2005 Fiat Panda MOT pass rate: 58.9% (8,750 tests)

2005-registered Fiat Pandas passed 58.9% of 8,750 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — 5.6 points worse than same-age cars (64.5%). This is one of the lower-scoring Panda years after correcting for vehicle age — inspect the individual car carefully.

58.9%Pass rate, 2005 cars

94.4Age-adjusted index (100 = average)

8,750Tests analysed

78,364 miMedian mileage at test

59.2% / 56.1%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2005 Panda getting worse?

Pass rate of 2005-registered cars across recent test years:

Test year	Pass rate
2023	59.0% -5.1 vs same-age
2024	58.9% -5.4 vs same-age
2025	58.8% -6.5 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 2005 Panda

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Suspension	3,777	30.4%
2	Brakes	2,431	19.6%
3	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	2,009	16.2%
4	Tyres	1,019	8.2%
5	Body, chassis, structure	896	7.2%
6	Noise, emissions and leaks	838	6.7%

All Panda years compared

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage
2004	7,358	56.4%	-8.0 pts	77,136
2005 (this page)	8,750	58.9%	-5.6 pts	78,364
2006	11,426	58.7%	-5.7 pts	78,242
2007	14,754	59.5%	-5.6 pts	76,769
2008	13,920	60.5%	-4.6 pts	74,508
2009	28,937	63.6%	-2.8 pts	67,891
2010	25,730	63.6%	-3.7 pts	66,458
2011	15,713	65.4%	-3.8 pts	61,934
2012	18,793	71.4%	+0.2 pts	58,263
2013	22,109	72.9%	-0.4 pts	56,964
2014	23,483	75.6%	-0.2 pts	52,026
2015	23,353	77.4%	-1.3 pts	44,646
2016	14,299	80.5%	-0.8 pts	36,786
2017	10,382	83.1%	-0.9 pts	31,818
2018	7,876	85.6%	-0.7 pts	25,911
2019	7,442	87.9%	-0.5 pts	21,652
2020	4,173	91.7%	+1.8 pts	17,178

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

Buying a 2005 Panda? 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 2005 Fiat Panda reliable?

2005-registered examples passed 58.9% of their MOT tests (8,750 tests, 2023–2025), -5.6 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 21 years old with a median 78,364 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2005 Panda?

The median tested example shows 78,364 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.

Should I buy the petrol or diesel 2005 Panda?

In this cohort petrols pass 59.2% of tests against 56.1% for diesels. Mileage and use can explain part of that gap, so treat it as a reason to inspect DPF and emissions history, not a fuel-type verdict.

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.