Pass rate
93.0%
Above average — 1.8 pts behind the 94.8% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 286 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £37–£88
2023 Fiat 500 MOT pass rate
- 2023
- typical 33,323 mi
Most common fault
Tyres
52.5% of faults · 19.8% nationally
mostly tread below the limit, cuts and sidewall bulges.
Which year to buy
- Best 2022 93.3% pass
- Avoid 2007 70.1% pass
Across the 17 years on record, a spread of 23.2 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 92.5%
- Typical mileage
- 33k mi
The 2023 Fiat 500 MOT pass rate is 93.0% of its MOT tests — 1.8 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 52.5% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Fiat 500 does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Tyres: 2.7× the national share
Tyres make up 52.5% of everything recorded on the 2023 Fiat 500, against 19.8% nationally — 32.7 points above. Check all four tyres yourself, including the inner shoulders, and look at the date stamp — a tyre can pass on tread and still be six years old.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 23% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
- Based on a small sample. 286 tests back this page. That is enough to publish and to index, not enough to treat the decimal places as precise — read the pattern, not the second digit.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Fiat 500? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2023 Fiat 500 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 94.8%, so this figure is 1.8 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 92.5%. The median 2023 Fiat 500 in this dataset had covered 33,323 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 94.3% of the time, April–September 90.2%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure", noted on 1.05% of tests.
- 286 recorded tests behind this page.
- 93.0% overall pass rate, 92.5% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Fiat 500, the average is 78.0% — best year 2022 (93.3%), worst 2007 (70.1%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 286
- Typical mileage (median)
- 33,323 mi
- Make and model
- Fiat 500
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Tyres
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the 500 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 83% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the 500
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 50 | 94.0% |
| East of England | 46 | 89.1% |
| East Midlands | 35 | 94.3% |
| South West | 30 | 90.0% |
| Scotland | 29 | 89.7% |
| West Midlands | 25 | 96.0% |
| Yorkshire | 22 | 90.9% |
| North West | 19 | 100.0% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2023 500
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2023 500
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the shock absorbers 1.1% of tests
“shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak”
Press down hard on each corner of the car and let go. It should settle in one bounce; if it keeps rocking, or you can see oil weeping down a shock absorber, that is the fault a tester will find.
-
Check the windscreen 1.1% of tests
“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.
-
Check the lights 0.7% of tests
“headlamp not working on dipped beam”
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.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2023 500 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £37–£88 — and 23% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £37–£88
- Cheapest common item: washers provides insufficient washer liquid
- £5–£15
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 90%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 23%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 286 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the 500, side by side
17 model years on record, from 2007 to 2023. Across them the pass rate runs from 70.1% to 93.3% — a spread of 23.2 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2007 70.1% exhaust system has a major leak…
- 2008 71.0% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2009 71.2% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2010 72.5% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2011 74.0% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2012 75.1% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2013 76.9% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2014 77.2% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2015 77.2% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2016 79.7% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2017 83.2% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2018 86.0% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2019 89.1% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2020 91.9% wipers blade defective
- 2021 91.6% has ply or cords exposed
- 2022 93.3% has ply or cords exposed
- 2023 93.0%has a bulge, caused by separation…
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2023 Fiat 500 with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2023 cars with a similar record
- Tesla Model Y 92.9%
- Polestar Polestar 94.6%
- Kia Niro 95.5%
- Toyota Corolla 95.7%
- Mercedes-Benz Eqe 96.5%
- Ford Puma 96.5%
Closest pass rates among 2023 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2023 Fiat 500 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 99 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 52 | 52.50% | 19.76% | +32.74 |
| Brakes | 13 | 13.10% | 20.89% | −7.79 |
| Suspension | 11 | 11.10% | 20.98% | −9.88 |
| Visibility | 7 | 7.10% | 4.97% | +2.13 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6 | 6.10% | 12.21% | −6.11 |
| Non-component advisories | 3 | 3.00% | 4.18% | −1.18 |
| Road Wheels | 3 | 3.00% | 0.75% | +2.25 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 2 | 2.00% | 5.52% | −3.52 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1 | 1.00% | 5.57% | −4.57 |
| Steering | 1 | 1.00% | 2.57% | −1.57 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Major | 1.1% | £45–95 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 1.1% | £45–95 |
| Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension | Major | 1.1% | £30–75 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 1.1% | £80–200 |
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 0.70% | £45–95 |
| Headlamp not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 0.70% | £5–25 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 0.70% | £45–110 |
| Washers provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | Major | 0.70% | £5–15 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 0.35% | £18–45 |
| Daytime running lamps insecure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 0.35% | £3–15 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 8.7% | £45–95 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 2.8% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 1.4% | £45–110 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Advisory | 1.4% | £45–95 |
| Attachment bracket and mounting mounting damaged and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 1.1% | £40–150 |
| Badly distorted Road Wheels | Advisory | 1.1% | £20–55 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 118 | 94.9% | 17,138 mi |
| 30-60k | 168 | 91.7% | 38,488 mi |
Source: 286 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2023 500 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2023 Fiat 500?
93.0% of the 286 2023 Fiat 500 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 94.8% for cars first used in 2023. First-attempt pass rate: 92.5%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2023 Fiat 500?
The three most recorded items are has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure (1.05%), has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (1.05%), shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak (1.05%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2023 Fiat 500 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 94.9% of the time, falling to 91.7% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2023 Fiat 500 in this dataset had covered 33,323 mi.
Does the season affect the 2023 Fiat 500 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 94.3% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 90.2%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.