Shock absorber leaking on the Fiat 500

Shock absorber leaking on the Fiat 500 is recorded on 115,134 tests — 10.1% of all its MOT tests, against 3.9% across every car in the data. That is 2.6× the national share.

Is this unusual for this model?

Compared with	What it says
Every car in the data	3.9% of tests record it — this model is 2.6× that share
The 364 models compared	17 of 364, highest first
The model's own record	1,134,841 tests · every year of the 500 →

A share of tests is not a probability for your car: it counts every Fiat 500 tested, whatever its mileage, service history and use. The like-for-like comparison on the model page is the fairer number.

Year by year

In 2008, 4.4% of this model's tests recorded it; in 2021, 0.4%. The share has fallen 4.0 points over that time. Worst year 2009 at 4.8%; best 2021 at 0.4%.

Year	Failures recorded	Tests	Share of tests
2008	5,650	129,033	4.4%
2009	10,831	227,781	4.8%
2010	8,789	234,798	3.7%
2011	7,687	218,466	3.5%
2012	11,780	308,538	3.8%
2013	11,832	368,937	3.2%
2014	17,396	436,539	4.0%
2015	17,739	417,231	4.3%
2016	11,624	343,122	3.4%
2017	6,076	237,768	2.6%
2018	3,229	239,094	1.4%
2019	2,099	188,904	1.1%
2020	304	44,844	0.7%
2021	21	5,703	0.4%

Years with fewer than 0.2% of tests recording the item are left out: a year with two failures in 400 tests is noise, and this table is not here to make noise look like a trend.

What it costs

A typical UK repair for this item is £30–£75 fitted. It is a job a careful owner can do at home. What the part is, and what to buy →

Prices are typical UK supply-and-fitting estimates, not quotes. What happens if it fails covers the retest rules.

Where this sits

Shock absorber leaking: every model, every year → — the item's own page, with the part guide.
Fiat 500 MOT pass rate by year → — the model's whole record, and what else it fails on.
Every Fiat model →