Does the Fiat 500 fail the MOT on seat belts and airbags more than it should?
The Fiat 500 records 0.37 seat belts and airbags failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 0.65 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) (−0.28, 95% interval −0.29 to −0.27). It ranks 400 of 627 models on seat belts and airbags (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on seat belts and airbags · check a Fiat 500 by registration
What exactly fails on seat belts and airbags?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Fiat 500 is “An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction”, recorded 4,119 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction | 4,119 | 0.23 |
| Seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended | 622 | 0.03 |
| Seat belt not functioning as intended or of an incorrect type | 532 | 0.03 |
| The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired | 378 | 0.02 |
| A seat belt webbing or flexible stalk significantly stretched or weakened | 289 | 0.02 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,820,554 (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 500 gets a seat belts and airbags advisory, how often does it fail next time?
5.0% of Fiat 500 MOTs with a seat belts and airbags advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 5,061 miles later (1,749 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,749 (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 500 2007 · Fiat 500 2008 · Fiat 500 2009 · Fiat 500 2010 · Fiat 500 2011 · Fiat 500 2012 · Fiat 500 2013 · Fiat 500 2014 · Fiat 500 2015 · Fiat 500 2016 · Fiat 500 2017 · Fiat 500 2018 · Fiat 500 2019 · Fiat 500 2020 · Fiat 500 in Finland · Fiat 500 in the Netherlands · Fiat 500 in Norway · Fiat 500 by postcode area · Fiat 500 body, chassis and structure failures · Fiat 500 brakes failures · Fiat 500 vehicle identification failures · Fiat 500 lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Fiat 500 noise, emissions and leaks failures · Fiat 500 road wheels failures · Fiat 500 steering failures · Fiat 500 suspension failures · Fiat 500 tyres failures · Fiat 500 visibility failures