Used car guide · 2021–2025

Fiat 500E common problems and MOT failures

What goes wrong on a used Fiat 500E, year by year: known faults from UK buying guides, the parts flagged at MOT more than on other cars (from 7,275 MOTs done during 2025), and what to check before you buy one.

7,275MOTs done in 2025, all years of this model
75on the UK register
2022best 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).

202520222021

What usually goes wrong with a Fiat 500E?

We haven’t found widely reported faults for the Fiat 500E 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 500E MOT failures to check

Parts flagged at MOT well above the usual rate for cars the same age. From the DVSA’s results for every MOT done in Great Britain during 2025.

  • Suspension arm bushes and joints

    up to 11.5× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2021 and 2022.

    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.

  • Wipers

    up to 2.6× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2021.

    Rough price £15–£60 our estimate

    At the viewing: Test the wipers and washers on every speed.

Fiat 500E MOT pass rate by year

Of the years since 2005 with plenty of MOT tests, the 2022 Fiat 500E did best (86% passed first time, 3 points below all 2022 cars) and the 2021 did worst (79%, 8 points below all 2021 cars). Older cars fail more, so compare each year with all cars registered the same year.

YearPass first timeAll cars that yearMOT tests
202286%89% -34,790
202179%87% -82,485

Questions to ask the seller before buying a Fiat 500E

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

  1. Any recent work on the suspension arm bushes and joints? (Flagged at MOT 11.5× as often on the Fiat 500E as on other cars the same age.)
  2. Any recent work on the wipers? (Flagged at MOT 2.6× as often on the Fiat 500E as on other cars the same age.)
  3. Can I see the service history and receipts for any big jobs?

Looking at a Fiat 500E?

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 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