Does the Fiat 500 fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Fiat 500 records 0.64 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 2.10 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−1.46, 95% interval −1.48 to −1.44). It ranks 417 of 640 models on steering (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on steering · check a Fiat 500 by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Fiat 500 is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc”, recorded 3,631 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 3,631 | 0.20 |
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 3,390 | 0.19 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 3,195 | 0.18 |
| Free play in the steering, measured at the rim of the steering wheel is excessive | 352 | 0.02 |
| EPS MIL indicating a system malfunction | 191 | 0.01 |
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 steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
9.7% of Fiat 500 MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 5,243 miles later (4,082 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,082 (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 seat belts and airbags failures · Fiat 500 suspension failures · Fiat 500 tyres failures · Fiat 500 visibility failures