Alfa Romeo Giulietta MOT failure rate and common faults
24,485 Alfa Romeo Giulietta cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 34.5% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 31.5% of the time, which makes the Alfa Romeo Giulietta 10% more likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
34.5%
failed first time
24,485 MOT tests in 2025
+10%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 31.5%
162 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
151.6
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 114.2
What fails on a Alfa Romeo Giulietta MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Alfa Romeo Giulietta MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 59.6 |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn | Suspension | 53.8 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 46.5 |
| Side repeaters: not working | Lights and electrics | 35.7 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 32.7 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength | Suspension | 31.6 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 30.8 |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam | Lights and electrics | 28.3 |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 24.3 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 22.7 |
Alfa Romeo Giulietta MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 521 | 17.3% | 14.1% | 37,600 |
| 2019 | 515 | 20.0% | 16.5% | 44,800 |
| 2018 | 847 | 20.5% | 19.1% | 51,400 |
| 2017 | 1,524 | 22.2% | 21.8% | 61,200 |
| 2016 | 2,778 | 26.4% | 25.1% | 70,800 |
| 2015 | 2,980 | 31.3% | 28.1% | 78,300 |
| 2014 | 3,067 | 33.6% | 31.4% | 86,700 |
| 2013 | 2,949 | 36.3% | 34.3% | 93,100 |
| 2012 | 3,133 | 40.8% | 36.6% | 102,300 |
| 2011 | 4,578 | 44.3% | 38.8% | 112,000 |
| 2010 | 1,509 | 43.7% | 40.7% | 110,700 |
Advisories to look for in a Alfa Romeo Giulietta's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge338.2
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened188.2
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement179.7
- Coil spring: corroded167.5
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing99.8
- Brake pads: wearing thin90.7
Checking a used Alfa Romeo Giulietta before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Alfa Romeo Giulietta fails more often than average on suspension, tyres and engine, emissions and leaks. Start there.
Suspension
Drive over speed bumps with the radio off and listen for knocks. Look at the car side on: a corner sitting lower than the others often means a broken coil spring.
Tyres
Check the tread across the full width of every tyre, inner edge included. Uneven wear points to worn suspension or out of line steering geometry.
Engine, emissions and leaks
Start the car from cold and watch the exhaust for smoke, look underneath for oil or fuel leaks, and make sure the engine warning light comes on with the ignition and goes out once the engine runs.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Fuel mix of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta cars tested: Petrol 52%, Diesel 48%. Average age at test 11.3 years, average recorded mileage 87,900.
Alfa Romeo Giulietta MOT questions
What is the Alfa Romeo Giulietta MOT failure rate?
34.5% of Alfa Romeo Giulietta cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 24,485 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 31.5% of the time, so the Alfa Romeo Giulietta was 10% more likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Alfa Romeo Giulietta MOT?
Suspension caused the most failure items, at 210 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded 59.6 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Alfa Romeo Giulietta year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2017 registrations did best: 22.2% failed against an average of 21.8% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Alfa Romeo Giulietta will pass?
No. These are averages across every Alfa Romeo Giulietta tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Ranked close to the Alfa Romeo Giulietta
- Volvo V50rank 159
- Renault Capturrank 160
- Volkswagen Polorank 161
- Vauxhall Zafirarank 163
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Alfa Romeo Giulietta cars of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.