A Fiat Qubo 1.3 MultiJet diesel is only worth having if it's done regular longer runs, with the dipstick below maximum and proof of the 2015 injector campaign, because its particulate filter regeneration struggles on short town trips.
2 known faults, 1 rated high severity in our database; owners report 51.6 mpg, 77% of the official figure. Everything below is built from that data and the archived owner history, not from a press car.
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Check a Fiat Qubo advert (free) →There's only one Qubo generation, the Mk1 sold from 2008 to 2019, so the choice comes down to how it's been used and what paperwork comes with it rather than a particular year. Go for a 1.3 MultiJet diesel that's done regular longer journeys, with evidence of the injector and ECU campaign Fiat ran in 2015, and one whose front suspension has been looked at recently, because failing strut top bearings have been reported on the Qubo as well as its Nemo and Bipper sister models.
The diesel's particulate filter is the car's one High severity known fault: regeneration can go wrong anywhere from 14,000 to 100,000 miles, and short journeys and town driving make it worse. A diesel that's lived on the school run is the one to pass on, and the Dualogic automated manual has a known actuator weakness too, turning up between 17,000 and 55,000 miles.
Build quality has been questioned as well. One owner's car lost door mouldings in its first week and went on to need a wheel arch liner, a window switch and new rear door hinges to cure rattles. That's a single car, but it's reason enough to go over the trim, doors and fittings on any Qubo you look at, whatever its age.
The 1.3 MultiJet diesel is the engine the reports cover, and it isn't a worry-free choice: its particulate filter regeneration is a High severity known fault, worst on short journeys and in town. The signs are an 'oil exhausted' warning light, the oil level rising above the maximum and, at worst, the engine revving out of control, so only buy one that's done regular longer runs.
It's chain driven, so there's no cambelt to change, but one owner's chain failed at 75,000 miles and the lesson drawn from that car was to change the oil more often than the schedule asks. Fiat also ran a 2015 service campaign on 1.3 MultiJet Qubos to put right a problem with the injectors and the engine ECU, so ask to see a dealer invoice or stamp showing it was done.
A six-speed Dualogic automated manual was offered with the diesel, and its hydraulic actuator is a known weak point between 17,000 and 55,000 miles. It can crack and leak, and the pump can fail, which shows up as a gearbox warning light, a refusal to select first or reverse, or the car dropping into neutral on the move. Drive one long enough to feel plenty of changes and don't accept jerky shifts as normal.
Front suspension comes first, because top bearing failures have been reported on Qubos and on the Nemo and Bipper sister models. Feel for stiffness or noise as you turn the wheel at low speed. On the Bipper side, one 2009 car failed its MoT at 25,924 miles with both front top bearings partly seized, having needed front discs and pads at 18,991 miles, so read the old MoT certificates for either.
Pull the dipstick before the engine's started: oil above the maximum mark points to the particulate filter problem, and so does an 'oil exhausted' light once it's running. On a Dualogic, select first and reverse several times from rest and watch for the gearbox warning light. Ask for oil change receipts at shorter gaps than the schedule, since that's the lesson from the Qubo whose chain failed.
Ask whether the front struts were replaced under the 2011 campaign, which was issued for the Nemo and should cover the Qubo too. Then check the mileage display on the dash holds steady: on one 2010 car it started flashing and a Fiat dealer put it down to a failed Blue&Me module. Try every electric window switch and listen for rattling rear door hinges while you're at it.
Look underneath the front of the engine for oil around the crankshaft pulley; one owner's started leaking there shortly after a service, and that owner was told the same leak has sent several Nemos back to Citroen. Make sure door mouldings and inner arch liners are firmly fixed, since they've come loose on at least one car.
Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.
Buy one if you want a practical small MPV and can find a 1.3 MultiJet that's done longer runs with its campaign paperwork in order. The sliding side doors make tight parking spaces and getting children in and out easy, and it's suited to wheelchair conversion, though the ride feels closer to a van than a car despite the torque tube rear axle.
Both known faults cover the whole 2008 to 2019 run. The diesel's particulate filter regeneration trouble can appear anywhere from 14,000 to 100,000 miles, and the Dualogic actuator between 17,000 and 55,000 miles. Owners have also reported front suspension top bearings failing, and one 1.3 MultiJet's timing chain went at 75,000 miles.
Two service campaigns matter on this generation: a 2011 fix for faulty front suspension struts on the Nemo that should also cover the Qubo, and the 2015 injector and ECU campaign on the 1.3 MultiJet. A car with proof of both, a steady dash display and oil at the right level is the one to take home.
Real-world economy on this generation: Fiat Qubo 51.6 mpg.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
Paste any Fiat Qubo advert and we check it against the faults, the MOT record and these figures in seconds.
Check an advert now (free) →Owners report 51.6 mpg across the Fiat Qubo engines with data, about 77% of the official figure, from 181 submissions.
Fiat Qubo Real MPG by engine →A Fiat Qubo 1.3 MultiJet diesel is only worth having if it's done regular longer runs, with the dipstick below maximum and proof of the 2015 injector campaign, because its particulate filter regeneration struggles on short town trips. Our database holds 2 known Fiat Qubo faults, 1 rated high severity, and the sections above say which generation and engine carry them.
Front suspension comes first, because top bearing failures have been reported on Qubos and on the Nemo and Bipper sister models. Read the MOT history for repeat advisories and ask for invoices for any work the seller mentions. Then paste the advert into the free check, which reads it against every known Fiat Qubo fault before you travel.
Owners report 51.6 mpg on average, about 77% of the official figure, from 181 submissions. Chain (1.3 MULTIJET, 1.3 MJT, 1.3 MJTD, 1.3 JTD, MULTIJET 75, MULTIJET 95): no fixed replacement interval, so budget for it if the history does not show it done. The known faults page lists a rough repair cost against each fault. Fiat Qubo Real MPG by engine.
If you used the Honest John car-by-car reviews before the site closed in 2026, this is where the Fiat Qubo buying advice now lives. It is written from the archived owner reports and model notes (archived page, 14 items read for this model), our own known-faults database, the confirmed service intervals and the Real MPG figures. Every number on the page comes from that data, not from the text. The same data feeds our free advert check.
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The Fiat Qubo is one decision. Reading the advert, the history and the seller are the rest, and these cover them.
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