Pass rate
75.1%
Around average — 2.1 pts behind the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 8,163 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £34–£103
2012 Fiat 500C MOT pass rate
- 2012
- typical 61,423 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Suspension
36.9% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Part only £35–£75 for Suspension pin or bush excessively worn. What fitting it takes →
4.0 pts down across model years — 7.7% in 2009, 3.7% in 2018.
Which year to buy
- Best 2018 87.4% pass
- Avoid 2009 70.9% pass
Across the 10 years on record, a spread of 16.5 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 67.7%
- Typical mileage
- 61k mi
The 2012 Fiat 500C MOT pass rate is 75.1% of its MOT tests — 2.1 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 36.9% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Suspension: 1.8× the national share
Suspension accounts for 36.9% of everything recorded on the 2012 Fiat 500c, against 21.0% nationally — 15.9 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.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 22% 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.
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 500C? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2012 Fiat 500C compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 2.1 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 67.7%. The median 2012 Fiat 500C in this dataset had covered 61,423 mi.
99% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 75.1% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 74.9% of the time, April–September 75.3%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn", noted on 5.03% of tests.
- 8,163 recorded tests behind this page.
- 75.1% overall pass rate, 67.7% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Fiat 500C, the average is 77.3% — best year 2018 (87.4%), worst 2009 (70.9%).
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
- 8,163
- Typical mileage (median)
- 61,423 mi
- Make and model
- Fiat 500C
- 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 500C MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 63% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (99% of tests).
Where the Fiat 500C is most common
Across all 500C model years on record (2009–2018): 24,374 Fiat 500C cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 61,939 tests. Ashford (TN) has the most, with 567 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 | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ashford (TN) | 567 | 77.4% |
| 2 | Birmingham (B) | 536 | 78.8% |
| 3 | Portsmouth (PO) | 530 | 77.2% |
| 4 | Guildford (GU) | 517 | 75.1% |
| 5 | Brighton (BN) | 504 | 75.0% |
| 6 | Poole (BH) | 496 | 76.9% |
| 7 | Bristol (BS) | 481 | 72.8% |
| 8 | Chelmsford (CM) | 454 | 80.2% |
| 9 | Crawley (RH) | 445 | 78.5% |
| 10 | Basildon (SS) | 437 | 81.5% |
| 11 | Kingston upon Thames (KT) | 415 | 80.1% |
| 12 | Reading (RG) | 410 | 78.4% |
| 13 | Canterbury (CT) | 407 | 78.6% |
| 14 | Cardiff (CF) | 390 | 74.4% |
| 15 | Norwich (NR) | 381 | 77.0% |
| 16 | Coventry (CV) | 359 | 78.4% |
| 17 | Southampton (SO) | 358 | 77.6% |
| 18 | Peterborough (PE) | 354 | 79.1% |
| 19 | London (SE) | 353 | 83.6% |
| 20 | Gloucester (GL) | 349 | 73.0% |
The twenty areas with the most Fiat 500C 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 500C
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 2,309 | 75.8% |
| South West | 1,227 | 71.5% |
| East of England | 1,075 | 76.6% |
| West Midlands | 705 | 72.5% |
| North West | 626 | 76.0% |
| London | 574 | 79.1% |
| Yorkshire | 514 | 76.1% |
| East Midlands | 482 | 74.1% |
| Wales | 367 | 74.7% |
| Scotland | 147 | 72.8% |
| North East | 137 | 78.1% |
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 2012 500C
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 2012 500C
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 suspension joints 5.0% 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.
-
Check the shock absorbers 4.4% 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 lights 2.4% of tests
“stop lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning”
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 2012 500C through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £34–£103 — and 22% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £34–£103
- Cheapest common item: stop lamp with a multiple light source up to…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 22%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 8,163 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 500C, side by side
10 model years on record, from 2009 to 2018. Across them the pass rate runs from 70.9% to 87.4% — a spread of 16.5 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2009 70.9% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2010 72.0% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2011 73.7% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2012 75.1%pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2013 77.6% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2014 77.6% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2015 77.2% shock absorbers has a serious…
- 2016 80.8% shock absorbers has a serious…
- 2017 84.6% shock absorbers has a serious…
- 2018 87.4% wipers does not clear the…
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 2012 Fiat 500C 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 2012 cars with a similar record
- Kia Picanto 75.1%
- Vauxhall Mokka 75.0%
- Alfa Romeo Mito 75.2%
- Vauxhall Corsa 74.9%
- Ford S-Max 74.9%
- Chevrolet Orlando 74.8%
Closest pass rates among 2012 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 2012 Fiat 500C 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 17,696 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 | 6,587 | 36.90% | 20.98% | +15.92 |
| Tyres | 3,194 | 17.90% | 19.76% | −1.86 |
| Brakes | 2,440 | 13.70% | 20.89% | −7.19 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 1,714 | 9.60% | 12.21% | −2.61 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1,498 | 8.40% | 5.57% | +2.83 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 867 | 4.90% | 5.52% | −0.62 |
| Visibility | 563 | 3.20% | 4.97% | −1.77 |
| Non-component advisories | 429 | 2.40% | 4.18% | −1.78 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 252 | 1.40% | 1.76% | −0.36 |
| Road Wheels | 152 | 0.90% | 0.75% | +0.15 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 5.0% | £40–150 |
| Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension | Major | 4.4% | £30–75 |
| Shock absorbers has an excessively worn bush Suspension | Major | 4.2% | £30–75 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 2.5% | £18–45 |
| Stop lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.4% | £3–12 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 2.1% | £80–200 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 1.8% | £5–20 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 1.7% | £80–250 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.7% | £5–20 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.5% | £60–250 |
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 | 17.7% | £45–95 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 13.1% | £25–65 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 12.0% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 11.3% | £40–150 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 10.9% | £45–110 |
| Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension | Advisory | 9.3% | £30–75 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 555 | 84.5% | 22,278 mi |
| 30-60k | 3,334 | 76.2% | 47,138 mi |
| 60-90k | 3,196 | 73.3% | 72,862 mi |
| 90-120k | 897 | 71.8% | 101,043 mi |
| 120k+ | 170 | 73.5% | 132,638 mi |
Source: 8,163 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.
2012 500C MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 Fiat 500C?
75.1% of the 8,163 2012 Fiat 500C tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 67.7%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 Fiat 500C?
The three most recorded items are pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (5.03%), shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak (4.41%), shock absorbers has an excessively worn bush (4.17%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2012 Fiat 500C MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 84.5% of the time, falling to 73.5% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 Fiat 500C in this dataset had covered 61,423 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2012 Fiat 500C?
Petrol: 75.1% pass rate across 8,092 tests. Diesel: 67.6% pass rate across 71 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2012 Fiat 500C MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 74.9% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 75.3%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.