Common problems
Fiat Panda windscreen and wiper problems
How often MOT testers find windscreen, wiper and mirror faults on the Fiat Panda at each age, against all cars of the same age, and which items come up most. From 362,907 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.
MOT data updated
At 13 years, the most tested age
What stands out
- At 13 years, 7.0 of every 100 MOTs of the Fiat Panda found a windscreen, wiper and mirror fail (n=31,832), against 5.6 for all cars of that age (n=6,612,160).
- It is above the all-car rate at 15 of the 19 ages with at least 1,000 tests.
- The gap is widest at 21 years: 10.9 per 100 MOTs against 7.5 for all cars.
- The windscreen, wiper and mirror fail item recorded most often at 13 years: wipers not clearing screen, on 4.0 per 100 MOTs.
- The most common windscreen, wiper and mirror advisory or minor defect: windscreen: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, on 1.9 per 100 MOTs.
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors fails by age
Solid line: this model. Dashed line: all cars at the same age.
| Age | Tests (n) | Fails | All cars | Advisories | All cars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years | 6,219 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 2.8 |
| 4 years | 8,222 | 2.9 | 3.6 | 1.7 | 3.0 |
| 5 years | 10,616 | 5.3 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| 6 years | 13,697 | 5.9 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 3.1 |
| 7 years | 19,128 | 5.0 | 3.4 | 2.2 | 3.3 |
| 8 years | 24,467 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 3.4 |
| 9 years | 28,451 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 2.2 | 3.7 |
| 10 years | 30,077 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 2.5 | 3.9 |
| 11 years | 27,671 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 3.0 | 4.1 |
| 12 years | 28,800 | 5.8 | 5.2 | 3.7 | 4.4 |
| 13 years | 31,832 | 7.0 | 5.6 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
| 14 years | 30,166 | 7.9 | 6.1 | 4.6 | 5.1 |
| 15 years | 29,703 | 8.1 | 6.5 | 5.0 | 5.4 |
| 16 years | 24,567 | 8.0 | 6.8 | 5.1 | 5.7 |
| 17 years | 17,656 | 8.7 | 7.1 | 4.8 | 6.0 |
| 18 years | 15,201 | 9.4 | 7.3 | 5.0 | 6.2 |
| 19 years | 9,284 | 9.5 | 7.5 | 5.0 | 6.3 |
| 20 years | 5,084 | 9.3 | 7.6 | 5.7 | 6.4 |
| 21 years | 2,066 | 10.9 | 7.5 | 5.3 | 6.5 |
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors fail items at 13 years
| Item | Per 100 MOTs | All cars | Typical repair (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wipers not clearing screen | 4.0 | 2.1 | £15 to £30 per blade |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | 1.9 | 2.0 | £2 to £14 per car (rough guide) |
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors advisories and minor defects at 13 years
Advisories and minor defects are recorded, but the car still passes. Across all cars, a part with an advisory or minor defect failed at the next MOT 5.5 times in 100 (n=88,666,940 pairs of consecutive MOTs), against 0.3 times in 100 when the same part had none (n=12,936,860,350).
| Item | Per 100 MOTs | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| Windscreen: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view | 1.9 | 2.9 |
| Wipers: blade defective | 1.8 | 1.1 |
Repair estimates are a guide for an independent garage: labour at the national median local garage rate (median £78 an hour from 65 garages, ONS price quotes) times estimated labour hours, plus a parts band. Labour hours and most parts bands are estimates, not quotes, and prices vary by model, engine and region. A warning light fault shows the cost of the diagnosis only.
What to check on a viewing
On the Fiat Panda, the windscreen, wiper and mirror items testers fail most are wipers not clearing screen; washers: provides insufficient washer liquid.
- Look for chips or cracks in the windscreen, above all in front of the driver.
- Run the wipers and washers: they should clear the screen without smearing.
- Check that the mirrors are present, secure and not cracked.
Ask for the car's MOT history: a windscreen, wiper and mirror advisory that repeats from year to year has not been fixed. GOV.UK MOT history.
Questions
What are the common windscreen and wiper problems on the Fiat Panda?
At 13 years (31,832 MOTs), the windscreen, wiper and mirror fail items testers record most often are wipers not clearing screen (4.0 per 100 MOTs), washers: provides insufficient washer liquid (1.9 per 100 MOTs). The most common windscreen, wiper and mirror advisories or minor defects are windscreen: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (1.9) and wipers: blade defective (1.8).
Does the Fiat Panda have more windscreen and wiper problems than other cars?
At 13 years it has 7.0 windscreen, wiper and mirror fails per 100 MOTs against 5.6 for all cars of the same age (1.4 more). It is above the all-car rate at 15 of the 19 ages with enough tests.
What does a windscreen, wiper and mirror repair cost on the Fiat Panda?
For wipers not clearing screen, an independent garage estimate is £15 to £30 per blade. This is a guide built from the national median garage labour rate and estimated labour hours, not a quote.
More on the Fiat Panda
Windscreen and wiper problems on other Fiat models
- Fiat 500 windscreen and wiper problems
- Fiat Ducato windscreen and wiper problems
- Fiat Doblo windscreen and wiper problems
- Fiat 500X windscreen and wiper problems
- Fiat 500L windscreen and wiper problems
- Fiat Tipo windscreen and wiper problems
- Fiat Scudo windscreen and wiper problems
- Fiat Fiorino windscreen and wiper problems
The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.
Looking at a Fiat Panda?
These figures describe the model, not the car in front of you. Found one you might buy? See what the VetTheCar Buying Report covers, or use the tools that work without a registration.
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Repair estimates: ONS consumer price quotes for local garage labour (09/2025 to 08/2026), the MOT inspection manual for defect wording, and estimated labour hours and parts bands. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ONS.
Source
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources