Pass rate
68.7%
Below average — 3.5 pts behind the 72.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 8,790 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £53–£148
2004 Fiat Punto MOT pass rate
- 2004
- typical 77,962 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
28.0% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2017 82.2% pass
- Avoid 2000 67.4% pass
Across the 19 years on record, a spread of 14.8 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 58.9%
- Typical mileage
- 78k mi
The 2004 Fiat Punto MOT pass rate is 68.7% of its MOT tests — 3.5 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 28.0% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Fiat Punto does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Suspension: 1.3× the national share
Suspension accounts for 28.0% of everything recorded on the 2004 Fiat Punto, against 21.0% nationally — 7.0 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.
- Falls short of its own age and mileage. Like-for-like, cars this age and mileage expect about 72.2%; this one manages 68.7% — 3.5 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 25% 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 Punto? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2004 Fiat Punto compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.2%, so this figure is 3.5 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 58.9%. The median 2004 Fiat Punto in this dataset had covered 77,962 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Petrol — 97% of tests, with a 68.7% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 68.5% of the time, April–September 68.9%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Headlamp lens slightly defective", noted on 6.64% of tests.
- 8,790 recorded tests behind this page.
- 68.7% overall pass rate, 58.9% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Fiat Punto, the average is 72.5% — best year 2017 (82.2%), worst 2000 (67.4%).
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
- 8,790
- Typical mileage (median)
- 77,962 mi
- Make and model
- Fiat Punto
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Headlight Bulb
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Punto MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 55% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (97% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Punto
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 2,084 | 71.5% |
| North West | 1,159 | 68.0% |
| West Midlands | 998 | 68.3% |
| East of England | 959 | 69.6% |
| South West | 954 | 64.3% |
| East Midlands | 728 | 67.2% |
| Yorkshire | 715 | 66.2% |
| London | 515 | 76.7% |
| Wales | 328 | 65.9% |
| Scotland | 181 | 63.5% |
| North East | 169 | 65.7% |
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 2004 Punto
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 2004 Punto
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 lights 6.6% of tests
“headlamp lens slightly defective”
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.
-
Check corrosion 5.1% of tests
“component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength”
Look under the sills, around the jacking points and where the suspension mounts meet the body. Flaking, holed or crumbly metal fails; a brown stain on sound metal does not.
-
Check the exhaust and emissions 3.9% of tests
“exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases”
Listen for a blow at idle and have someone rev it gently. Then look at the tailpipe smoke: blue is oil, white when warm is coolant, black is over-fuelling. Any of those and the emissions test is the least of it.
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 2004 Punto through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £53–£148 — and 25% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £53–£148
- Cheapest common item: wipers does not clear the windscreen…
- £8–£22
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 40%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 25%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 8,790 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 Punto, side by side
19 model years on record, from 2000 to 2018. Across them the pass rate runs from 67.4% to 82.2% — a spread of 14.8 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 67.4% prescribed areas prescribed area…
- 2001 73.4% prescribed areas prescribed area…
- 2002 69.5% prescribed areas prescribed area…
- 2003 68.7% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2004 68.7%headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2005 71.0% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2006 69.9% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2007 69.8% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 70.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 73.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2010 73.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 73.6% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2012 74.3% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2013 73.3% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2014 74.1% track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2015 78.3% track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2016 81.0% track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2017 82.2% track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2018 80.7% track rod end ball joint dust…
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 2004 Fiat Punto 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 2004 cars with a similar record
- Renault Scenic 68.7%
- Vauxhall Corsa 68.6%
- Ford Focus C-Max 68.9%
- Nissan X-Trail 68.5%
- Renault Megane 68.9%
- Vauxhall Astravan 69.1%
Closest pass rates among 2004 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 2004 Fiat Punto 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 29,703 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 | 8,419 | 28.00% | 20.98% | +7.02 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4,310 | 14.30% | 12.21% | +2.09 |
| Brakes | 4,070 | 13.50% | 20.89% | −7.39 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 3,460 | 11.50% | 5.57% | +5.93 |
| Tyres | 3,275 | 10.90% | 19.76% | −8.86 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 3,106 | 10.30% | 5.52% | +4.78 |
| Visibility | 1,235 | 4.10% | 4.97% | −0.87 |
| Non-component advisories | 713 | 2.40% | 4.18% | −1.78 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 703 | 2.30% | 0.82% | +1.48 |
| Steering | 412 | 1.40% | 2.57% | −1.17 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 6.6% | £5–25 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 5.6% | £30–80 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 5.1% | £180–450 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 4.0% | £80–250 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.9% | £45–120 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Major | 3.2% | £8–22 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 3.2% | £18–45 |
| Prescribed areas prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Major | 2.9% | £40–120 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.8% | £60–250 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 2.4% | £45–110 |
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 | 28.3% | £25–65 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 23.0% | £200–700 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 15.8% | £45–95 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 14.8% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 11.3% | £40–150 |
| Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 9.9% | £180–450 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 205 | 79.0% | 22,397 mi |
| 30-60k | 2,170 | 73.8% | 47,927 mi |
| 60-90k | 3,386 | 68.5% | 75,027 mi |
| 90-120k | 2,168 | 65.0% | 102,409 mi |
| 120k+ | 836 | 63.9% | 139,057 mi |
Source: 8,790 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.
2004 Punto MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2004 Fiat Punto?
68.7% of the 8,790 2004 Fiat Punto tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.2% for cars first used in 2004. First-attempt pass rate: 58.9%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2004 Fiat Punto?
The three most recorded items are headlamp lens slightly defective (6.64%), headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (5.57%), component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (5.07%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2004 Fiat Punto MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 79.0% of the time, falling to 63.9% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2004 Fiat Punto in this dataset had covered 77,962 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2004 Fiat Punto?
Petrol: 68.7% pass rate across 8,533 tests. Diesel: 68.5% pass rate across 257 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2004 Fiat Punto MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 68.5% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 68.9%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.