Fiat 500X MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

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

The Fiat 500X passed on its first attempt in 80.4%, and its overall record sits +2.4 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Fiat 500X in the 2023–2025 data: 122,495 tests across 8 model years (2015–2022). 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 500X MOT Problems by Failure Category

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

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

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Fiat 500X, each with how many of the model's 122,495 tests it was noted on.

• "Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt" (Minor) — noted on about 7,115 Fiat 500X tests, 5.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Position lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 5,609 Fiat 500X tests, 4.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Track rod end ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of…" (Major) — noted on about 3,797 Fiat 500X tests, 3.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 2,193 Fiat 500X tests, 1.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction" (Major) — noted on about 1,814 Fiat 500X tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 1,775 Fiat 500X tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Fiat 500X Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Fiat 500X model year on record is 2021 (91.7% across 3,050 tests), and the weakest is 2015 (79.9%). The gap between them is 11.8 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Fiat 500X reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.4 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 500X Owners

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

• the suspension joints — “track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated,”

  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 lights — “position lamp not working”

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

Where the Fiat 500X is most common

Across every 500X model year on record (2015–2022): 53,175 Fiat 500X cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 122,482 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 1,646 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 500X 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 500X MOT & Reliability