850
Fiat · on record 1994 to 2025
The Fiat 850 was a compact rear engined car of the 1960s that broadened Fiat's small car range beyond the 600, with saloon, coupe and Spider forms giving the same mechanical family very different personalities. The sporting derivatives made the 850 more than simple economy transport, while ordinary saloons served as inexpensive family cars. Today the open and coupe versions attract obvious classic interest, but surviving saloons are increasingly valuable as reminders of everyday Fiat ownership before front wheel drive took over.
GROWING
Red List classification, from population, five year trajectory and survival against peak. Reviewed each census.
136
licensed vehicles
2025 census
2025 census
85.0% of the peak fleet remains licensed
83
declared SORN
total surviving
peak 160 in 1994 · +3 vehicles a year, five year trend
Population history
Licensed and SORN vehicles at each census. The filters below apply to the family population, MOT and registration figures. They do not alter the generation history above.
Licensed
SORN
Latest census observation
Inside the surviving fleet
AutoCensus parses every DVLA variant description, so the fleet can be read by fuel and specification rather than as one number.
First registrations by year
When surviving examples first joined the British fleet.
Recent UK first registrations
This family is no longer sold new. These figures are imports and historic vehicles joining the British register for the first time.
MOT reliability
DVSA test results for this family, 2005 to 2025.
Pass rate by year
| Failure reason | Failures | Share of all tests |
|---|---|---|
| Deliberate modification which significantly reduces the original strength, excessive corrosion, severe distortion, a fracture or an inadequate repair of a load bearing member or its supporting structure or supporting panelling within 30cm of any sub- | 29 | 4.2% |
| A stop lamp inoperative or less than 50% of the light sources illuminating | 15 | 2.2% |
| The windscreen washers do not provide enough liquid to clear the windscreen in conjunction with the wiper(s) | 15 | 2.2% |
| The calculated parking brake efficiency is too low | 14 | 2.0% |
| The calculated out-of-balance of the brakes across an axle is greater than 30% | 12 | 1.7% |
| A rear registration plate lamp with any lamp not working | 12 | 1.7% |
| The calculated service brake efficiency is too low | 11 | 1.6% |
| Amalgamation of failures for all headlamp testers | 10 | 1.5% |
Counted across every recorded test, 2005 to 2025. Advisories are excluded.
Where the 850 remains
Based on MOT test locations, 2025. Test location is a proxy: a vehicle is counted where it was last tested, not where it is kept.
| Postcode area | Vehicles tested | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| B | 3 | 67% |
| NE | 1 | 100% |
| TD | 1 | 100% |
| WR | 1 | 100% |
| TA | 1 | 100% |
| RG | 1 | 100% |
| SA | 1 | 100% |
| CF | 1 | 100% |
| PR | 1 | 100% |
| DN | 1 | 100% |
| G | 1 | 100% |
How this record was calculated
LATEST CENSUS2025
POPULATION SOURCEDVLA VEH0220 annual
HISTORY SOURCEDVLA VEH0120 GB · to 2013
MOT SOURCEDVSA results · to 2025
FAMILY DEFINITIONFIAT 850
PROCESSED20 Sep 2026
Full methodology
Population history combines DVLA VEH0120 Q4 census observations through 2013 with the annual VEH0220 census from 2014 onward. Figures before 2014 cover Great Britain only. Historical VEH0120 is used only when its overlapping UK observations reconcile to the current canonical family definition. Vehicles are grouped into this family using the DVLA GenModel together with durable routing rules for known inconsistencies.
Variant figures are parsed from raw DVLA model descriptions and the original string is always retained. Configuration is only assigned where the model description explicitly identifies it; a blank configuration is not treated as a two door Wrangler. Blank transmission fields are shown as manual because DVLA records the field for automatic vehicles.
MOT figures count tests, not vehicles, and geographic figures count each vehicle at its most recent test location. The decline projection is a straight line fitted to the latest five years and is illustrative only.