MOT cost .
Fiat Tipo
MOT 2024

Wikimedia Commons — CC-BY-SA (image-specific)

Fiat

Tipo

20,344 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Tipos pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's in line with the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models.

Pass

77.5%

Pass-after-fix

4.5%

Fail

17.6%

Avg miles

53,617

Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%

ULEZ borderline — check VRM

This model's production run straddles the January 2006 Euro 4 cutoff. Individual cars vary — check your registration plate on the government's ULEZ checker. Daily charges if driven in the zone: London £12.50 · Birmingham £8.00 .

UK ULEZ & CAZ guide →

Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 20,344 tests

Pass rate climbs 6.3 points across the cohorts — newer Tipo examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 13,741

Pass

75.4%

Fail

19.6%

PRS

4.7%

Avg mileage at test

60,402 mi

2018–2020 cohort 6,074

Pass

81.8%

Fail

13.8%

PRS

4.0%

Avg mileage at test

40,580 mi

2021+ cohort 529

Pass

81.7%

Fail

11.7%

PRS

5.9%

Avg mileage at test

27,169 mi

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

The picture

Fiat Tipo: mixed MOT record across 14,433 tests

Fiat Tipo may refer to one of two vehicles manufactured by FIAT:Fiat Tipo, a small family car manufactured from 1988 to 2000 Fiat Tipo (2015), a small family car in production since 2015

MOT data from 14,433 tests puts this car on a 78.2% first-time pass rate, roughly in line with the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 46,653 miles. The most common fail item is tyre tread below the legal limit, followed by shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage.

The Fiat Tipo is a no-frills compact hatchback with a good specification, but key rivals have a greater range of abilities and the hybrid version offers a compromised driving experience.

Buyers weighing up a used Tipo 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 8–18

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 →

8–18

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

  1. 01

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    594 occurrences · 2.9% of tests

  2. 02

    A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage

    499 occurrences · 2.5% of tests

  3. 03

    A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

    484 occurrences · 2.4% of tests

  4. 04

    a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

    450 occurrences · 2.2% of tests

  5. 05

    Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

    358 occurrences · 1.8% of tests

  6. 06

    A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

    310 occurrences · 1.5% of tests

  7. 07

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

    252 occurrences · 1.2% of tests

  8. 08

    Wiper blade defective

    238 occurrences · 1.2% of tests

  9. 09

    A tyre cords visible or damaged

    224 occurrences · 1.1% of tests

  10. 10

    Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn

    157 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 4 failures

£240–£540

If every one of this Tipo'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 6.4-point gap between bands means the year you buy Fiat Tipo has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

81.8%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 81.8% — a 6.4-point improvement. Tests in this band average 40,580 miles — roughly 20K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, 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

75.4%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 75.4% pass rate against a fleet average of 81.8% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: fractured or broken, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, and has a serious fluid leak. Average mileage on test for this band is 60,402 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (81.8% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (75.4% pass). That's a 6.4-point spread across 13,741 older tests and 6,074 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

Item 02 · 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

Item 03 · Amazon UK

Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades

Cheap wipers fail the test on smear streaks. Bosch Aerotwins last a winter and clear a screen properly.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

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Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

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Buying or keeping a Tipo?

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 Tipo 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.