted on about 191 Fiat 124 tests, 2.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Position lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 131 Fiat 124 tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 116 Fiat 124 tests, 1.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 114 Fiat 124 tests, 1.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick" (Major) — noted on about 106 Fiat 124 tests, 1.2% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Fiat 124 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Fiat 124 model year on record is 2019 (91.4% across 58 tests), and the weakest is 2016 (88.6%). The gap between them is 2.8 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Fiat 124 reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.0 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 Fiat 124 Owners

These checks follow this Fiat 124's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Fiat 124.

• 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.

• the wipers and washers — “wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively”

  Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.

• 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.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Fiat 124. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Fiat 124 is most common

Across every 124 model year on record (2016–2019): 4,194 Fiat 124 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 8,935 tests. Portsmouth (PO) has the most, with 97 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 Fiat 124 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: Fiat 124 MOT & Reliability