VehicleScore research
Fiat 500: shock-absorber and exhaust comments
Shock-absorber comments appeared on 40.1% of 5,170 Fiat 500s aged 9–11 with 60,000–119,999 miles, against 10.1% of other vehicles. In the same slice, exhaust comments appeared on 39.7%, against 12.6%. The two comments do not fail at the same rate.
30.0% of the shock-absorber comments were failures (1,047 of 3,485). 13.2% of the exhaust comments were failures (504 of 3,815). A 500 of this age often has both lines on its history. One of them is a failure about a third of the time. The other usually is not.
The shock-absorber gap is already large before 60,000 miles. At ages 6–8 and under 60,000 miles, 29.1% of 8,424 cars had a shock comment, against 4.6%. The failure share there was 31.5%.
Fiat 500 comments against other vehicles
Shocks, age 6–8, under 60k
Shocks, age 9–11, 60–120k
Exhaust, age 9–11, 60–120k
Share of 500 vehicles in each age and mileage slice with at least one matching MOT comment. The comparison is other vehicles in the same slice, not the model itself. Failure share is the percentage of matched comments recorded as a fail. The rest are advisory, minor or PRS comments.
| Comment | Slice | 500 | Other vehicles | Gap | Comments that were failures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shock absorber issues | Age 6–8, under 60,000 miles | 29.1% 2,454 of 8,424 | 4.6% 612,900 vehicles | +24.6 pp | 31.5% 1,149 of 3,647 |
| Shock absorber issues | Age 9–11, 60,000–119,999 miles | 40.1% 2,074 of 5,170 | 10.1% 506,661 vehicles | +30.1 pp | 30.0% 1,047 of 3,485 |
| Exhaust | Age 9–11, 60,000–119,999 miles | 39.7% 2,050 of 5,170 | 12.6% 506,661 vehicles | +27.0 pp | 13.2% 504 of 3,815 |
The age-standardised pass rate is 74.1% on 10,795 vehicles, crude rate 74.5%. That sits below the overall 78.5%. It does not say the 500 is unreliable, and it does not say which component to inspect. The table above does.
Buying a Fiat 500?
Read shocks and the exhaust as separate lines, with the fail or advisory beside each one. Enter the registration to open that car.
Paid history checks also show a higher write-off marker rate for 500s aged 9–11 than for other cars of that age. That is a marker on checked vehicles, not a claim about crashes. It is on the write-off page. The Golf’s shock-absorber comments, which are mostly not failures, are a useful contrast: Volkswagen Golf.
Related VehicleScore research
Methodology
Snapshot 27 September 2026, job 2026-09-27.1. Fiat 500 only, not the Abarth 500. Comparisons exclude the 500. Intervals do not overlap. No cause is inferred from the comment text. Checked vehicles only.