Used car guide · 2009–2018

Fiat 500C common problems and MOT failures

What goes wrong on a used Fiat 500C, year by year: known faults from UK buying guides, the parts flagged at MOT more than on other cars (from 50,710 MOTs done during 2023–2025), and what to check before you buy one.

50,710MOTs done in 2023–2025, all years of this model
2013best year at its MOT

Pick the year

Most years have their own guide. The year is when the car was first registered (it’s on the logbook, or check the reg below).

2018201720162015201420132012201120102009

What usually goes wrong with a Fiat 500C?

We haven’t found widely reported faults for the Fiat 500C in the UK buying guides we use yet. That doesn’t mean it has none, so check the car carefully and look at the MOT weak spots below.

Common Fiat 500C MOT failures to check

Parts flagged at MOT well above the usual rate for cars the same age, in more than one year. From the DVSA’s results for every MOT done in Great Britain during 2023–2025.

  • Shock absorbers

    up to 6.6× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

    Rough price £200–£300 (pair, average rear to front) ClickMechanic

    At the viewing: Push down hard on each corner. It should bounce once and settle. Look for oil on the shock absorber body.

  • Exhaust system

    up to 4.3× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

    Rough price £100–£500 (pipe or section) ClickMechanic

    At the viewing: Listen for blowing or rattling from underneath at idle, and look for black soot around joints.

  • Front strut mounts and bushes

    up to 25× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

    Rough price £120–£400 our estimate

    At the viewing: Listen for knocks over speed bumps, and look behind each front wheel for a snapped coil spring.

  • Suspension arm bushes and joints

    up to 2.2× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

    Rough price £120–£180 (one arm) ClickMechanic

    At the viewing: Listen for clunks over bumps and feel for the steering wandering. Worn arm bushes show as cracked rubber near the wheels.

  • Brake lights

    up to 2.3× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

    Rough price £10–£80 our estimate

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light while you work the switches: indicators, brake lights, fog lights and reversing lights.

  • Coil springs

    up to 1.8× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2010 and 2015.

    Rough price £175–£400 (pair, one axle) ClickMechanic

    At the viewing: Look behind each wheel for a snapped spring coil, and listen for a clunk or twang when turning the wheel lock to lock with the car stopped.

Fiat 500C MOT pass rate by year

Of the years since 2005 with plenty of MOT tests, the 2013 Fiat 500C did best (66% passed first time, 1 point below all 2013 cars) and the 2015 did worst (67%, 7 points below all 2015 cars). Older cars fail more, so compare each year with all cars registered the same year.

YearPass first timeAll cars that yearMOT tests
201881%83% -21,688
201778%80% -24,672
201673%77% -46,556
201567%74% -77,626
201467%70% -36,904
201366%67% -15,966
201262%64% -26,489
201159%62% -33,972
201056%60% -44,434
200956%59% -32,403

Questions to ask the seller before buying a Fiat 500C

Ask before you travel to see it. A seller who knows the car will have answers, and receipts.

  1. Any recent work on the shock absorbers? (Flagged at MOT 6.6× as often on the Fiat 500C as on other cars the same age.)
  2. Any recent work on the exhaust system? (Flagged at MOT 4.3× as often on the Fiat 500C as on other cars the same age.)
  3. Any recent work on the front strut mounts and bushes? (Flagged at MOT 25× as often on the Fiat 500C as on other cars the same age.)
  4. Can I see the service history and receipts for any big jobs?

Looking at a Fiat 500C?

Check the actual car: its own MOT history, whether it already shows these weak spots and what to ask the seller. Free, no sign-up.

Where this comes from: MOT figures are the DVSA’s anonymised results for every MOT test done in Great Britain during 2023–2025, grouped by the year each car was first registered. How many are on the road is from the Department for Transport’s vehicle licensing statistics. Known faults are from UK buying guides, in our own words, with links. How we score