Does the Fiat 500L fail the MOT on visibility more than it should?

The Fiat 500L records 7.98 visibility failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 6.32 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+1.66, 95% interval +1.50 to +1.81). It ranks 168 of 746 models on visibility (1 = most failures above expected).

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on visibility · check a Fiat 500L by registration

What exactly fails on visibility?

The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Fiat 500L is “Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen”, recorded 4,025 times in 2019–2024.

Fiat 500L: most frequent visibility defect wordings, 2019–2024 (30+ items each)
DVSA defect wording	Items	Per 100 tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen	4,025	3.10
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view	2,212	1.70
Wiper blade defective	1,697	1.31
Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen	1,326	1.02
Obligatory mirror or device slightly damaged or loose	593	0.46

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 129,994 (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

Does the Fiat 500L fail the MOT on visibility more than it should?

What exactly fails on visibility?

Related pages

Other pages for this model