Pass rate
70.9%
Below average — 2.2 pts behind the 73.1% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 22,479 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £22–£73
2008 Fiat Punto MOT pass rate
- 2008
- typical 90,008 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
24.2% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Part only £40–£65 for Shock absorber leaking. What fitting it takes →
1.5 pts down across model years — 2.2% in 2001, 0.7% in 2014.
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
- 61.4%
- Typical mileage
- 90k mi
The 2008 Fiat Punto MOT pass rate is 70.9% of its MOT tests — 2.2 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 24.2% 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
Lamps & electrics: 1.5× the national share
Lamps & electrics make up 18.6% of everything recorded on the 2008 Fiat Punto, against 12.2% nationally — 6.4 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 24.2%, but at 21.0% nationally that one is ordinary. Walk round the car with the lights on before the test: bulbs, indicators and number-plate lamps are the cheapest failures to prevent and among the most common.
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 2008 Fiat Punto compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 73.1%, so this figure is 2.2 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 61.4%. The median 2008 Fiat Punto in this dataset had covered 90,008 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Petrol — 93% of tests, with a 70.8% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 70.7% of the time, April–September 71.1%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 5.20% of tests.
- 22,479 recorded tests behind this page.
- 70.9% overall pass rate, 61.4% 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
- 22,479
- Typical mileage (median)
- 90,008 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
Number Plate Lamp
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Punto MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 59% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (93% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Punto
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 3,785 | 74.6% |
| North West | 3,716 | 69.4% |
| West Midlands | 2,671 | 72.9% |
| Yorkshire | 2,661 | 70.3% |
| East of England | 2,209 | 72.5% |
| East Midlands | 1,863 | 69.1% |
| South West | 1,796 | 66.0% |
| Scotland | 1,126 | 65.1% |
| Wales | 1,041 | 65.7% |
| London | 822 | 82.2% |
| North East | 789 | 68.9% |
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 2008 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 2008 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 5.2% of tests
“registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”
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 the exhaust and emissions 4.2% of tests
“catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits”
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.
-
Check the coil springs 3.4% of tests
“coil spring fractured or broken”
Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.
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 2008 Punto through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £22–£73 — and 54% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £22–£73
- Cheapest common item: stop lamp not working
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd…
- £60–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 80%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 54%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 22,479 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 2008 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 2008 cars with a similar record
- Mitsubishi Colt 70.9%
- Skoda Roomster 70.9%
- Kia Sportage 70.9%
- Vauxhall Vectra 70.8%
- Kia Picanto 70.8%
- Mercedes-Benz Clc 70.8%
Closest pass rates among 2008 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 2008 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 68,191 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 | 16,770 | 24.20% | 20.98% | +3.22 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 12,853 | 18.60% | 12.21% | +6.39 |
| Tyres | 9,641 | 13.90% | 19.76% | −5.86 |
| Brakes | 8,903 | 12.90% | 20.89% | −7.99 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 7,390 | 10.70% | 5.52% | +5.18 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 5,880 | 8.50% | 5.57% | +2.93 |
| Visibility | 2,236 | 3.20% | 4.97% | −1.77 |
| Non-component advisories | 1,933 | 2.80% | 4.18% | −1.38 |
| Steering | 1,463 | 2.10% | 2.57% | −0.47 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 1,122 | 1.60% | 1.76% | −0.16 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 5.2% | £5–20 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 4.7% | £5–25 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 4.2% | £60–250 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.9% | £5–25 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.8% | £45–120 |
| Stop lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.7% | £3–12 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 3.5% | £45–110 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 3.4% | £25–65 |
| Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension | Major | 2.5% | £30–75 |
| Position lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.5% | £5–25 |
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 | 22.9% | £25–65 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 19.6% | £45–95 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 15.9% | £200–700 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 14.1% | £45–95 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 11.3% | £45–120 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 9.4% | £45–110 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 324 | 85.8% | 23,119 mi |
| 30-60k | 2,756 | 77.4% | 48,500 mi |
| 60-90k | 7,719 | 71.6% | 76,235 mi |
| 90-120k | 7,476 | 68.5% | 103,405 mi |
| 120k+ | 3,327 | 67.8% | 139,448 mi |
Source: 22,479 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.
2008 Punto MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2008 Fiat Punto?
70.9% of the 22,479 2008 Fiat Punto tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 73.1% for cars first used in 2008. First-attempt pass rate: 61.4%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2008 Fiat Punto?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (5.20%), headlamp lens slightly defective (4.66%), catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (4.24%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2008 Fiat Punto MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 85.8% of the time, falling to 67.8% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2008 Fiat Punto in this dataset had covered 90,008 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2008 Fiat Punto?
Petrol: 70.8% pass rate across 20,934 tests. Diesel: 72.5% pass rate across 1,545 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2008 Fiat Punto MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 70.7% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 71.1%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.