Does the Abarth 500 fail the MOT on body, chassis and structure more than it should?
The Abarth 500 records 8.29 body, chassis and structure failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 4.62 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+3.67, 95% interval +3.37 to +3.98). It ranks 119 of 663 models on body, chassis and structure (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on body, chassis and structure · check a Abarth 500 by registration
What exactly fails on body, chassis and structure?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Abarth 500 is “A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc”, recorded 1,125 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 1,125 | 3.33 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated | 1,025 | 3.04 |
| A door will not open using the relevant control or close properly | 218 | 0.65 |
| Exhaust system leaking or insecure | 170 | 0.50 |
| Exhaust noise levels in excess of those permitted | 51 | 0.15 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 33,766 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Abarth 500 gets a body, chassis and structure advisory, how often does it fail next time?
12.6% of Abarth 500 MOTs with a body, chassis and structure advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 5,226 miles later (1,135 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,135 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Abarth 500 2009 · Abarth 500 2010 · Abarth 500 2011 · Abarth 500 2012 · Abarth 500 2013 · Abarth 500 2014 · Abarth 500 2015 · Abarth 500 2016 · Abarth 500 by postcode area · Abarth 500 brakes failures · Abarth 500 vehicle identification failures · Abarth 500 lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Abarth 500 noise, emissions and leaks failures · Abarth 500 road wheels failures · Abarth 500 seat belts and airbags failures · Abarth 500 steering failures · Abarth 500 suspension failures · Abarth 500 tyres failures · Abarth 500 visibility failures