Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 31,271 tests

Pass rate climbs 2.8 points across the cohorts — newer 500l examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 30,325

Pass

71.6%

Fail

22.5%

PRS

5.4%

Avg mileage at test

70,423 mi

2018–2020 cohort 762

Pass

82.4%

Fail

12.7%

PRS

4.5%

Avg mileage at test

32,386 mi

2021+ cohort 184

Pass

74.5%

Fail

20.6%

PRS

4.9%

Avg mileage at test

16,840 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

The picture

Fiat 500l: mixed MOT record across 22,165 tests

The Fiat 500L is a car which was manufactured by Fiat Serbia from 2012 to 2022 and marketed by Fiat globally.

MOT data from 22,165 tests puts this car on a 73.4% first-time pass rate, below the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 63,579 miles. The most common fail item is fractured or weakened suspension spring, followed by worn suspension pin or bush.

Honest John owner records point to engine oil consumption or timing chain issues as the recurring problems to check before buying used.

Buyers weighing up a used 500l should treat the failure breakdown as a pre-purchase checklist. The pass rate is reasonable, but the gap between first attempt and a clean sheet narrows with age and mileage.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 8–16

Below the fleet average — generally reasonable to insure. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.

Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →

8–16

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

1,170 occurrences · 3.7% of tests
02

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

1,124 occurrences · 3.6% of tests
03

Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated

838 occurrences · 2.7% of tests
04

Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement

641 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
05

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

635 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
06

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

553 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
07

Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

529 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
08

Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

520 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
09

Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

480 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
10

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

373 occurrences · 1.2% of tests

Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.

Worst-case fix budget · top 4 failures

£320–£880

If every one of this 500l's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 10.8-point gap between bands means the year you buy Fiat 500l has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

82.4%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 82.4% — a 10.8-point improvement. Tests in this band average 32,386 miles — roughly 38K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: fractured or broken, does not clear the windscreen effectively — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. The stricter post-2018 MOT test rules meant manufacturers had to tighten up emissions and electrical checks, but this band still shows far fewer major failures on suspension and bodywork than the older fleet.

Band to be cautious about

71.6%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 71.6% pass rate against a fleet average of 82.4% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: fractured or broken, pin or bush excessively worn, and ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt. Average mileage on test for this band is 70,423 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (82.4% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (71.6% pass). That's a 10.8-point spread across 30,325 older tests and 762 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.

Item 01 · Amazon UK

Brake pad measurement gauge

Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Hycote

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Fiat Broom Yellow 12.5ml

£6.59

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Hycote Fiat Capri Blue Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

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Hycote Fiat Black Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

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Hycote Fiat Red Orange Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

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Owner reports · Honest John

What owners actually report.

Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.

What's good

Some engines are uneconomical and slow. Suspect cabin quality. Dull drive.

Recent owner-reported faults

31 Aug 2018
Report of "water" leak into footwell of FIAT 500L. [Google Pixel 10 128GB In Lemongrass | Veri
23 Aug 2018
Report of failure of steering angle sensor of 2013 FIAT 500L bought used in June 2018. Steering wheel off centr by 45 degrees and makes grating noise when car is turned left.
11 Feb 2017
Report of airbag warning light constantly being re-triggered on a FIAT 500L. Started in February 2016 and keeps re-triggering since. Suspect that the dealer merely re-sets the trigger when what is needed is a new triggering system.
28 Jun 2016
TwinAir engine extremely oil sensitive. Wrong oil can destroy MultiAir system replacement of which costs £1,200. Must only use correct FIAT Selenium oil.
7 Jul 2015
Complaint of alloy wheels corroding under the lacquer on a 500L Trekking.

Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 5 reports indexed

Buying or keeping a 500l?

Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.

If you own a 500l and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.