Does the Fiat 124 fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Fiat 124 records 4.37 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 4.56 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (−0.19, 95% interval −0.54 to +0.17). It ranks 337 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a Fiat 124 by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Fiat 124 is “a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm”, recorded 250 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 250 | 1.79 |
| Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn | 56 | 0.40 |
| Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution. | 46 | 0.33 |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 45 | 0.32 |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 35 | 0.25 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 13,950 (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 Fiat 124 gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
7.2% of Fiat 124 MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 4,163 miles later (1,398 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,398 (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
Fiat 124 2016 · Fiat 124 2017 · Fiat 124 2018 · Fiat 124 by postcode area · Fiat 124 vehicle identification failures · Fiat 124 lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Fiat 124 noise, emissions and leaks failures · Fiat 124 steering failures · Fiat 124 suspension failures · Fiat 124 tyres failures · Fiat 124 visibility failures