Know Your MOT
9.5%fail rate

Fiat Carado common MOT failures and failure rate

What a Fiat Carado fails its MOT on, from real DVSA test data, and the part that resolves each item.

Based on 2,585 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 9.5% of MOT tests recorded on the Fiat Carado in DVSA data end in a failure. The same handful of items account for most of them.

Its most common failure is lamps & electrical, which makes up 24.5% of the Fiat Carado's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, visibility/wipers, brakes, suspension. Each item below links to the part that resolves it. Confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying, and have safety-critical work done by a competent mechanic.

What it fails on, and why

Lamps & electrical24.5% of failures

Lighting is the single most common MOT failure and the cheapest to put right. A blown headlight, brake-light or number-plate bulb, a cracked lens, or a headlamp beam that points too high or low will all fail. Most are a two-minute bulb swap.

Visibility/wipers15.1% of failures

Visibility failures include torn or smearing wiper blades, a washer jet that does not reach the screen, and chips or cracks in the driver's swept area. Blades and washer fluid are quick, cheap fixes.

Brakes13.5% of failures

Brake failures cover worn pads and discs, an imbalance between wheels, corroded or scored discs, or a binding caliper. Braking efficiency is measured on a rolling road, so a spongy or pulling brake shows up as a low reading.

Suspension8.6% of failures

Suspension failures usually mean a worn or snapped coil spring, a leaking shock absorber, or play in a lower arm ball joint or bush. The tester checks for corrosion, fractures and excessive movement. A broken front spring is one of the most common failures on higher-mileage cars and is a straightforward replacement.

Other7.3% of failures

This covers a range of smaller items, from a non-working horn to a warning light left on.

Tyres4.1% of failures

Tyres fail for tread below the 1.6mm legal limit across the central three-quarters, uneven or exposed-cord wear, or sidewall damage. The tester inspects all four; a single illegal tyre is a fail.

Failure rate by year

How the MOT failure rate varies by the car's year of first registration (older examples generally fail more as wear sets in).

201512.2% fail · 255 tests
20165.9% fail · 203 tests
20179.5% fail · 473 tests
201812.6% fail · 443 tests
20198.7% fail · 401 tests
20209.9% fail · 323 tests
20219.1% fail · 231 tests

The parts that fix each

If your car has just failed, you have 10 working days to fix the items and get a free partial retest. These are the usual parts; confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying.

For the lamps & electrical failure: Fiat Carado headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Fiat Carado headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Fiat Carado headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Fiat Carado wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Fiat Carado wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Fiat Carado wiper blades on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Fiat Carado brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Fiat Carado brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Fiat Carado brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the suspension failure: Fiat Carado suspension springs and shock absorbersSearch Amazon for Fiat Carado suspension springs and shock absorbersaffiliate searchFind Fiat Carado suspension springs and shock absorbers on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Fiat Carado tyresSearch Amazon for Fiat Carado tyresaffiliate searchFind Fiat Carado tyres on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Fiat Punto MOT failures31.5% failure rateFiat 500 MOT failures23.2% failure rateFiat Ducato MOT failures24.8% failure rateFord Fiesta MOT failures27.1% failure rate

Sources: DVSA MOT History API: MOT test results and defect data · DVSA MOT testing data for Great Britain