Fiat 124, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
2,899 Fiat 124s are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 84.2% of initial MOT tests, 11.9 points above the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific 124? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Fiat 124 at the MOT
84.2% of 2,847 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the 124 136th of 575 models.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Where 124s fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Fiat 124 tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were position lamp not working (14.4%), wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (9.4%) and brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (7.6%).
The MOT page lists every common 124 MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The 124's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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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.34.4% of 124 failure items
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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.19.4% of 124 failure items
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Visibility
Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly.16.2% of 124 failure items
Fiat 124s in the UK
2,899 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 267% since the end of 2016.
- Change since 2016
- +267%from 790 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2017half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2017 or earlier
- First registered in 2025
- 5against 1,351 in 2018
- Declared off the road
- 2287.3% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed Fiat 124s since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 93 |
| End of 2015 | 101 |
| End of 2016 | 790 |
| End of 2017 | 1,551 |
| End of 2018 | 2,901 |
| End of 2019 | 2,894 |
| End of 2020 | 2,848 |
| End of 2021 | 2,805 |
| End of 2022 | 2,879 |
| End of 2023 | 2,857 |
| End of 2024 | 2,852 |
| End of 2025 | 2,807 |
| End of June 2026 | 2,899 |
How old they are
Licensed Fiat 124s by year of first use.
- Licensed at the end of 2025
- First registered that year
A further 43 were first used before 2000.
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 | First registered that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 15 | 32 |
| 2018 | 1,211 | 1,351 |
| 2017 | 757 | 866 |
| 2016 | 600 | 700 |
| 2015 | 0 | 11 |
| 2014 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 1 | |
| 2006 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 0 | |
| 2002 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 0 |
124 engine sizes
1.4 litre engines made up 98% of Fiat 124 MOT tests in 2025. Petrol accounts for 100% of licensed 124s.
Fiat 124 recalls
1 DVSA safety recall launched from 1992 to October 2026 names the Fiat 124. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every 124 is affected.
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Jun 2019 R/2019/158
First gear could be engaged whilst the vehicle is in motion and the shift lever in the d position
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- First gear could be engaged with the vehicle in motion and the shift lever in the D position.
- Remedy
- Update the transmission control module software
Other Fiat models
The most-tested Fiat models in 2025, against the 124's 84.2% MOT pass rate.
Fiat 124 FAQs
How many Fiat 124s are there in the UK?
2,899 Fiat 124s were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 228 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the Fiat 124 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 an 84.2% first-time pass rate for the Fiat 124 across 2,847 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Fiat 124 had any recalls?
1 DVSA safety recall launched from 1992 to October 2026 names the Fiat 124. The most recent was published in June 2019. 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 Fiat 124?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and visibility. 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 a Fiat 124'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 124?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Fiat history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Fiat VIN 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 October 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.