Repair costs · Fiat 500

Fiat 500 handbrake repair: MOT fails on these items more often than other cars of the same age

At MOT, the Fiat 500 fails on items fixed by handbrake repair at least 1.7 times as often as cars of the same ages and fuel. From 1,394,433 MOT tests at 15 ages (3 to 17 years), DVSA data 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

Fiat 500, at least, per 100 MOTs (n=1,394,433)2.74

Cars of the same ages and fuel, per 100 MOTs1.53

Times as often≥ 1.7

Ages compared15

What this shows

These are MOT fail items that handbrake repair fixes, as testers found them on the day of the test. Repairs done between MOTs never show up in MOT data, and mileage is not taken into account, so this is not how often owners pay for the repair.

By age

Fail items fixed by handbrake repair, per 100 MOT tests, against cars of the same age and the same fuel mix. The model figure is a floor: DVSA data lists each model’s 25 most recorded items per age, and an item outside that list is counted as zero. The comparison figure is a ceiling: an item too rare to be listed for a fuel is counted at its highest possible value.

Fiat 500: ages with at least 1,000 tests.
Age	Fiat 500 per 100	Same age and fuel per 100	Tests (n)
3 years	0.099	0.12	67,791
4 years	0.34	0.17	75,746
5 years	0.53	0.26	83,857
6 years	0.76	0.42	103,956
7 years	0.96	0.65	122,086
8 years	1.04	0.96	139,790
9 years	1.14	1.30	150,622
10 years	1.31	1.62	146,964
11 years	2.25	1.91	128,844
12 years	3.47	2.33	109,397
13 years	5.85	2.83	94,865
14 years	8.98	3.35	76,234
15 years	11.4	3.79	53,602
16 years	12.8	4.24	30,483
17 years	12.5	4.61	10,196

How we decide: a page exists only when the main generation’s rate, weighted to its own mix of ages and fuels, is at least 1.5 times the rate of cars of the same ages and fuel, from at least 50,000 tests at 3 or more ages, with at least 100 expected items.

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

What garages charge

Prices are national. They are not specific to the Fiat 500.

No public source records the price of this whole job, and the time it takes varies from car to car, so we do not publish a single figure. Garages charge by the hour, so ask for a quote that lists labour time and parts. The rates below are what UK garages charge per hour.

Local garage labour, per hour (65 shops)£78

Local garage, middle half£70 to £96

Main dealer labour, per hour (62 shops)£156

Main dealer, middle half£144 to £174

Median hourly rate charged for car repairs, from 1,058 local garage and 953 main dealer price quotes collected by the ONS, September 2025 to August 2026. The same shops are priced each month, so the number of shops is the real sample.

Handbrake repair: garage rates and all models

MOT defects this repair fixes

Parking brake efficiency below requirements1.14 per 100, all cars
Parking brake inoperative on one side0.51 per 100, all cars
Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value0.29 per 100, all cars
Parking brake lever has excessive movement indicating incorrect adjustment0.19 per 100, all cars

Other models that fail on these items more often

Model	Times as often	Tests (n)
Hyundai ix20	at least 5.5	116,300
Ford EcoSport	at least 4.6	402,494
Hyundai Tucsonfirst used 2015 or later	at least 4.4	520,466
Hyundai i30	at least 4.3	422,957
Volkswagen Amarok	at least 3.9	82,102
Kia Picanto	at least 3.8	730,252
MG ZSfirst used 2017 or later	at least 3.7	143,170
Hyundai ix35	at least 3.6	209,126
Hyundai Ioniq	at least 3.4	151,341
Mercedes-Benz Vito	at least 3.3	350,481

Looking at a Fiat 500?

These figures describe all cars, not any one car. Found one you might buy? See what the VetTheCar Buying Report would tell you.

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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, and the MOT inspection manual published on GOV.UK. Prices: ONS consumer price inflation price quotes, September 2025 to August 2026, UK.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026. Prices updated 22 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA or the Office for National Statistics. How we calculate these figures · Data sources