Fiat 500 Star MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Fiat 500 Star took 3,505 MOT tests in Britain and passed 86% of them first time, above the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.

MOT tests in 2023: 3,505
First-time pass rate: 86%
All cars: 71%

What the 500 Star fails on

Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.

Tyres6.0% (all cars 6.4%)
Visibility3.9% (all cars 4.8%)
Lights and electrics2.5% (all cars 11.3%)
Brakes1.8% (all cars 6.8%)
Suspension0.9% (all cars 9.0%)
Body and structure0.3% (all cars 3.5%)
Seat belts and airbags0.3% (all cars 1.0%)
Number plates and VIN0.2% (all cars 0.4%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 2.6%
Tyres, condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure 1.7%
Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 1.5%
Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.4%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid 1.0%
Headlamp aim: too low 0.8%
Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 0.6%
Tyre pressure monitoring system: malfunctioning or obviously inoperative 0.6%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 12.1%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 10.1%
Tyres, condition: has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords 2.9%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged 2.2%
Brake pads: wearing thin 2.2%
Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre 1.9%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 1.9%
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively 1.5%

Pass rate by year of registration

Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.

First registered	Tests	Pass rate
2019	1,017	87%
2020	2,443	86%

Typical mileage by age

Average odometer reading at the MOT, by the car's age in years at the test.

Age at test	Average mileage
3 years	17,844 miles
4 years	19,235 miles

Check a particular 500 Star

Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.

Other Fiat models

Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.