FIGURE 1 // WHERE IT WEARSFiat 500E
Top three failure systems, annotated from 324 failed first-time tests. Arrows point to where the defect is found on the car.
Suspension joints fail the Fiat 500E 4.0× as often as they fail a petrol or diesel car
2,577 inspections in a single year make the 500E a modestly documented electric car in the data. Suspension cause 54.7% of its failures; suspension take 4.0× the share they take on petrol and diesel cars of the same age.
First-time test findings
The three-year picture
AT THREE YEARS OLD12.9%
500E failure rate. Petrol cars of the same age fail 8.2%.
ALL ELECTRIC CARS12.0%
All electric cars in the data.
At three years old the Fiat 500E fails 12.9% of the time, over the 8.2% of a petrol car the same age. Suspension cause 54.7% of its failures.
FIGURE 2 // SUSPENSION ARM AND BUSH249 certificates in 2024
The joint that wears out first
Suspension take 54.7% of the defects that fail this car, 4.0× the share seen on petrol and diesel cars of the same age. The most common item in that group is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", recorded 249 times in 2024.
SECTION // SUSPENSION CONCENTRATIONYear 3 crossover
Where the curve bends
The crossover with petrol happens around year 3. From there the 500E's failure rate climbs faster than the petrol fleet, and the defect list explains why.
Source: DVSA MOT defect items, 2024 test year.
What to check
Have the suspension joints, bushes and springs checked on a lift. On this car it is a leading cause of failure and it is not visible from the outside. Check tyre age and tread across the full width, inner edge included. Electric cars wear tyres faster; a cheap mismatched set on a used car tells you how it was run. Check the washers reach the screen. It fails the test and it is a thirty-second check. Ask for the full MOT history by registration on the free DVSA service: advisories are next year's failures.
3 inspection points:
✓ Suspension joints and bushes on a lift
✓ Tyre inner-edge wear and age
✓ Washer reach
FIGURE 3 // FAILURE RATE BY AGEvs petrol, diesel and all electric cars
Points hidden where fewer than 50 cars of that age were tested. Dashed lines are the same-age petrol and diesel fleets.
Data sheet
- Inspections
- 2,577
- Passed
- 2,195
- Failed
- 324
- Passed after repair
- 58
- Failure rate
- 12.6% (all EV 12.0%)
- Average age
- 3.0 years
- Best year
- 3 yrs · 12.9%
- Worst year
- 3 yrs · 12.9%
- Top cause
- Suspension 54.7%
TABLE 1 // WHAT FAILS, BY SYSTEMshare of failing defects
| System | This car (mark = petrol/diesel) | Share | vs petrol/diesel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 23.5% | in line | |
| Suspension | 54.7% | 4.0× more | |
| Brakes | 2.0% | 9.3× less | |
| Visibility | 10.2% | in line | |
| Lighting | 5.7% | 2.9× less | |
| Steering | 0.7% | 4.4× less | |
| Body | 0.7% | 5.9× less |
TABLE 2 // TOP DEFECTS ON THE CERTIFICATE
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn249
- A tyre seriously damaged67
- A suspension pin, bush or joint likely to become detached52
- Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements27
- Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen24
- A tyre cords visible or damaged19
Wording as printed by the tester, from the DVSA inspection manual.
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Where it holds up
- Brakes fail less often than on petrol and diesel cars (2.0% of defects vs 18.7%)
- Lighting fail less often than on petrol and diesel cars (5.7% of defects vs 16.5%)
- Steering fail less often than on petrol and diesel cars (0.7% of defects vs 3.1%)
- Body fail less often than on petrol and diesel cars (0.7% of defects vs 4.1%)
Where it fails
- Suspension take a bigger share of failures than on petrol and diesel cars of the same age (54.7% vs 13.6%)
- At three years old it fails 12.9% of the time, above the 8.2% of petrol cars the same age
VERSIONS SEEN IN THE TESTSas recorded
- 500E LA PRIMA1,397
- 500E ICON734
- 500E PASSION284
- 500E RED103
- 500E ACTION59
OWNER REPORTS // MATCHED TO RECORDED DEFECTS0 read · 0 matched
No owner discussion has been matched to this car's recorded defects yet. Reports are re-collected every quarter; the figures on this page do not depend on them.
Summaries written by us, never quotes; every entry links to its source. Owner reports have no denominator and never feed the failure rate.
SIMILAR CARS IN THE DATAclosest rate and age, other brands
Three things the data shows
- 2,577 inspections in 2024 make this one of the adequately-documented electric cars in the data.
- Suspension take 4.0× the share of failures they take on petrol and diesel cars of the same age.
- It ranks 57 of 81 electric cars by first-time failure rate.
LIMITS // WHAT THE INSPECTION DOES NOT TELL YOU
No battery health, no motor, no charging performance. The test covers brakes, suspension, steering, tyres, lights, visibility and structure. A car with a badly degraded battery passes as long as it stops and steers. Read this page as evidence about the chassis, not the powertrain. Cars are tested from their third year, so the newest model years are missing; every figure carries its sample size for that reason. Full methodology.
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