All generations and engines together · 12,881 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 64k
One of the worst family hatchbacks, by age and by mileage. Watch suspension and steering. A risky used buy. Check the MOT history for repeating suspension 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.
Owners report front coil springs fracturing well inside the car's first decade, sometimes as early as 3 years old, with rear dampers starting to weep oil around the same age. The measured MOT data for this model flags suspension as the standout fault area, and this is the folklore version of it: cheap-feeling springs and shocks that give up early rather than a single dramatic failure. A snapped spring can also puncture a tyre if it lets go while driving.
On the 1.6 Multijet with a manual box, a rattly noise at idle that quietens when you press the clutch points to a worn dual-mass flywheel, often needing a new flywheel and clutch kit together. Owners report it turning up from as little as 25,000-35,000 miles, with some getting it replaced under warranty and others paying out. Expect roughly £800-1,600 at a garage for the combined job if it's out of warranty.
The 1.6 Multijet diesel is prone to DPF and EGR clogging if it's mostly used for short, low-speed journeys that never let the exhaust get hot enough to regenerate. Signs are a lit engine management light, sluggish power, smoke on acceleration, and an oil level that creeps up on the dipstick from unburnt fuel washing into the sump. An EGR clean runs to roughly £130-450 and a DPF clean or replacement £450-1,300 depending on how far gone it is.
A chunk of owners report the 7-inch Uconnect screen sticking on the Fiat logo or cycling through reboots on its own, sometimes traced to a flat 12v battery or a bad software update, sometimes needing the whole head unit replaced. Others report no trouble at all across years of ownership, so it seems to hit a minority of cars rather than being universal. A battery disconnect or firmware reflash sometimes clears it; a replacement unit is the costly fallback.
The window regulator cable can snap internally, letting the glass drop into the door, usually with a bang or a window that just stops responding. It's a simple, cheap-feeling mechanism and it turns up repeatedly in owner reports, though not acknowledged by Fiat as a design fault. One owner quoted around £175 for a regulator replacement.
A safety recall covers Tipo Hybrid models built between November 2022 and May 2023: a faulty pressure valve on the 48v battery could let water in, causing overheating and a fire risk. This is a manufacturer-issued recall with a free fix, so any affected car should already have had it done, but it's worth checking the VIN against Fiat's recall record on a used Hybrid before buying. Does not apply to the petrol or diesel non-hybrid Tipo.
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. 9,663 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 (Family hatchbacks), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.