Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 59,620 tests

Pass rate climbs 11.6 points across the cohorts — newer 500x examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 47,406

Pass

77.4%

Fail

17.8%

PRS

4.4%

Avg mileage at test

58,513 mi

2018–2020 cohort 10,795

Pass

88.2%

Fail

9.3%

PRS

1.9%

Avg mileage at test

34,645 mi

2021+ cohort 1,419

Pass

89.1%

Fail

8.0%

PRS

2.4%

Avg mileage at test

29,424 mi

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

The picture

Fiat 500x: solid MOT record across 38,203 tests

The Fiat 500X is a subcompact crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by Stellantis, since its debut at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. Following the 500L, and produced from 2014, the 500X is closely related to the Jeep Renegade.

MOT data from 38,203 tests puts this car on a 81.6% first-time pass rate, above the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 47,314 miles. The most common fail item is steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, followed by tyre tread below the legal limit.

The Fiat 500X is available with a broad range of engines and transmissions, including a new nine-speed automatic transmission.

Buyers weighing up a used 500x 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 10–20

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 →

10–20

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

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

01

Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated

4,070 occurrences · 6.8% of tests
02

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

1,992 occurrences · 3.3% of tests
03

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

1,639 occurrences · 2.7% of tests
04

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

1,312 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
05

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

774 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
06

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

646 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
07

A tyre seriously damaged

643 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
08

A tyre cords visible or damaged

551 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
09

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

513 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
10

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play

459 occurrences · 0.8% 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 3 failures

£220–£575

If every one of this 500x'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 11.6-point gap between bands means the year you buy Fiat 500x has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

89.1%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 89.1% — a 11.6-point improvement. Tests in this band average 29,424 miles — roughly 29K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, blade defective — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.

Band to be cautious about

77.4%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 77.4% pass rate against a fleet average of 89.1% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt, ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, and not working. Average mileage on test for this band is 58,513 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (89.1% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (77.4% pass). That's a 11.6-point spread across 47,406 older tests and 1,419 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

Digital tyre-tread depth gauge

Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.

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

View at My Motor World →

Hycote

Hycote Fiat Capri Blue Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote

Hycote Fiat Black Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote

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

The 500X has been engineered to strike the optimal balance of handling and comfort that the segment demands, while the latest active safety systems are available to assist the driver, including front headlights with DRLs; front fog lights with adaptive cornering; sophisticated ESC (Electronic Stability Control); Lane Assist (lane departure warning system) and Blind Spot Assist (lane change assistance system). A ParkView reversing camera is also available in the new 500X, as is the "Brake Control" assisted braking system.

Buying or keeping a 500x?

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 500x 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.