Fiat 500 L MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Fiat 500 L MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Fiat 500 L passed on its first attempt in 67.3%, and its overall record sits −6.1 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Fiat 500 L in the 2023–2025 data: 15,828 tests across 6 model years (2010–2015). 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 500 L MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Fiat 500 L, 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 Fiat 500 L's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Fiat 500 L DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Fiat 500 L, each with how many of the model's 15,828 tests it was noted on.

• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 793 Fiat 500 L tests, 5.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 704 Fiat 500 L tests, 4.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements" (Major) — noted on about 467 Fiat 500 L tests, 2.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 293 Fiat 500 L tests, 1.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Stop lamp not working" (Rectified) — noted on about 240 Fiat 500 L tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 230 Fiat 500 L tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Fiat 500 L Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Fiat 500 L model year on record is 2015 (80.0% across 90 tests), and the weakest is 2011 (73.0%). The gap between them is 7.0 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Fiat 500 L 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 Fiat 500 L Owners

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

• the coil springs — “coil spring fractured or broken”

  Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.

• the suspension joints — “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.

• 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 500 L. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Fiat 500 L is most common

Across every 500 L model year on record (2010–2015): 6,053 Fiat 500 L cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 15,828 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 244 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 500 L 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 500 L MOT & Reliability