Alfa Romeo Giulia MOT pass rate & common failures
The Alfa Romeo Giulia appears in 30,444 MOT tests spanning model years 1983–2022, and 88.5% of them passed. Executive cars of a similar age fail at 11.0%, so the Giulia sits squarely on the average. Its most common failure areas are tyres, lighting & signalling and brakes.
Best and worst Giulia years
Ranked across Giulia years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
Not every year is equal — 91.3% of 2020 examples pass against 86.7% of 2017 ones.
No single area dominates — tyres (6.1%) and lighting & signalling (4.3%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, tread depth and brake pads — headlamp aim alone was recorded 1,299 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 8.8% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 19.5% once past 150k — 2.2× the risk.
The petrol cars hold up better: 10.4% fail against 14.0% for diesel, a 3.6-point gap across 30,444 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 20.4% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
How it compares
By model year
Every Giulia model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 888 | 86.2% | 13.9% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 11,346 | 86.7% | 13.3% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 8,885 | 89.0% | 10.9% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 6,518 | 90.3% | 9.7% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 2,073 | 91.3% | 8.7% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 430 | 90.7% | 9.3% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 209 | 92.8% | 7.2% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 6.1% | 1,844 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 4.3% | 1,297 |
| 3 | Brakes | 2.3% | 705 |
| 4 | Emissions & environmental | 1.0% | 304 |
| 5 | Visibility | 0.7% | 225 |
| 6 | Suspension | 0.6% | 189 |
| 7 | Other defects | 0.4% | 126 |
| 8 | Road wheels | 0.3% | 84 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Headlamp aim | 1,299 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 1,039 |
| 3 | Brake pads | 578 |
| 4 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 260 |
| 5 | Brake discs | 232 |
| 6 | Registration plates | 198 |
| 7 | Headlamp | 153 |
| 8 | Washers | 150 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 20.4% | 6,224 |
| 2 | Brakes | 19.1% | 5,831 |
| 3 | Other defects | 3.7% | 1,118 |
| 4 | Suspension | 3.2% | 961 |
| 5 | Visibility | 1.8% | 562 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.8% | 237 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 10,150 | 8.8% |
| 30-60k | 14,165 | 12.1% |
| 60-90k | 4,857 | 14.0% |
| 90-120k | 1,062 | 16.2% |
| 120-150k | 163 | 16.6% |
| 150k+ | 41 | 19.5% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 21,351 | 10.4% |
| Diesel | 9,093 | 14.0% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,415 | 11.8% |
| 2022 | 6,052 | 11.6% |
| 2023 | 6,623 | 11.7% |
| 2024 | 6,647 | 11.4% |
| 2025 | 6,707 | 11.0% |
What to check before buying a Alfa Romeo Giulia
- Tyres (6.1% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
- Lighting & signalling (4.3% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (2.3% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Alfa Romeo Giulia?
88.5% of the 30,444 Alfa Romeo Giulia MOT tests in this dataset passed, an 11.5% fail rate, across model years 1983–2022.
What does the Alfa Romeo Giulia most often fail its MOT on?
Tyres, recorded in 6.1% of tests, then lighting & signalling (4.3%).
Which Giulia years are best and worst for MOT results?
2020 has the best pass rate at 91.3% and 2017 the weakest at 86.7%, from 2,073 and 11,346 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Giulia MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.8% for cars in the 0-30k band and 19.5% for 150k+, a 10.7-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Giulia more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 10.4% of the time against 14.0% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 30,444 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.