The picture
500l: middle-of-the-pack on first-time pass
Across 22,165 MOT tests, the 500l returns 73.4% first-time pass — below the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a broken or weak spring. Worn suspension bushes and brake pads worn below 1.5 mm round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 63,579, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
Top ten reasons for rejection.
- 01
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
1,275 occurrences · 5.8% of tests
- 02
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
763 occurrences · 3.4% of tests
- 03
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
573 occurrences · 2.6% of tests
- 04
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated
497 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
- 05
Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
480 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
- 06
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
447 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
- 07
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
429 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
- 08
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
421 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
- 09
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
354 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
- 10
A tyre cords visible or damaged
303 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 4 failures
£320–£880
If every one of this 500l's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Tools that pre-empt a retest.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Buying or keeping a 500l?
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a 500l and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.