Fiat 500 Red MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

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

The Fiat 500 Red passed on its first attempt in 95.2%, and its overall record sits +14.4 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Fiat 500 Red in the 2023–2025 data: 717 tests across 2 model years (2021–2022). 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 Red MOT Problems by Failure Category

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

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

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Fiat 500 Red, each with how many of the model's 717 tests it was noted on.

• "Has ply or cords exposed" (Major) — noted on about 7 Fiat 500 Red tests, 1.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (Major) — noted on about 6 Fiat 500 Red tests, 0.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp aim too low" (Rectified) — noted on about 5 Fiat 500 Red tests, 0.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure" (Major) — noted on about 5 Fiat 500 Red tests, 0.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Washers provides insufficient washer liquid" (Rectified) — noted on about 5 Fiat 500 Red tests, 0.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 4 Fiat 500 Red tests, 0.6% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Fiat 500 Red Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Fiat 500 Red model year on record is 2022 (95.5% across 534 tests), and the weakest is 2021 (95.1%). The gap between them is 0.4 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

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

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Fiat 500 Red Owners

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

• the lights — “headlamp aim too low”

  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 — “washers provides insufficient washer liquid”

  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 brakes — “brake discs significantly and obviously worn”

  Look through the spokes of each wheel at the pad — less than 3mm of friction material, or a lip on the disc edge, is the usual failure. Check the handbrake holds on a slope with a few clicks, not at the top of its travel.

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

Frequently Asked Questions: Fiat 500 Red MOT & Reliability