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2014 Fiat 500 C MOT pass rate

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Pass rate

78.0%

Around average — 2.2 pts behind the 80.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.

Across 2,092 recorded tests.

Typical repair bill £33–£96

Which year to buy

  • Best 2020 94.1% pass
  • Avoid 2009 72.0% pass

Across the 10 years on record, a spread of 22.1 points. See every year →

First-attempt pass
72.1%
Typical mileage
52k mi

The 2014 Fiat 500 C MOT pass rate is 78.0% of its MOT tests — 2.2 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 37.3% of what testers record.

MOT PASS RATES

The 2014 Fiat 500 C on the real record

78.0% of 2014 Fiat 500 C MOTs passed — 2,092 tests, 2023–2025

Pass rate

The answer from the DVSA's class-4 MOT records.

Expert verdict

Suspension: 1.8× the national share

Suspension accounts for 37.3% of everything recorded on the 2014 Fiat 500 C, against 21.0% nationally — 16.3 points above. Ask for the front and rear suspension to be checked on a ramp before you buy — worn bushes and broken springs are cheap to look at and expensive to discover at test time.

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 C? Get an email when these numbers change .

How does the 2014 Fiat 500 C compare?

Cars of this age and mileage average 80.2%, so this figure is 2.2 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 72.1%. The median 2014 Fiat 500 C in this dataset had covered 51,525 mi.

Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 77.2% of the time, April–September 78.5%.

The single most recorded failure item is "Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn", noted on 6.36% of tests.

  • 2,092 recorded tests behind this page.
  • 78.0% overall pass rate, 72.1% on a first attempt.
  • Across every year of the Fiat 500 C, the average is 74.9% — best year 2020 (94.1%), worst 2009 (72.0%).

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
2,092
Typical mileage (median)
51,525 mi
Make and model
Fiat 500 C
Updated
2026-11-07

Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.

Top part to budget for

Suspension Component

Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.

Does mileage affect the 500 C MOT pass rate?

0-30k 87.6%
30-60k 79.5%
60-90k 74.4%
90-120k 65.5%
120k+ 90.9%

Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 57% so small gaps stay visible.

Where the Fiat 500 C is most common

Across all 500 C model years on record (2009–2021): 6,379 Fiat 500 C cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 16,277 tests. Portsmouth (PO) has the most, with 159 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.

# Postcode area Cars Share of all Tests Pass rate
1 Portsmouth (PO) 159 2.5% 453 75.5%
2 Guildford (GU) 153 2.4% 416 73.8%
3 Ashford (TN) 147 2.3% 374 75.9%
4 Brighton (BN) 139 2.2% 396 71.2%
5 Poole (BH) 129 2% 381 71.1%
6 Bristol (BS) 129 2% 347 69.7%
7 Crawley (RH) 127 2% 331 74.0%
8 Chelmsford (CM) 119 1.9% 272 77.9%
9 Birmingham (B) 119 1.9% 263 74.5%
10 Reading (RG) 116 1.8% 299 78.3%
11 Canterbury (CT) 110 1.7% 310 78.1%
12 Peterborough (PE) 109 1.7% 278 77.3%
13 Kingston upon Thames (KT) 104 1.6% 253 76.7%
14 Basildon (SS) 101 1.6% 274 81.0%
15 Cardiff (CF) 100 1.6% 282 73.0%
16 Southampton (SO) 100 1.6% 261 75.5%
17 Nottingham (NG) 98 1.5% 277 68.6%
18 Maidstone (ME) 96 1.5% 241 78.0%
19 Leicester (LE) 93 1.5% 249 74.3%
20 London (SE) 89 1.4% 176 84.1%

The twenty areas with the most Fiat 500 C 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 →

Regional pass rates for the 500 C

Region Tests Pass rate
South East 603 79.6%
East of England 310 75.2%
South West 266 76.3%
North West 199 77.9%
West Midlands 152 80.3%
Yorkshire 144 82.6%
East Midlands 136 75.7%
London 95 81.1%
Scotland 89 75.3%
Wales 63 76.2%
North East 35 71.4%

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 2014 500 C

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.

Suspension 37.3%
+16.3 pts vs national national 21.0% Price suspension parts
Tyres 21.4%
+1.6 pts vs national national 19.8% Compare tyre prices
Brakes 12.8%
−8.1 pts vs national national 20.9% Price brakes parts
Lamps & electrics 8.4%
−3.8 pts vs national national 12.2% Order bulbs & wipers
Show the other 6 fault categories
  • Body & chassis 7.2%
  • Advisories 3.5%
  • Emissions & leaks 3.5%
  • Visibility 3.2%
  • Identification 1.5%
  • Steering 0.7%

Shares are of every item recorded on 2014 Fiat 500 C tests — a composition, so they add to 100% across all sections, not per test.

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 2014 500 C

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.

  1. Check the suspension joints 6.4% of tests

    “pins and bushes pin or bush 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.

  2. Check the shock absorbers 4.2% 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.

  3. Check the lights 1.1% of tests

    “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.

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 2014 500 C through its MOT

Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £33–£96 — and 10% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.

Average repair across the 10 common items
£33–£96
Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
£5–£20
Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
£80–£200
Common items a careful owner can do at home
70%
Repairs that still cost under £30
10%

Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 2,092 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 C, side by side

10 model years on record, from 2009 to 2021. Across them the pass rate runs from 72.0% to 94.1% — a spread of 22.1 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.

  1. 2009 72.0% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
  2. 2010 72.1% pins and bushes pin or bush…
  3. 2011 73.3% pins and bushes pin or bush…
  4. 2012 74.7% pins and bushes pin or bush…
  5. 2013 77.1% pins and bushes pin or bush…
  6. 2014 78.0%
    pins and bushes pin or bush…
  7. 2015 74.2% ball joint excessively worn
  8. 2019 90.5% has ply or cords exposed
  9. 2020 94.1% headlamp aim too high
  10. 2021 92.0% has ply or cords exposed

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 2014 Fiat 500 C 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.

Compare 2014 with another year →

Compare two different cars instead →

Other 2014 cars with a similar record

Closest pass rates among 2014 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 2014 Fiat 500 C 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 3,746 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
Suspension 1,404 37.30% 20.98% +16.32
Tyres 805 21.40% 19.76% +1.64
Brakes 483 12.80% 20.89% −8.09
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 318 8.40% 12.21% −3.81
Body, chassis, structure 270 7.20% 5.57% +1.63
Non-component advisories 133 3.50% 4.18% −0.68
Noise, emissions and leaks 130 3.50% 5.52% −2.02
Visibility 119 3.20% 4.97% −1.77
Identification of the vehicle 57 1.50% 1.76% −0.26
Steering 27 0.70% 2.57% −1.87

The exact failure items, in the tester's words

Share of the 2,092 tests on this vehicle that recorded each item
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost Part
Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension Major 6.4% £40–150 Suspension Component →
Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension Major 4.2% £30–75 Shock Absorber →
Shock absorbers has an excessively worn bush Suspension Major 2.7% £30–75 Shock Absorber →
Ball joint excessively worn Suspension Major 2.6% £18–45 Ball Joint →
Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Minor 1.1% £5–20 Number Plate Lamp →
Has ply or cords exposed Tyres Major 1.1% £45–95 Tyres →
Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility Minor 1.1% £80–200 Windscreen →
Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Major 1.0% £30–80 Headlight Alignment →
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres Major 1.0% £45–95 Tyres →
Wipers blade defective Visibility Minor 1.0% £8–22 Wiper Blade →

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.

Items recorded as advisory on this vehicle
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres Advisory 15.7% £45–95
Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres Advisory 13.5% £45–95
Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension Advisory 11.2% £30–75
Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension Advisory 11.0% £40–150
Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension Advisory 8.8% £25–65
Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure Advisory 7.9% £45–120

Pass rate by mileage

Mileage Tests Pass rate Median odometer
0-30k 282 87.6% 22,926 mi
30-60k 1,031 79.5% 45,115 mi
60-90k 626 74.4% 71,052 mi
90-120k 110 65.5% 100,657 mi
120k+ 11 90.9% 163,380 mi

Source: 2,092 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.

2014 500 C MOT questions

What is the MOT pass rate for a 2014 Fiat 500 C?

78.0% of the 2,092 2014 Fiat 500 C tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 80.2% for cars first used in 2014. First-attempt pass rate: 72.1%.

What are the most common MOT failures on a 2014 Fiat 500 C?

The three most recorded items are pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (6.36%), shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak (4.21%), shock absorbers has an excessively worn bush (2.68%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.

Does mileage affect the 2014 Fiat 500 C MOT pass rate?

Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 87.6% of the time, falling to 90.9% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2014 Fiat 500 C in this dataset had covered 51,525 mi.

Does the season affect the 2014 Fiat 500 C MOT pass rate?

Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 77.2% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 78.5%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.