Fiat Qubo — MOT statistics 2024
The Fiat Qubo failed 36.26% of 4,289 first MOT attempts in 2024 ("first-time", excluding retests). Adjusted for the age of the fleet, its initial-failure ratio is 107.5 (100 = expected for its age profile). This van fails its MOT about 8% more often than expected for its age. Small sample — treat with care.
Age-adjusted peer: Volkswagen Caravelle (index 106.4) — the two published results are 1.1 index points apart.
Fiat Qubo common problems: what actually fails the MOT
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment are well below the reference at 13.2 per 100 tests, against 31.8 per 100 tests across UK vans and pickups of the same ages.
higher bar = fails more oftenrate per 100 tests
family vs national — matched to UK vans and pickups of the same ages — top component groups, per 100 tests. Legend: This family · National avg. Combined labels: family / national average. A gap here reflects how these vehicles are driven, used and maintained as well as how they were built — an MOT defect is a test outcome, not a breakdown.
Component-group comparison table
Each ratio carries a 95% interval. With 6 groups compared here, roughly one apparent difference in twenty is chance alone.
| Group | This family | Cases behind it | UK, same ages | Family / national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 24.1 | 6,557 | 23.5 | 1.02×1.00–1.05 |
| Lamps & electrical | 13.2 | 3,593 | 31.8 | 0.42×0.40–0.43 |
| Tyres | 10.7 | 2,912 | 8.6 | 1.25×1.20–1.30 |
| Visibility | 9.8 | 2,655 | 15.3 | 0.64×0.62–0.66 |
| Brakes | 6.3 | 1,714 | 19.0 | 0.33×0.32–0.35 |
| Body & structure | 4.9 | 1,324 | 11.1 | 0.44×0.42–0.46 |
| What failed | per 100 tests (this family) | per 100 tests (UK average) | ratio family / UK | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring or spring component fractured or seriously…A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened | 8.96 | 2.86 | 3.13× | Ask the seller about: A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened |
| Shock absorber bush excessively wornA shock absorber bush excessively worn | 6.20 | 0.20 | 31.16× | Ask the seller about: A shock absorber bush excessively worn |
| Tyre cords visible or damagedA tyre cords visible or damaged | 3.79 | 1.63 | 2.33× | Check tyre tread depth across the full width |
| Windscreen or window damaged or seriously…Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view | 3.24 | 2.36 | 1.37× | Check wipers, washers and windscreen chips in the driver's view |
| Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the…Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements | 4.05 | 3.59 | 1.13× | Check tyre tread depth across the full width |
| Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the…Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen | 2.09 | 2.22 | 0.94× | Check wipers, washers and windscreen chips in the driver's view |
| Tyre seriously damagedA tyre seriously damaged | 2.26 | 2.54 | 0.89× | Check tyre tread depth across the full width |
| Rear registration plate lamp or light source…A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources | 2.35 | 2.83 | 0.83× | Try every light and switch — lamps are a top failure |
| Aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down…The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | 1.53 | 2.57 | 0.60× | Try every light and switch — lamps are a top failure |
| Suspension pin, bush or joint excessively wornA suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | 2.70 | 4.87 | 0.55× | Listen for knocks over bumps — worn joints show up on the test |
Named defects ranked by how much more often they appear than the national average — not by raw rate.
Fiat Qubo MOT advisories: what gets flagged
Tyres are highest at 45.0 per 100 tests; Lamps & electrical are lowest at 4.3 per 100 tests — the gap is 40.7 per 100 tests.
higher bar = flagged more oftenadvisory items per 100 initial tests
Advisory rates table
| Group | Advisories per 100 |
|---|---|
| Tyres | 45 |
| Suspension | 25.8 |
| Brakes | 21.8 |
| Non-component advisories | 7.9 |
| Emissions & leaks | 7.1 |
| Lamps & electrical | 4.3 |
Advisories are wear the tester noted but didn't fail — what will need money soon.
Tyres, brakes and suspension: Fiat Qubo against cars of the same age
| Age | Part | Fiat Qubo | Same age, petrol and diesel | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 years | Tyres | 4.94 | 4.54 | 0.40 |
| 4 years | Brakes | 1.65 | 2.43 | -0.78 |
| 4 years | Suspension | 4.35 | 1.21 | 3.14 |
| 5 years | Tyres | 4.38 | 5.06 | -0.68 |
| 5 years | Brakes | 1.96 | 3.09 | -1.13 |
| 5 years | Suspension | 7.77 | 2.19 | 5.58 |
| 6 years | Tyres | 6.44 | 5.54 | 0.90 |
| 6 years | Brakes | 3.55 | 3.81 | -0.26 |
| 6 years | Suspension | 13.42 | 3.72 | 9.70 |
| 7 years | Tyres | 7.25 | 5.95 | 1.30 |
| 7 years | Brakes | 3.96 | 4.55 | -0.59 |
| 7 years | Suspension | 14.59 | 5.68 | 8.91 |
| 8 years | Tyres | 7.48 | 6.31 | 1.17 |
| 8 years | Brakes | 4.42 | 5.38 | -0.96 |
| 8 years | Suspension | 16.35 | 7.78 | 8.57 |
Failing items per 100 initial tests, 2019-2024. The comparison group is every petrol or diesel car tested at the same age, so weight and drivetrain show up rather than fleet age.
If a van like this fails, does it fail again?
A failure rate does not say whether a failure is a one-off or the start of something. This follows the same vehicles into their next ordinary MOT a year later — retests after a repair are excluded, because they follow a failure by definition. 2019-2024.
| After this year's test | Fails next year | Vehicles followed |
|---|---|---|
| It failed | 34.8% | 1,315 |
| It passed | 30.5% | 14,183 |
A failed test raises next year's chance of failing again by 4.3 percentage points. The failure most likely to come back is visibility — 35.8% of those vehicles fail again next year. Some of this is the vehicle and some is the owner: a car that was let go once tends to be let go again. One caveat: a car that fails may be sold or scrapped rather than tested again, so these figures describe the vehicles that came back.
Adjusted for how much these are actually driven
The headline index adjusts for the fleet's age. Wear, though, follows mileage: a three-year-old taxi and a three-year-old garage queen sit in the same age band. These two rows compare every van with vehicles of the same age, and then with vehicles of the same age and the same annual mileage, 2019-2024, on 26,871 tests. Both stand on the six-year corpus so they are measured on identical data — compare them with each other, not with the headline index above, which is measured on 2024 alone.
| Standardised for | Index | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Age only | 108.5 | fails more often than expected |
| Age and annual mileage | 119.2 | fails more often than vehicles driven as much |
| Share doing under 3,000 miles a year | 14.8% | a normal spread of use |
Mileage matters here: matching on how much these are driven moves the figure by 10.7 points — this fleet is driven less than the vehicles it is measured against, so the age-only view flatters it — but it does not change which side of normal the van sits on. One limit to keep in mind: mileage is partly a result of how often a car breaks down — one that spends weeks in the workshop covers fewer miles — so the mileage-matched figure can understate a real weakness. Tests with no usable odometer reading are left out of it.
How the Fiat Qubo compares with cars of its own age and size
Not against the whole fleet — against other light commercials tested at the same age, 2019-2024.
| Age | Fiat Qubo | Same class, same age | Difference | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years | 13.39% | 19.94% | -6.56 pp | 717 |
| 4 years | 18% | 22.97% | -4.97 pp | 850 |
| 5 years | 20.71% | 25.47% | -4.76 pp | 1,120 |
| 6 years | 28.61% | 28.92% | -0.32 pp | 1,692 |
| 7 years | 29.13% | 32.36% | -3.23 pp | 2,523 |
| 8 years | 31.83% | 35.67% | -3.84 pp | 3,010 |
| 9 years | 33.64% | 38.46% | -4.82 pp | 3,552 |
| 10 years | 35.19% | 40.91% | -5.73 pp | 3,882 |
| 11 years | 37.06% | 43.11% | -6.05 pp | 3,524 |
| 12 years | 38.7% | 44.93% | -6.23 pp | 2,801 |
| 13 years | 39.89% | 46.09% | -6.2 pp | 1,855 |
| 14 years | 43.94% | 46.86% | -2.92 pp | 1,147 |
| 15 years | 46.54% | 47.39% | -0.85 pp | 462 |
Raw first-time failure rates within each age, so fleet age cannot flatter either side. A positive difference means this model fails more often than its own class at that age.
How does the Fiat Qubo perform as it gets older?
The Qubo at age 6 stands out at 27.9%, against 17.5% for all vehicles of the same age.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
Chart axes: van age, years · failure-rate scale 0–50%.
Takeaway: solid line: this family; dashed: all cars.
Data table
| Age | Fiat Qubo | All vehicles | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 16.8% | 15.1% | +1.7 pp |
| 6 | 27.9% | 17.5% | +10.4 pp |
| 7 | 22.1% | 20.2% | +1.9 pp |
| 8 | 31.4% | 23.3% | +8.1 pp |
| 9 | 32.8% | 26.5% | +6.3 pp |
| 10 | 36.6% | 30.1% | +6.5 pp |
| 11 | 34.9% | 33.2% | +1.8 pp |
| 12 | 36.1% | 35.7% | +0.4 pp |
| 13 | 34.7% | 38.2% | -3.5 pp |
| 14 | 44.5% | 40.4% | +4.1 pp |
| 15 | 46.5% | 41.6% | +4.9 pp |
Is a Fiat Qubo ULEZ compliant?
The share of classifiable 2024 Fiat Qubo MOT tests likely ULEZ compliant by first-registration date is 31.7%.
Based on 4,288 classifiable initial MOT tests. This describes the tested fleet, not a specific car. MOT data do not record Euro class, so likely compliance is inferred from fuel and first-registration date. For the only authoritative answer, check the registration with TfL's official ULEZ checker.
higher = larger share likely compliantinferred from fuel and first-registration date; not a recorded Euro class
| Vehicle age at test | Likely ULEZ-compliant share | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 0 |
| 3–5 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 156 |
| 6–7 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 335 |
| 8 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 159 |
| 9 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 189 |
| 10–14 years | 18.6% Check a registration with TfL | n = 2,989 |
| 15–17 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 460 |
| 18 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 0 |
| 19 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 0 |
| 20+ years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 0 |
How dangerous are Fiat Qubo MOT failures?
Minor defects are well below the reference at 13.0 per 100 tests, against 14.2 per 100 tests nationally.
higher bar = fails more oftenrate per 100 tests
Severity table
| Severity | This family /100 | National /100 | Family / national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor | 13.03 | 14.22 | 0.92× |
| Major | 52.04 | 52.75 | 0.99× |
| Dangerous | 11.97 | 11.15 | 1.07× |
Chart values: Minor 13.0 · Major 52.0 · Dangerous 12.0.
Per 100 tests on this family. National average: Minor 14.2 · Major 52.8 · Dangerous 11.2 per 100.
Does the month of a Fiat Qubo MOT matter?
Apr is highest at 35.6%; Dec is lowest at 30.8% — the gap is 4.8 percentage points.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
Chart scale: 27%–37%.
bars: Fiat Qubo · dashed: all class-4 cars
Month-by-month table
| Month | Fiat Qubo | All vehicles | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31.79% | 31.12% | +0.7 pp |
| Feb | 33.57% | 29.99% | +3.6 pp |
| Mar | 34.7% | 28.26% | +6.4 pp |
| Apr | 35.63% | 29.78% | +5.9 pp |
| May | 33.99% | 28.79% | +5.2 pp |
| Jun | 33.29% | 28.15% | +5.1 pp |
| Jul | 33.43% | 29.33% | +4.1 pp |
| Aug | 34.36% | 29.2% | +5.2 pp |
| Sep | 33.4% | 28.19% | +5.2 pp |
| Oct | 33.85% | 30.34% | +3.5 pp |
| Nov | 32.41% | 30.58% | +1.8 pp |
| Dec | 30.84% | 29.33% | +1.5 pp |
Takeaway: the spread between best and worst month is 4.8 percentage points — noticeable seasonality. Seasonality partly reflects registration-date clustering, not weather.
Before reading the shape: most of it is not about cars. Britain changes its registration plates twice a year, and 18.9% of these cars were first registered in March with another17.1% in September — 36% in two months against the 17% an even spread would give. An MOT falls due three years after first registration, so the buying calendar becomes the testing calendar. That shapes how many cars are tested each month — not how often they fail: the busiest months here are not the worst ones, so read the failure line on its own and the volume behind it separately.
Fiat Qubo average mileage by age
At age 8, the middle half of Qubos runs from 23,638 miles to 60,042 miles, against 35,111 miles as the median.
further right = more milesmedian is the typical car; band is p25–p75
Chart axes: van age, years · odometer scale 0–121k mi.
Does high mileage mean more Fiat Qubo MOT failures at the same age?
Within the same age group, split by odometer (2024 MOTs), so this separates wear from age: at ages 10–14, 27.7% of those with under 40,000 miles failed first time versus 43.6% of those with over 140,000 miles.Inside this age group, higher mileage goes with more failures.
| Age | Odometer | % failing | 95% interval | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6–9 | <40k miles | 20.4% | 16.7–24.6% | 398 (rough estimate) |
| 6–9 | 40-70k miles | 37.1% | 30.9–43.8% | 213 (rough estimate) |
| 6–9 | 70-100k miles | 42.9% | 30.8–55.9% | 56 (rough estimate) |
| 10–14 | <40k miles | 27.7% | 24.1–31.8% | 519 |
| 10–14 | 40-70k miles | 33.6% | 30.7–36.7% | 960 |
| 10–14 | 70-100k miles | 42.1% | 39–45.3% | 933 |
| 10–14 | 100-140k miles | 43.3% | 38.8–47.9% | 450 (rough estimate) |
| 10–14 | 140k+ miles | 43.6% | 33.1–54.6% | 78 (rough estimate) |
| 15+ | 40-70k miles | 46.9% | 36.4–57.7% | 81 (rough estimate) |
| 15+ | 70-100k miles | 44% | 36.3–52% | 150 (rough estimate) |
| 15+ | 100-140k miles | 47.7% | 39.4–56.2% | 132 (rough estimate) |
line: median · band: middle half of the fleet (p25–p75)
Mileage by age (p25 / median / p75)
| Age | p25 | Median | p75 | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 12,765 | 23,544 | 34,718 | 113 |
| 6 | 12,880 | 23,623 | 39,611 | 122 |
| 7 | 18,471 | 32,971 | 51,166 | 213 |
| 8 | 23,638 | 35,111 | 60,042 | 159 |
| 9 | 27,934 | 42,521 | 60,179 | 189 |
| 10 | 35,789 | 51,502 | 73,950 | 298 |
| 11 | 42,881 | 61,837 | 81,692 | 604 |
| 12 | 49,492 | 69,799 | 90,333 | 845 |
| 13 | 50,657 | 74,316 | 96,099 | 620 |
| 14 | 57,284 | 81,404 | 107,630 | 622 |
| 15 | 69,401 | 89,168 | 115,215 | 428 |
A typical 8-year-old Qubo has ~35,111 miles on the clock. Much more — ask why; much less — check for gaps in the MOT history.
Where in Britain the Fiat Qubo fails its MOT most
Kirkcaldy area is highest at 53.2%; Twickenham area is lowest at 19.4% — the gap is 33.7 percentage points.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
| Toughest areas | % failing | vs model overall |
|---|---|---|
| Kirkcaldy (KY) | 53.18% | +19.8 pp |
| Kilmarnock (KA) | 48.19% | +14.8 pp |
| Edinburgh (EH) | 46.19% | +12.8 pp |
| Falkirk (FK) | 46.15% | +12.7 pp |
| Exeter (EX) | 43.38% | +10.0 pp |
| Easiest areas | % failing | vs model overall |
|---|---|---|
| Twickenham (TW) | 19.44% | -14.0 pp |
| London N (N) | 19.66% | -13.8 pp |
| Dartford (DA) | 22% | -11.4 pp |
| Dorchester (DT) | 23.78% | -9.6 pp |
| London SE (SE) | 24.11% | -9.3 pp |
Every dot is a postcode area — size = how many were tested there, colour = share failing. These figures are not age-adjusted: coastal and rural areas often run older fleets and salted roads, so higher raw fail rates do not automatically mean a worse local stock of this model.
Map labels: Scotland · N. England · Wales · London · S. West. Colour scale: 26%–43% failing.
Fiat Qubo survival: which cars are still on the road
By age 15 is well below the reference at 37.8%, against 100.0% at the ages 4–6 reference level.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
Chart axes: van age, years · survival vs ages 4–6 · scale 0–105%.
Survival vs fail rate by age
| Age | Tests | Survival vs ages 4–6 | Fail % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 717 | 58.7% | 13.39% |
| 4 | 850 | 69.6% | 18% |
| 5 | 1,120 | 91.8% | 20.71% |
| 6 | 1,692 | 100% | 28.61% |
| 7 | 2,523 | 100% | 29.13% |
| 8 | 3,010 | 100% | 31.83% |
| 9 | 3,552 | 100% | 33.64% |
| 10 | 3,882 | 100% | 35.19% |
| 11 | 3,524 | 100% | 37.06% |
| 12 | 2,801 | 100% | 38.7% |
| 13 | 1,855 | 100% | 39.89% |
| 14 | 1,147 | 94% | 43.94% |
| 15 | 462 | 37.8% | 46.54% |
By age 14, only about 94% as many cars of this family present for MOT as at ages 4–6 (reference n≈1,220); survivors still fail at 43.9% vs 18.0% at age 4. Older cars that still appear are a selected subset — weaker ones have already left.
How many miles does a Fiat Qubo last?
100,000+ miles stands out at 11.4%.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
| Odometer | Tests ≥ threshold | Share of sample |
|---|---|---|
| 100,000+ miles | 3,053 | 11.36% |
Of 26,871 tests of this family with a usable odometer in 2024, 11.4% had reached 100k miles. This is a cross-section of cars still presenting for MOT, not a full birth cohort.
How many years is a Fiat Qubo likely to last?
Bought at age 5 is highest at 10.2 years; Bought at age 12 is lowest at 2.4 years — the gap is 7.8 years.
bigger number = longer remaining lifeyears on the observed survival curve
| Age now | Typical mileage (p50) | Expected years left |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | — | at least 10.2 |
| 8 | — | at least 6.4 |
| 10 | — | at least 4.4 |
| 12 | — | at least 2.4 |
estimateEstimate only — not a warranty: a typical 10-year-old example of this family has at least 4.4 expected years of further MOT-present life. The curve is observed only until age 14, so the true figure is likely higher.
Fiat Qubo faults that come together
Lamps & electrical + Road Wheels stand out at 6.05×, against 1.00× if the faults were independent.
above 1.0× = more than expectedbelow 1.0× = less
| Group A | Group B | Together | Lift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Road Wheels | 21 | 6.05× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Noise, emissions and leaks | 182 | 5.16× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 105 | 3.96× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Noise, emissions and leaks | 152 | 3.95× (rough estimate) |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Steering | 26 | 3.64× (rough estimate) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 35 | 3.61× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Steering | 91 | 3.5× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Noise, emissions and leaks | 247 | 3.46× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Steering | 169 | 3.21× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 46 | 3.21× (rough estimate) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Steering | 61 | 3.17× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Steering | 89 | 3.13× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 295 | 3.06× (rough estimate) |
| Identification of the vehicle | Suspension | 23 | 2.96× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 309 | 2.93× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Brakes | 152 | 2.92× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 37 | 2.82× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Visibility | 514 | 2.7× |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Suspension | 140 | 2.65× (rough estimate) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Visibility | 183 | 2.63× (rough estimate) |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Tyres | 60 | 2.54× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Suspension | 518 | 2.46× |
| Brakes | Tyres | 228 | 2.43× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Visibility | 223 | 2.37× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Tyres | 407 | 2.34× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Tyres | 199 | 2.32× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Suspension | 888 | 2.28× |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Suspension | 325 | 2.28× (rough estimate) |
| Steering | Suspension | 238 | 2.27× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Visibility | 232 | 2.26× (rough estimate) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Tyres | 143 | 2.25× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Suspension | 431 | 2.24× (rough estimate) |
| Steering | Visibility | 115 | 2.24× (rough estimate) |
| Suspension | Tyres | 720 | 2.08× |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Visibility | 53 | 2.05× (rough estimate) |
| Steering | Tyres | 94 | 2.01× (rough estimate) |
| Tyres | Visibility | 336 | 1.98× (rough estimate) |
| Suspension | Visibility | 683 | 1.8× |
| Road Wheels | Suspension | 17 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Identification of the vehicle | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 15 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Road Wheels | Tyres | 14 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Identification of the vehicle | 13 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Road Wheels | Visibility | 13 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Identification of the vehicle | 12 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Identification of the vehicle | Visibility | 11 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Identification of the vehicle | Tyres | 10 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Road Wheels | 6 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Road Wheels | 6 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Road Wheels | 5 | too few (rough estimate) |
Defects in «Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment» and «Visibility» appear together 2.70× more often than chance (514 co-occurrences in the same test; lift≥1.3, n≥500).
Lift = how many times more often both groups appear on the same test than if independent. A pair is listed from 5 tests with both faults; the lift is shown from 20, and called above chance only when its 95% interval excludes 1 (see rough estimates).
Is low mileage better for a Fiat Qubo?
Cars driven under 5,000 miles a year is well below the reference at 26.6%, against 41.1% for cars driven 8,000–12,000 miles a year.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
| Band | Fail % | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| <5k miles/year | 26.56% | 6,695 |
| 8–12k miles/year | 41.12% | 4,439 |
| Gap (low − normal) | -14.55 pp | — |
By fuel and age
Diesel
| Age | Low-use fail % | n | Normal fail % | n | Gap pp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 18.31 | 366 | 34.9 | 149 | -16.59 pp |
| 6 | 26.85 | 514 | 36.93 | 306 | -10.08 pp |
| 7 | 24.58 | 720 | 35.8 | 528 | -11.21 pp |
| 8 | 24.42 | 856 | 39.16 | 641 | -14.74 pp |
| 9 | 26.17 | 959 | 40.38 | 733 | -14.21 pp |
| 10 | 27.46 | 1,016 | 41.44 | 806 | -13.98 pp |
| 11 | 27.07 | 905 | 43.35 | 699 | -16.28 pp |
| 12 | 29.5 | 739 | 43.98 | 507 | -14.48 pp |
| 13 | 31.01 | 487 | 46.71 | 319 | -15.7 pp |
| 14 | 32.58 | 264 | 52.02 | 198 | -19.44 pp |
Petrol
| Age | Low-use fail % | n | Normal fail % | n | Gap pp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 13.46 | 208 | 18.92 | 37 | -5.46 pp |
| 6 | 17.86 | 224 | 36.96 | 46 | -19.1 pp |
| 7 | 19.28 | 249 | 38.3 | 47 | -19.02 pp |
| 8 | 25.73 | 241 | 34.85 | 66 | -9.12 pp |
| 9 | 24.55 | 277 | 41.18 | 102 | -16.63 pp |
| 10 | 31.41 | 277 | 41.67 | 120 | -10.26 pp |
| 11 | 27.49 | 251 | 45.71 | 105 | -18.22 pp |
| 12 | 29.76 | 205 | 56.47 | 85 | -26.71 pp |
| 13 | 37.12 | 132 | 53.7 | 54 | -16.58 pp |
| 14 | 40.7 | 86 | 58.06 | 31 | -17.37 pp |
At matched ages 5–14, cars averaging under 5k miles/year fail at 26.6% vs 41.1% for 8–12k miles/year — 14.6 pp lower (n_low=6,695, n_normal=4,439). In this family low annual use is associated with fewer MOT fails, not more — the ‘garage queen’ penalty is not visible in overall fail rates. Diesel alone: 26.5% low-use vs 40.8% normal (-14.2 pp).
Best year for a Fiat Qubo, and the years to avoid
Build year 2009 is highest at 104.4; Build year 2017 is lowest at 75.1 — the gap is 29.3 points.
below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age
build year vs the same model at the same age · 100 = as expected
Every build year with its confidence interval
| Build year | vs own age norm | 95% CI | Raw fail % | Tests | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 75.1 | 60.1–90.1 | 22.8% | 421 | better |
| 2016 | 89.7 | 74.7–104.7 | 27.57% | 497 | no different |
| 2015 | 86.9 | 75.1–98.7 | 27.33% | 761 | better |
| 2014 | 95.5 | 86.9–104.1 | 30.76% | 1,541 | no different |
| 2013 | 98 | 92.6–103.4 | 32.76% | 3,822 | no different |
| 2012 | 97.2 | 92.8–101.6 | 33.66% | 5,556 | no different |
| 2011 | 97.5 | 92.5–102.5 | 35.07% | 4,212 | no different |
| 2010 | 104.1 | 99.1–109.2 | 39.36% | 4,182 | no different |
| 2009 | 104.4 | 98.8–110.1 | 41.52% | 3,141 | no different |
The best build year here is 2017 and the weakest is 2015. Comparing build years sounds simple and is not: within a single year of testing, a car's build year and its age are the same number, so a naive comparison of years is a comparison of ages wearing a disguise. Each year below is measured against the same model at the same age in other cohorts, across six years of testing — 2 of 9 years come out distinguishable from their own model's age norm.
Two limits worth knowing before you act on this. Age, test year and build year are locked together by arithmetic, so the test-year effect is taken from the observed national failure level of each year rather than estimated — it is an adjustment, not a solution.
Fiat Qubo MOT repair costs
The MOT-failure repair budget per test runs from £80.94 to £153.79, against £54.85 for the test itself.
bigger number = costs morepounds per test, MOT-failing faults only
| Component | Fails per 100 tests | Typical repair | Its price | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 24.1 (nat. 15.36) | Suspension coil spring (single corner) | £180 | £43.38 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 13.2 (nat. 18.09) | Battery replacement (standard 12V lead-acid) | £140 | £18.48 |
| Tyres | 10.7 (nat. 8.7) | Tyre (single mid-range 16" fitted) | £90 | £9.63 |
| Brakes | 6.3 (nat. 11.25) | Front brake pads (parts + labour, typical hatchback) | £150 | £9.45 |
Multiply how often each component fails on this model by what that repair usually costs, and you get the amount an owner should expect to budget per test for MOT-failing faults only — roughly £81 to £154, on top of the test fee itself. It is a budgeting figure, not a quote: the spread between a set of pads and a set of discs is most of the range.
Prices are modal quotes from a hand-kept catalogue of published UK garage guides — we do not scrape the booking sites, their terms forbid it, so this list is short and updated by hand with a source and date against each line. Each line prices one typical repair in that group, not a full remedy, and only groups our catalogue actually covers are counted. The contrast worth noticing is the second card: the legal maximum for the test has been £54.85 since 2010, while the repairs it uncovers have followed inflation the whole time.
For scale from a different direction: Warrantywise, which sees used-car warranty claims rather than test failures, puts the average claim at £2,052 across the ten highest-claim models it ranks and £539 for Honda, the lowest-claim make in its index (Warrantywise index 2026, 1.6 million claims, cars aged 3–15). Those sit an order of magnitude above the figures in this table, and the gap is the point: a warranty claim is a gearbox or an engine, which almost never fails an MOT, while the faults that do fail one are corrosion, lamps and tyres, which no warranty pays for. The two numbers answer different questions and neither replaces the other.
Fiat Qubo running costs for a fleet
Vehicles failing at age 10 stand out at 37.0%, against 17.0% at age 5, tested in the same year.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
Failure rate and typical odometer by age
| Age | Fails | Median odometer | Tests | Gap vs age 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 16.81% | 23,544 | 113 | +0.0 pp |
| 6 | 27.87% | 23,623 | 122 | +11.1 pp |
| 7 | 22.07% | 32,971 | 213 | +5.3 pp |
| 8 | 31.45% | 35,111 | 159 | +14.6 pp |
| 9 | 32.8% | 42,521 | 189 | +16.0 pp |
| 10 | 36.58% | 51,502 | 298 | +19.8 pp |
| 11 | 34.93% | 61,837 | 604 | +18.1 pp |
| 12 | 36.09% | 69,799 | 845 | +19.3 pp |
| 13 | 34.68% | 74,316 | 620 | +17.9 pp |
| 14 | 44.53% | 81,404 | 622 | +27.7 pp |
| 15 | 46.5% | 89,168 | 428 | +29.7 pp |
No single year stands out as the point where this model starts costing more: the year-to-year steps in its failure rate are too small or rest on too few tests to name one (D1 rule: a step is named only with at least 2,000 tests on both sides and a jump above 3 percentage points).
Repair spend uses the same modal prices as the section above, so it inherits the same limits: one typical repair per component group, not a full remedy. Downtime is the gap between the failed test and the passed re-test, which is the window a vehicle is legally off the road.
Fiat Qubo rust problems: where they corrode
Age-standardised corrosion susceptibility is well below the reference at 0.57×, against 1.00× for the national age-standardised rate.
above 1.0× = rusts more than averagebelow 1.0× = rusts less
This Fiat Qubo fails on corrosion much less often than average once age is held constant, and its owners live in areas that are saltier than most for the models we publish. Both point the same way and reinforce each other: it resists corrosion even though its owners live in saltier areas than most.
Corrosion is the one failure mode that is as much about geography as about the car. We keep the two apart on purpose: a model can look rusty simply because it is popular in Scotland, and a model can look clean simply because it is bought in Surrey. Blending them into a single score would hide which of the two is doing the work.
Exposure is this model's tests weighted by an area corrosion index built from frost days, salt load and distance to the coast — the composite validated at r = 0.42 against corrosion defects we actually record. It is published as a rank, not a raw score, because every mainstream model skews towards low-corrosion areas for the simple reason that most of Britain's cars are in the south. Susceptibility is standardised to the national age profile, so an old fleet does not get labelled a rusty model.
Does a Fiat Qubo advisory become a failure?
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment are highest at 23.8%; Non-component advisories are lowest at 0.0% — the gap is 23.8 percentage points.
higher = more likelypercentage is the observed transition probability
chance the same component fails at the next MOT, given an advisory now
| Component | Fails next time | Typical lead time | Miles of warning | Advisories tracked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 23.8% | 12 months | 5,249 | 622 |
| Suspension | 23.4% | 12 months | 4,878 | 3,223 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 15.4% | 12 months | 5,342 | 559 |
| Tyres | 10.4% | 12 months | 4,402 | 5,916 |
| Steering | 9.9% | 12 months | 4,710 | 566 |
| Brakes | 8.7% | 12 months | 4,800 | 3,106 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.1% | 12 months | 5,215 | 1,386 |
| Non-component advisories | 0.0% | — | — | 1,534 |
This is the question an advisory note actually raises, and it needs six years of test history to answer. We followed the same vehicles from one MOT to the next across 2019–2024 and measured how often a component that was merely advised came back as a genuine failure at the next test.
Read it as a budgeting horizon, not a prophecy: the most likely component above turns into a failure for about 24 in 100 cars, and the median gap is 12 months and roughly 5,249 miles. The rest were repaired, sold, scrapped, or simply held. Rows with fewer than 500 tracked advisories are not shown.
What will fail next on a Fiat Qubo?
Suspension after a failure at age 12-14 is highest at 25.2%; Suspension after a passed at age <3 is lowest at 2.8% — the gap is 22.4 percentage points.
higher = more likelypercentage is the observed transition probability
| Age | Last test | Most likely next failures | Cars tracked |
|---|---|---|---|
| <3 | passed | Visibility 4.8% · Tyres 3.0% · Suspension 2.8% | 394 (rough estimate) |
| <3 | advisory | Visibility 10.1% · Tyres 6.4% | 109 (rough estimate) |
| 3-5 | passed | Suspension 9.5% · Visibility 4.1% · Tyres 3.9% | 1,569 |
| 3-5 | advisory | Suspension 12.1% · Visibility 7.0% · Tyres 6.5% | 710 |
| 3-5 | failure | Suspension 14.6% · Tyres 8.1% · Visibility 7.6% | 670 |
| 6-8 | passed | Suspension 13.8% · Tyres 5.6% · Visibility 5.2% | 3,094 |
| 6-8 | advisory | Suspension 18.5% · Visibility 8.8% · Tyres 8.1% | 2,142 |
| 6-8 | failure | Suspension 20.3% · Tyres 10.3% · Visibility 9.2% | 2,319 |
| 9-11 | passed | Suspension 16.8% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 8.6% · Visibility 6.4% | 2,925 |
| 9-11 | advisory | Suspension 20.1% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 12.1% · Visibility 9.5% | 2,704 |
| 9-11 | failure | Suspension 21.8% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 15.3% · Visibility 11.1% | 3,167 |
| 12-14 | passed | Suspension 17.9% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 11.7% · Visibility 8.3% | 674 |
| 12-14 | advisory | Suspension 20.4% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 17.3% · Visibility 13.6% | 774 |
| 12-14 | failure | Suspension 25.2% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 22.2% · Visibility 16.4% | 1,019 |
The same chains, cut differently: given a car's age and how its last test went, which component most often causes trouble at the following one.
The pattern that repeats across every family: a failure at one test roughly doubles the chance of a failure on the same component at the next one, and an advisory sits about half-way between a clean pass and a failure. Age bands in years; probabilities are per car, not per defect item.
Fiat Qubo ownership: what six years of MOTs show
The ten-day re-test pass rate is highest at 56.1%; The later re-test pass rate is lowest at 2.7% — the gap is 53.4 percentage points.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
Failing is usually a same-week event, not a disaster. Of 7,370 failures followed through to their re-test, 41.19% were repaired and passed the same day and 56.09% within ten days; the median gap is 1 day. 16,383 defect items were cleared in the process.
Per mile driven, not per year. Dividing failures by the miles that actually went onto the odometers between consecutive tests gives 0.665 failures per 10,000 miles, on a median of 4,084 miles a year across 4,879 chains. This is the number to compare between models — an annual rate quietly rewards cars that barely leave the drive.
Two populations hide inside one model. 35.69% of these cars strung together three or more tests with nothing recorded at all, while 34.66% carried the same advisory three times or more — the same fault, noted, ignored, noted again. When you buy used you are buying one of those two histories, and the MOT record shows which.
Odometer anomalies: 1.147% of 4,881 chains show a reading lower than the previous test, with a median drop of 16,808 miles. We call this an anomaly and not fraud on purpose — instrument swaps, imports, unit mix-ups and keying errors all land in the same bucket. Obvious typos (drops under 100 miles or over 90% of the reading) are already excluded.
Fiat Qubo safety recalls and how to check yours
DVSA recall campaigns stand out at 2.
bigger number = more recorded casescompare like-for-like scope, not sample size alone
recall campaigns launched per year
| Reference | Launched | Vehicles | Concern |
|---|---|---|---|
R/2015/035 | 31/03/2015 | 24 | UNINTENDED AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT |
R/2012/139 | 07/12/2012 | 3,095 | BRAKING EFFICIENCY MAY BE REDUCED |
DVSA lists 2 safety recall campaigns for the Fiat Qubo, covering roughly 3,119 vehicles in total. A recall is the manufacturer fixing a fault for free, so an open recall on your car costs nothing to clear.
Counter-intuitive, and measured on our own data: across the 25 families published here, more recalls go with a lower MOT Risk Index (r = −0.52). Heavily recalled models are not worse cars in the test bay — an active manufacturer removes the fault before it becomes an MOT failure.
Check whether a specific car has an outstanding recall — free, by registration — at DVSA's recall service. Source: DVSA vehicle safety recalls (check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk), OGL.
Fiat Qubo MOT: quick answers
Fiat Qubo MOT Risk Index stands out at 107.5, against 100 for a car with the same age profile.
below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age
- What is the Fiat Qubo first-time MOT pass rate?
- 63.74% of first attempts passed in 2024 (4,289 tests). This is the first-time figure: retests after repair are excluded. Basis: first-time, excluding retests.
- Why does this number differ from other sites?
- Other sites often report a pass rate that includes retests or counts all attempts. Our 36.26% figure is the first-time initial failure rate, using 4,289 primary tests as the denominator (first-time, excluding retests). The age-adjusted MOT initial-failure ratio 107.5 is shown separately because raw rates compare fleet age as well as cars.
Compare the Fiat Qubo with other cars
Hyundai Santa Fe is highest at 107.8; Nissan Almera is lowest at 107.1 — the gap is 0.7 points.
below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age
Same brand
All Fiat MOT statisticsFiat Grande Punto MOT statsFiat Panda MOT stats
Similar risk
Ford S-MAX (index 107.6)Hyundai Santa Fe (index 107.8)Nissan Almera (index 107.1)
Same size class
how Audi Q8 compareshow Aston Martin DB9 compareshow Mitsubishi Shogun Sport compares
By build year
Fiat Qubo 2009Fiat Qubo 2010Fiat Qubo 2011Fiat Qubo 2012Fiat Qubo 2013Fiat Qubo 2014Fiat Qubo 2015Fiat Qubo 2016Fiat Qubo 2017
By area
Fiat Qubo MOT failure rate by postcode area
By failure group
Fiat Qubo body, chassis and structure failuresFiat Qubo brakes failuresFiat Qubo vehicle identification failuresFiat Qubo lamps, reflectors and electrics failuresFiat Qubo noise, emissions and leaks failuresFiat Qubo road wheels failuresFiat Qubo seat belts and airbags failuresFiat Qubo steering failuresFiat Qubo suspension failuresFiat Qubo tyres failuresFiat Qubo visibility failures
Data details & how to cite
Scope: class-4 vehicles (cars), initial tests only, outcomes pass / fail / fixed-on-the-spot at the station (PRS counts towards the failure rate — the defect was present at arrival). Index = observed initial failures ÷ failures expected for this fleet's exact age profile, ×100; margin of error is a 95% confidence interval. Covers ALL generations together — a 3-year-old and a 15-year-old are very different cars; a generation split is on the roadmap. Dataset release dataset_release_id=dvsa-2024-v2, frozen baseline; headline claim_id=family-stats:fiat-qubo:dvsa-2024-v2. Full method: methodology.
Cite: MOT Risk Index (2026). Fiat Qubo MOT statistics 2024 (data release dvsa-2024-v2; downloadable dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, doi:10.5281/zenodo.22975051). https://motriskindex.co.uk/cars/fiat-qubo/ · Published 2026-07-30.