2016 Fiat 500 MOT pass rate: 74.9% (92,355 tests)

2016-registered Fiat 500s passed 74.9% of 92,355 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — 6.4 points worse than same-age cars (81.3%). This is one of the lower-scoring 500 years after correcting for vehicle age — inspect the individual car carefully.

74.9%Pass rate, 2016 cars

93.6Age-adjusted index (100 = average)

92,355Tests analysed

41,797 miMedian mileage at test

74.9% / 73.6%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2016 500 getting worse?

Pass rate of 2016-registered cars across recent test years:

Test year	Pass rate
2023	77.7% -5.5 vs same-age
2024	74.7% -6.5 vs same-age
2025	72.4% -7.2 vs same-age

The raw rate normally falls as cars age. The “vs same-age” figure compares this cohort with all UK cars registered in the same year, so normal ageing is not mistaken for a bad model year.

What fails on a 2016 500

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Suspension	23,491	48.8%
2	Tyres	7,823	16.3%
3	Brakes	6,467	13.4%
4	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	3,208	6.7%
5	Visibility	2,879	6.0%
6	Noise, emissions and leaks	1,775	3.7%

All 500 years compared

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage
2008	32,071	61.4%	-3.7 pts	84,753
2009	56,145	61.3%	-5.1 pts	80,031
2010	58,601	63.5%	-3.8 pts	74,738
2011	55,222	66.0%	-3.1 pts	70,042
2012	78,775	67.7%	-3.5 pts	65,504
2013	96,009	70.6%	-2.7 pts	60,177
2014	113,839	71.0%	-4.8 pts	54,928
2015	108,938	71.0%	-7.7 pts	48,192
2016 (this page)	92,355	74.9%	-6.4 pts	41,797
2017	66,835	80.1%	-3.9 pts	36,866
2018	69,481	83.8%	-2.6 pts	30,224
2019	56,013	87.8%	-0.6 pts	24,232
2020	12,530	91.2%	+1.2 pts	19,693

Weighing up which year to buy? See the full ranking: Fiat 500 years to avoid.

Buying a 2016 500? Two checks first

Free MOT history checkThe exact car’s failures, advisories and mileage trail — sellers can’t edit it
Topdon OBD2 scannersTopdon diagnostic scanners with full-system readouts
XTOOL diagnostic toolsXTOOL code readers for petrol and diesel cars
Autel UK testersAutel professional-grade diagnostic testers

FAQs

Is a 2016 Fiat 500 reliable?

2016-registered examples passed 74.9% of their MOT tests (92,355 tests, 2023–2025), -6.4 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 10 years old with a median 41,797 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2016 500?

The median tested example shows 41,797 miles. Anything far beyond that isn't automatically bad — a motorway-mile car with consistent service records often beats a low-mileage school-run car — but price accordingly and scrutinise the mileage trail for gaps or drops.

Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023–2025 extracts (96 million Class 4 initial tests; retests excluded). Only vehicles old enough for a routine first MOT are included. Age-adjusted figures compare the model-year cohort with all vehicles of the same registration year tested in the same calendar year. Contains public sector information licensed under OGL v3.0.