All generations and engines together · 17,038 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 49k
One of the worst people carriers, by age and by mileage. Watch steering and suspension. A risky used buy. Check the MOT history for repeating steering advisories before you go.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
The 0.9 TwinAir petrol runs a MultiAir valve system that's fussy about oil spec, it needs Fiat's Selenium-rated oil, not a generic equivalent. Get it wrong on a service and the actuator can be damaged beyond repair, with owners reporting bills around £1,200. It tends to surface after a service at a garage that isn't used to Fiat's spec sheet rather than at any fixed mileage. No recall, just a spec that keeps getting missed.
On the MultiJet diesels, a diesel particulate filter that keeps failing to regenerate properly can overfuel the cylinders, and the extra fuel washes past the rings into the sump instead of burning off. Oil level creeps up between services, and in the worst cases the engine ends up running on its own diluted sump oil, over-revving with no way to stop it by turning the key off. Owners on Fiat forums talk about having the DPF and EGR mapped out rather than keep replacing them, which says something about how often it comes back. No recall found; keep a check on the dipstick between services.
The 500L's automatic option in the UK is mostly Fiat's own Dualogic, a single-clutch automated manual rather than a conventional torque converter. Owners report jerky changes, a pause before reverse engages, and the clutch overheating if you sit holding the car on a hill in traffic. Once the clutch or the hydraulic actuator seals wear, expect a gearbox warning light and, in bad cases, a car that starts but won't move; one owner was quoted around £900 for gearbox removal and inspection alone, before any parts.
Owners have reported the steering wheel sitting badly off-centre, up to 45 degrees in one documented case, with a grinding noise on full lock, traced to a steering angle sensor fault. Steering is the measured MOT signature fault for this segment, and this looks like the folklore version of it: a sensor and geometry problem rather than a worn track rod end or ball joint, so it can pass an MOT visual check while still feeling wrong to drive. No recall found for this specific fault.
A recurring electrical gripe: the airbag warning light comes on, a dealer reset clears it, and then it comes back weeks or months later. That points to a fault in the trigger circuit or a sensor rather than the airbag itself, but it's not something an independent garage can chase down easily. No manufacturer bulletin found for it, so treat it as a fault that needs repeat visits rather than a one-off fix.
Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.
Saveable checklistThe physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 4,685 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Same segment (MPVs), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.