Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Fiat Doblo 2012: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 57 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2012 Fiat Doblo were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Coil spring (front).

Summary

A 2012 Fiat Doblo passed first time about 6 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2011 and 2013 model years.

At a glance

How 1,820 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
57 in every 100
Did not pass first time
43 in every 100785 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
13 yearsabout 100,180 miles
First tests counted
1,820

What failed most often

  1. Coil spring (front)17 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Tyre condition (rear)9 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)9 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2012 Fiat Doblo vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Seat belts and restraints

One fault: seat belt mounting area, 19 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 777 of 785 failed first attempts (99.0%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Seat belt mounting area

Failed on 20 first tests19 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A seat belt anchorage likely to become detached in the event of a collision is graded Dangerous. The load bearing structure near an anchorage, called a prescribed area, is Major when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Anchorage points are inspected for all seat belts fitted, except a belt with no corresponding seat.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Noise, emissions and leaks

Two faults. The strongest is the diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008): 5.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008)

Failed on 53 first tests5.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Diesel engine warning light

Failed on 35 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

An engine malfunction indicator lamp that is illuminated to show a malfunction is graded Major on a diesel, but only on the diesels the test covers, which depends on the vehicle type and when it was first used. DVSA lists it under exhaust emissions for compression ignition engines, and the detail line for the row also names an inoperative lamp.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Brakes

One fault: handbrake lever, 3.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Handbrake lever

Failed on 20 first tests3.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A parking brake lever pivot or ratchet mechanism that is obviously worn is graded Minor. It is Major when worn to the extent that the brake may inadvertently release, and also when the ratchet is not holding correctly. A lever must have obvious excessive travel before being rejected.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Suspension

Three faults. The strongest is the suspension arm pins and bushes (rear): 3.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Failed on 20 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Pins and bushes on suspension arms fail as Major when they are excessively worn. They are graded Dangerous when likely to become detached. DVSA uses the same wording for a suspension joint.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 42 first tests, 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Coil spring (front)

Failed on 135 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.

Shock absorbers (front)

Failed on 34 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Slight seepage that leaves a film of fluid on a shock absorber does not fail it. Severe leakage, or damage so that it does not function, is Major. A shock absorber missing or likely to become detached is graded Dangerous, though a missing one is only rejected if shock absorbers were fitted as standard.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Body and structure

One fault: exhaust system (rear), 3.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Exhaust system (rear)

Failed on 32 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Exhaust fumes causing a danger to health of persons on board are graded Dangerous, and so is a silencer likely to become detached. Fumes entering the cabin are Major. One or more missing or defective mountings does not necessarily make the exhaust insecure, since testers assess the overall security of the system.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Lamps and electrical

Two faults. The strongest is the individual direction indicators (rear): 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Individual direction indicators (rear)

Failed on 47 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Direction indicators must be amber, though vehicles first used before a set date may have white at the front and red at the rear when the indicators are combined with stop or position lamps, and sequential or dynamic ones are not a reason to fail. A lamp that is missing, inoperative or has more than half of a multiple light source not functioning is graded Major. A flashing rate outside the permitted range is graded Minor.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 33 first tests, 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Horn

Failed on 20 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A horn that does not work, or is likely to be confused with an emergency vehicle siren, is graded Major. Gongs, bells, sirens and anything with more than one tone, which includes a horn that alternates between its notes, are not allowed, except a gong, bell or siren on vehicles first used before a set date. Sound defects are Minor for named cases such as a bell or harsh sound, and Major under a general row.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Headlight (front)

Noted on 27 first tests4.7 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Transmission oil leaks

Noted on 29 first tests3.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Coil spring (rear)

Noted on 110 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Engine oil leaks (front)

Noted on 24 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
57in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
6in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
37in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 56.9% of 1,820 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 63.4%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 6 fixed and the 37 not fixed make the 43 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

4060801002005201220152020Older carsNewer cars
40608010020122020Older carsNewer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 56 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200350 in every 100305
200447 in every 100590
200549 in every 100832
200651 in every 1001,312
200752 in every 1001,803
200856 in every 1001,678
200960 in every 1001,375
201057 in every 1001,562
201154 in every 1001,661
2012 This car57 in every 1001,820
201371 in every 1005,795
201459 in every 1005,136
201562 in every 1004,378
201663 in every 1003,195
201765 in every 1002,323
201870 in every 1001,871
201970 in every 1001,602
202069 in every 1001,153
202174 in every 1001,810
202276 in every 100666

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

A 2012 Fiat Doblo passed first time about 6 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2011 and 2013 model years. In 2025, 56.9% of 1,820 first MOTs on the 2012 Fiat Doblo passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 63.4%. Among 785 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Seat belt mounting area appears more often than on similar cars (2.6% of those tests; 20 observed failures; about 19× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2012 Fiat Doblo at the first attempt were Coil spring (front) (17.4%), Tyre condition (rear) (9.0%) and Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (8.8%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Seat belt mounting area (2.6% of those tests; 20 observed failures; about 19× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Seat belt mounting area shows up more often than on similar cars (2.6% of those tests; 20 observed failures; about 19× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2012 Fiat Doblo include Seat belt mounting area, Handbrake lever, Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2012 Fiat Doblo (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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