carpeep

Abarth 500, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

5,401 Abarth 500s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 66.9% of initial MOT tests, 5.4 points below the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific 500? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Abarth 500 at the MOT

66.9% of 5,242 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the 500 404th of 575 models. Abarth 500s aged 6 to 10 years passed 69.2% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 66.2%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Abarth 50066.9%
  • All Abarth modelsThe 500 is 11.1 pts behind78%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Abarth 500 tests in 2025.

  • 6 to 10 years1,227 tests69.2%
  • 11 years and over4,010 tests66.2%

Where 500s fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Abarth 500 tests in 2025.

  • Suspension27.1%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment26.4%
  • Brakes10.6%
  • Tyres10.5%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks9%

The items testers recorded most often were pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (5.2%), shock absorbers has an excessively worn bush (5%) and ball joint excessively worn (4.8%).

The MOT page lists every common 500 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Abarth 500 MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The 500's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.27.1% of 500 failure items

  2. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

    Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.26.4% of 500 failure items

  3. Brakes

    Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing.10.6% of 500 failure items

Abarth 500s in the UK

5,401 were licensed at the end of June 2026, the 2nd most of any Abarth. The number licensed has grown 3.2% since the end of 2014, although it peaked at 5,942 at the end of 2015.

Change since 2014
+3.2%from 5,232 licensed
Typical year of first use
2012half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2012 or earlier
First registered in 2025
165against 795 in 2015
Declared off the road
67311% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Abarth 500s since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20145,232
End of 20155,942
End of 20165,912
End of 20175,811
End of 20185,658
End of 20195,561
End of 20205,422
End of 20215,364
End of 20225,253
End of 20235,248
End of 20245,423
End of 20255,416
End of June 20265,401

How old they are

Licensed Abarth 500s by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year
Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
2025149165
2024328386
2023144181
202202
202101
202003
201903
201803
201703
20165579
2015665795
2014706
2013469
2012663
2011784
2010781
2009622

665 500s first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 84% of the 795 first registered that year.

500 engines and fuel

1.4 litre engines made up 99% of Abarth 500 MOT tests in 2025. Petrol accounts for 88% of licensed 500s and battery electric for 12%.

Fuel type, licensed 500s

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol4,72688%
Battery electric67512%

Abarth 500 recalls

7 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Abarth 500. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every 500 is affected.

  1. Sep 2025 R/2025/325

    Abarth 500e. Instrument panel cluster software

    500s built Nov 2024 to Mar 2025 · 83 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the Automatic Emergency Brake (AEB) function may remain deactivated in a specific use case. If the customer seeks to reactivate the AEB after previously deactivating it during the same driving cycle (key on/off) it will remain deactivated however the icon on the cluster to alert about deactivation remains off. This does not meet regulatory requirements.
    Remedy
    Update front camera software.

  2. Mar 2025 R/2023/314

    Incorrect information displayed on the registration document and CoC (certificate of Conformity)

    500s built Aug 2022 to Apr 2023 · 591 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles incorrect data has been entered on the registration document and correspondingly the Certificate of Conformity (CoC).
    Remedy
    The registration document must be amended and a new CoC issued.

  3. Sep 2022 R/2022/187

    Ineffective/incorrect tightening of a lock nut on the steering gear rod

    500s built Mar 2022 · 1 vehicle across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Vehicles may have been produced with ineffective/incorrect tightening of a lock nut on the steering gear rod.
    Remedy
    Check for the correct tightening of the lock nut and check/adjust wheel alignment if tightening was required.

  4. Feb 2021 R/2021/019

    The sport mode system may not be set correctly and therefore may not comply with type approval requirements

    500s built Mar 2020 to Jul 2020 · 30 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    The proxi file must be updated to solve the non conformity.

  5. Sep 2016 R/2016/194

    Seat may not perform as expected during a collision

    500s built Dec 2015 to Jun 2016 · 1,045 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The seat may not remain in position when subjected to greater than normal driving forces such as those involved in an impact. This may possibly cause injury to the driver/passenger seated in the right hand front seat. The right hand front seat guides may not conform to design specification and installation specifications.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and check the installation of the original seat guide. If it does not conform replace the seat cushion structure (guide).

  6. Apr 2015 R/2015/077

    Front seatbelts may not function as intended

    500s built Sep 2014 to Nov 2014 · 42 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It has been identified that the front seatbelt anchorage links may not have been manufactured to the correct specification. If the link is subjected to an abnormal force then it may not perform as required.
    Remedy
    Recall all the affected vehicles to check the link and if required replace it.

  7. Sep 2014 R/2014/089

    Interior and exterior vehicle lighting may fail

    500s built Sep 2011 to May 2014 · 3,318 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It is possible under extreme conditions that the wiring harness under the dashboard could come into contact with the steering column. This over a period of time may result in the chaffing of wires in the harness. If this should occur then it is possible both the exterior and instrument lights could fail.
    Remedy
    Recall all affected vehicles to provide additional security of the wiring loom.
How to check a specific 500 for recalls

Other Abarth models

The most-tested Abarth models in 2025, against the 500's 66.9% MOT pass rate.

All 3 Abarth models

Abarth 500 FAQs

How many Abarth 500s are there in the UK?

5,401 Abarth 500s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 673 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Abarth 500 reliable?

MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 66.9% first-time pass rate for the Abarth 500 across 5,242 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Abarth 500 had any recalls?

7 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Abarth 500. The most recent was published in September 2025. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used Abarth 500?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check an Abarth 500's history?

Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.

Already found a 500?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,389 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Abarth history check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to July 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.