Alfa Romeo Giulietta MOT pass rate & common failures
160,263 MOT tests on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta (1980–2021) give it a 78.7% pass rate. Small family cars of a similar age fail 18.6% of the time, so this is 2.7pp worse than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, suspension and tyres.
Best and worst Giulietta years
Ranked across Giulietta 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
Build year matters more than the headline suggests: 2019 cars pass 88.9% of the time while 2010 cars manage 73.2%, a 15.8-point spread.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (9.3%) and suspension (8.4%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are tread depth, headlamp aim and coil spring — tread depth alone was recorded 6,065 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 29.4% versus 9.1%.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 5.1pp more often than petrol ones (23.8% vs 18.7%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 28.1% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 19.0% of tests failed in 2021 against 23.8% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Giulietta model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 11,940 | 73.2% | 26.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 35,500 | 73.3% | 26.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 22,379 | 75.6% | 24.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 19,596 | 77.8% | 22.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 19,236 | 80.6% | 19.4% | Suspension |
| 2015 | 18,339 | 81.7% | 18.3% | Suspension |
| 2016 | 16,503 | 84.3% | 15.7% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 8,660 | 87.6% | 12.4% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 4,732 | 88.1% | 11.9% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 2,314 | 88.9% | 11.1% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 957 | 89.3% | 10.7% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 9.3% | 14,937 |
| 2 | Suspension | 8.4% | 13,508 |
| 3 | Tyres | 7.1% | 11,415 |
| 4 | Brakes | 4.7% | 7,531 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.6% | 5,803 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 3.0% | 4,745 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.7% | 2,639 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.6% | 903 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tread depth | 6,065 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 5,712 |
| 3 | Coil spring | 5,682 |
| 4 | Pins and bushes | 5,455 |
| 5 | Side repeaters | 4,722 |
| 6 | Headlamp | 4,567 |
| 7 | Washers | 4,337 |
| 8 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 3,661 |
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 | 28.1% | 45,020 |
| 2 | Brakes | 21.9% | 35,068 |
| 3 | Suspension | 21.0% | 33,676 |
| 4 | Other defects | 7.4% | 11,872 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 6.8% | 10,941 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 5.0% | 7,931 |
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 | 10,944 | 9.1% |
| 30-60k | 39,487 | 15.2% |
| 60-90k | 49,891 | 21.8% |
| 90-120k | 37,129 | 26.2% |
| 120-150k | 16,456 | 28.5% |
| 150k+ | 6,336 | 29.4% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 82,843 | 23.8% |
| Petrol | 77,420 | 18.7% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 32,300 | 19.0% |
| 2022 | 32,847 | 20.1% |
| 2023 | 32,800 | 21.7% |
| 2024 | 31,707 | 22.2% |
| 2025 | 30,609 | 23.8% |
What to check before buying a Alfa Romeo Giulietta
- Lighting & signalling (9.3% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (8.4% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
- Tyres (7.1% 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.
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 Giulietta?
78.7% of the 160,263 Alfa Romeo Giulietta MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 21.3% fail rate, across model years 1980–2021.
What does the Alfa Romeo Giulietta most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 9.3% of tests, then suspension (8.4%).
Which Giulietta years are best and worst for MOT results?
2019 has the best pass rate at 88.9% and 2010 the weakest at 73.2%, from 2,314 and 11,940 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Giulietta MOT results?
Fail rates run at 9.1% for cars in the 0-30k band and 29.4% for 150k+, a 20.3-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Giulietta more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 18.7% of the time against 23.8% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 160,263 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.