1971 Fiat 500 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age

55 years

Current Age

73.7%

Latest Pass Rate

2,017

Total Tests (All Years)

48,375 mi

Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1971 Fiat 500 as it ages.

38 yrs68.4%

→ ↓5.8%

39 yrs62.6%

→ ↑3.3%

40 yrs65.9%

→ ↑5.4%

41 yrs71.3%

→ ↓1.2%

42 yrs70.1%

→ ↑0.3%

43 yrs70.4%

→ ↑1.5%

44 yrs71.9%

→ ↓2.5%

45 yrs69.4%

→ ↑5.0%

46 yrs74.4%

→ ↓5.4%

47 yrs69.0%

→ ↑4.3%

48 yrs73.3%

→ ↑0.4%

49 yrs73.7%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
38 yrs	68.4%	190
39 yrs	62.6%	174
40 yrs	65.9%	208
41 yrs	71.3%	188
42 yrs	70.1%	201
43 yrs	70.4%	230
44 yrs	71.9%	221
45 yrs	69.4%	219
46 yrs	74.4%	219
47 yrs	69.0%	84
48 yrs	73.3%	45
49 yrs	73.7%	38

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1971 Fiat 500 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2020 (49 yrs)	73.7%	38
2019 (48 yrs)	73.3%	45
2018 (47 yrs)	69%	84
2017 (46 yrs)	74.4%	219
2016 (45 yrs)	69.4%	219
2015 (44 yrs)	71.9%	221
2014 (43 yrs)	70.4%	230
2013 (42 yrs)	70.1%	201
2012 (41 yrs)	71.3%	188
2011 (40 yrs)	65.9%	208
2010 (39 yrs)	62.6%	174
2009 (38 yrs)	68.4%	190

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

68.4%

Age (yrs) 38Tests 190Avg Mileage 50,635Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 21.1%

2010High Fail Rate

62.6%

Age (yrs) 39Tests 174Avg Mileage 48,596Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 23.0%

2011

65.9%

Age (yrs) 40Tests 208Avg Mileage 51,196Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.2%

2012

71.3%

Age (yrs) 41Tests 188Avg Mileage 50,960Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 21.8%

2013

70.1%

Age (yrs) 42Tests 201Avg Mileage 47,650Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 51.7%

2014

70.4%

Age (yrs) 43Tests 230Avg Mileage 54,252Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 57.0%

2015

71.9%

Age (yrs) 44Tests 221Avg Mileage 49,200Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 66.1%

2016

69.4%

Age (yrs) 45Tests 219Avg Mileage 49,634Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 70.3%

2017

74.4%

Age (yrs) 46Tests 219Avg Mileage 50,608Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 51.1%

2018

69.0%

Age (yrs) 47Tests 84Avg Mileage 50,294Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 34.5%

2019

73.3%

Age (yrs) 48Tests 45Avg Mileage 52,785Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 44.4%

2020

73.7%

Age (yrs) 49Tests 38Avg Mileage 48,375Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 34.2%

MOT results for 1971 Fiat 500 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	38	68.4%	190	50,635	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 21.1%
2010	39	62.6%	174	48,596	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 23.0%
2011	40	65.9%	208	51,196	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.2%
2012	41	71.3%	188	50,960	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 21.8%
2013	42	70.1%	201	47,650	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 51.7%
2014	43	70.4%	230	54,252	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 57.0%
2015	44	71.9%	221	49,200	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 66.1%
2016	45	69.4%	219	49,634	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 70.3%
2017	46	74.4%	219	50,608	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 51.1%
2018	47	69.0%	84	50,294	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 34.5%
2019	48	73.3%	45	52,785	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 44.4%
2020	49	73.7%	38	48,375	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 34.2%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1971 Fiat 500, with age trends.

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

40.0%

↓ Decreases with age

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

37.7%

— Consistent

Suspension

25.4%

↑ Increases with age

Brakes

21.5%

↑ Increases with age

Visibility

10.8%

— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Suspension	14.2% (38 yrs)	23.7% (49 yrs)	+9.5%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	14.7% (38 yrs)	21.1% (49 yrs)	+6.4%	🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Fiat 500 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Fiat 500 cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2020, covering 2,017 tests. Pass rates naturally decline with age as components wear.

Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.