At a glance
How 1,898 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 49 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 51 in every 100972 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 21 yearsabout 77,604 miles
- First tests counted
- 1,898
What failed most often
- Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)17 in every 100 failed tests
- Suspension mounting area (rear)13 in every 100 failed tests
- Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)10 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.
These are patterns across 2004 Fiat Panda vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.
Suspension
Four faults. The strongest is the shock absorbers (front): 6.2 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 972 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.
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.
Shock absorbers (front)
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.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 64 first tests, 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Macpherson strut (front)
What it means
Many MacPherson strut top bushes are designed to have significant lateral play when the suspension hangs free, so a top bush is rejected only when the play comes from wear or maladjustment. A top bush or bearing with excessive wear or free play is Major. Rubber or synthetic bushes are rejected only for serious deterioration of the bonding or flexible material.
Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)
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.
Suspension mounting area (rear)
What it means
The load bearing structure within a set distance of a sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting is a prescribed area. Major applies when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Dangerous applies when it is so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Noise, emissions and leaks
One fault: engine oil leaks, 4.2 times as often as on similar cars.
Engine oil leaks
What it means
Leaks of engine coolant, screen wash and the fluid used for selective catalyst reduction are not reasons for failure. Excessive leaking from the engine that is likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users is Major. Continuous leaking likely to pose a serious risk to road safety is graded Dangerous.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Brakes
Three faults. The strongest is the brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear): 3.7 times as often as on similar cars.
Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear)
What it means
A wheel giving less than a set share of the maximum effort from the other wheel on the same axle is Major. On a steered axle, less than half is graded Dangerous. Testers disregard an imbalance if the lower effort is the result of a locked wheel, or if the higher effort from a wheel is at or below a low set figure.
Handbrake performance (roller test, rear)
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)
What it means
A parking brake with efficiency below the minimum requirement is Major, and graded Dangerous where efficiency is less than half of the required value. On a roller brake tester, the requirement counts as met if more than half of the wheels of a brake system lock. The check applies only to vehicles whose parking brake was not already tested as the secondary brake.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Seat belts and restraints
One fault: seat belt mounting area, 3.6 times as often as on similar cars.
Seat belt mounting area
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.
Lamps and electrical
One fault: individual direction indicators (rear), 3.5 times as often as on similar cars.
Individual direction indicators (rear)
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.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Tyres
One wear pattern: tyre tread depth (front), 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.
Tyre tread depth (front)
What it means
Only primary grooves count when tread depth is assessed: those holding the wear indicators, or cut as deep as those when new. Shallower secondary grooves are ignored. Tread depth below the minimum for the vehicle is Dangerous, and so is a pattern not visible over the whole tread, but that second row applies only to vehicles that need the lower minimum.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
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.
Side repeater indicators
Macpherson strut pins and bushes (front)
Other suspension component (rear)
Exhaust system (front)
Coil spring (rear)
Coil spring (front)
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
- 49in 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
- 45in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 48.8% of 1,898 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 55.0%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 6 fixed and the 45 not fixed make the 51 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
Same model, other years
Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.
Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 This car | 49 in every 100 | 1,898 |
| 2005 | 52 in every 100 | 2,329 |
| 2006 | 53 in every 100 | 3,045 |
| 2007 | 53 in every 100 | 4,080 |
| 2008 | 52 in every 100 | 3,891 |
| 2009 | 56 in every 100 | 8,653 |
| 2010 | 57 in every 100 | 7,823 |
| 2011 | 58 in every 100 | 4,871 |
| 2012 | 64 in every 100 | 5,966 |
| 2013 | 65 in every 100 | 7,045 |
| 2014 | 68 in every 100 | 7,563 |
| 2015 | 70 in every 100 | 7,591 |
| 2016 | 73 in every 100 | 4,645 |
| 2017 | 76 in every 100 | 3,400 |
| 2018 | 79 in every 100 | 2,590 |
| 2019 | 81 in every 100 | 2,470 |
| 2020 | 83 in every 100 | 1,727 |
| 2021 | 85 in every 100 | 1,091 |
| 2022 | 90 in every 100 | 680 |
FAQs
Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.
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.
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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