Pass rate
69.7%
Below average — 2.9 pts behind the 72.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 310 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £48–£139
2003 Fiat Multipla MOT pass rate
- 2003
- typical 110,884 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Suspension
26.1% 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 →
Which year to buy
- Best 2003 69.7% pass · this year
- Avoid 2006 62.6% pass
Across the 12 years on record, a spread of 7.1 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 60.5%
- Typical mileage
- 111k mi
The 2003 Fiat Multipla MOT pass rate is 69.7% of its MOT tests — 2.9 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 26.1% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Body & chassis: 1.9× the national share
Body & chassis accounts for 10.7% of everything recorded on the 2003 Fiat Multipla, against 5.6% nationally — 5.1 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 26.1%, but at 21.0% nationally that one is ordinary. Look underneath for corrosion near the jacking points and suspension mounts; surface rust is normal, flaking metal is not.
- 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.
- Based on a small sample. 310 tests back this page. That is enough to publish and to index, not enough to treat the decimal places as precise — read the pattern, not the second digit.
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 Multipla? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2003 Fiat Multipla compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.6%, so this figure is 2.9 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 60.5%. The median 2003 Fiat Multipla in this dataset had covered 110,884 mi.
84% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Diesel, which passed 71.3% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 69.8% of the time, April–September 69.5%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated", noted on 8.71% of tests.
- 310 recorded tests behind this page.
- 69.7% overall pass rate, 60.5% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Fiat Multipla, the average is 67.4% — best year 2003 (69.7%), worst 2006 (62.6%).
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
- 310
- Typical mileage (median)
- 110,884 mi
- Make and model
- Fiat Multipla
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Body Panel Repair
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the Multipla MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 49% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (84% of tests).
Where the Fiat Multipla is most common
Across all Multipla model years on record (2000–2011): 1,278 Fiat Multipla cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 3,188 tests. Portsmouth (PO) has the most, with 32 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 | Portsmouth (PO) | 32 | 68.2% |
| 2 | Peterborough (PE) | 29 | 56.8% |
| 3 | Gloucester (GL) | 29 | 65.2% |
| 4 | Exeter (EX) | 27 | 56.8% |
| 5 | Swindon (SN) | 27 | 63.4% |
| 6 | Southampton (SO) | 27 | 65.2% |
| 7 | Sheffield (S) | 26 | 73.6% |
| 8 | Reading (RG) | 24 | 71.7% |
| 9 | Maidstone (ME) | 24 | 78.7% |
| 10 | Birmingham (B) | 23 | 68.6% |
| 11 | Ashford (TN) | 21 | 67.2% |
| 12 | Norwich (NR) | 20 | 58.8% |
| 13 | Brighton (BN) | 20 | 64.4% |
| 14 | Coventry (CV) | 20 | 68.2% |
| 15 | Crawley (RH) | 20 | 72.7% |
| 16 | London (SE) | 20 | 72.1% |
| 17 | Basildon (SS) | 19 | 77.4% |
| 18 | Bristol (BS) | 19 | 62.7% |
| 19 | High Wycombe (HP) | 19 | 65.1% |
| 20 | Newton Abbot (TQ) | 18 | 63.3% |
The twenty areas with the most Fiat Multipla 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 Multipla
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 80 | 77.5% |
| East of England | 72 | 66.7% |
| South West | 56 | 60.7% |
| North West | 23 | 78.3% |
| Scotland | 19 | 52.6% |
| West Midlands | 15 | 66.7% |
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 2003 Multipla
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 2003 Multipla
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 5.2% 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 windscreen 4.2% of tests
“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.
-
Check the battery 3.9% of tests
“battery(ies) insecure”
Check the battery is secure and its terminals are clean and tight — a loose battery is a fail on its own, and a weak one shows up as slow cranking on a cold morning.
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 2003 Multipla through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £48–£139 — and 22% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £48–£139
- Cheapest common item: srs malfunction indicator lamp warning lamp…
- £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 310 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 Multipla, side by side
12 model years on record, from 2000 to 2011. Across them the pass rate runs from 62.6% to 69.7% — a spread of 7.1 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 67.6% linkage ball joints ball joint…
- 2001 67.0% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2002 66.2% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2003 69.7%joints constant velocity boot…
- 2004 68.9% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2005 66.2% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2006 62.6% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2007 68.2% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2008 67.0% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2009 69.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2010 67.1% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2011 67.6% pins and bushes pin or bush…
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 2003 Fiat Multipla 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 2003 cars with a similar record
- Peugeot 206 69.9%
- Honda Cr-V 69.5%
- Hyundai Getz 69.5%
- Volvo S40 69.5%
- Land Rover Freelander 70.0%
- Ford Mondeo 70.0%
Closest pass rates among 2003 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 2003 Fiat Multipla 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 1,108 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 | 300 | 26.10% | 20.98% | +5.12 |
| Brakes | 229 | 19.90% | 20.89% | −0.99 |
| Tyres | 126 | 11.00% | 19.76% | −8.76 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 123 | 10.70% | 5.57% | +5.13 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 94 | 8.20% | 12.21% | −4.01 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 71 | 6.20% | 5.52% | +0.68 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 49 | 4.30% | 0.82% | +3.48 |
| Visibility | 44 | 3.80% | 4.97% | −1.17 |
| Steering | 43 | 3.70% | 2.57% | +1.13 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 29 | 2.50% | 1.76% | +0.74 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 8.7% | £80–250 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 7.1% | £45–110 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 5.2% | £40–150 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 4.2% | £80–200 |
| Battery(ies) insecure but not likely to fall from carrier Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.9% | £60–140 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.9% | £80–250 |
| Srs malfunction indicator lamp warning lamp indicates a fault Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Major | 3.5% | £3–12 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.2% | £5–25 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.2% | £5–20 |
| Track rod end ball joint has excessive play Steering | Major | 3.2% | £18–45 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 20.3% | £25–65 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 18.7% | £45–110 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 18.7% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 17.4% | £40–150 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 14.8% | £200–700 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 12.6% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 7 | 57.1% | 13,731 mi |
| 30-60k | 42 | 73.8% | 50,053 mi |
| 60-90k | 51 | 70.6% | 78,618 mi |
| 90-120k | 73 | 71.2% | 104,042 mi |
| 120k+ | 137 | 67.9% | 149,582 mi |
Source: 310 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.
2003 Multipla MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2003 Fiat Multipla?
69.7% of the 310 2003 Fiat Multipla tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.6% for cars first used in 2003. First-attempt pass rate: 60.5%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2003 Fiat Multipla?
The three most recorded items are joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (8.71%), rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (7.10%), pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (5.16%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2003 Fiat Multipla MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 57.1% of the time, falling to 67.9% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2003 Fiat Multipla in this dataset had covered 110,884 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2003 Fiat Multipla?
Diesel: 71.3% pass rate across 261 tests. Petrol: 61.2% pass rate across 49 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2003 Fiat Multipla MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 69.8% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 69.5%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.