Alfa Romeo Mito MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 13 model years and 130,277 tests, the Alfa Romeo Mito passes its MOT 75.2% of the time. That is 2.8 percentage points worse than superminis of a similar age, which fail at 22.0%. Its most common failure areas are suspension, lighting & signalling and brakes.
Best and worst Mito years
Ranked across Mito 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: 2018 cars pass 84.8% of the time while 2009 cars manage 71.6%, a 13.2-point spread.
No single area dominates — suspension (11.2%) and lighting & signalling (8.8%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are coil spring, headlamp and headlamp aim — coil spring alone was recorded 9,232 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 14.3% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 29.4% once past 150k — 2.0× the risk.
The petrol cars hold up better: 24.5% fail against 26.6% for diesel, a 2.1-point gap across 130,272 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 28.9% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 23.6% of tests failed in 2021 against 26.2% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Mito model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 124 | 69.3% | 30.6% | Suspension |
| 2009 | 26,031 | 71.6% | 28.4% | Suspension |
| 2010 | 22,395 | 73.4% | 26.6% | Suspension |
| 2011 | 18,650 | 74.9% | 25.1% | Suspension |
| 2012 | 15,006 | 75.6% | 24.3% | Suspension |
| 2013 | 10,976 | 75.5% | 24.5% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 11,079 | 75.4% | 24.6% | Suspension |
| 2015 | 10,034 | 76.6% | 23.4% | Suspension |
| 2016 | 8,971 | 81.6% | 18.4% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 4,450 | 81.8% | 18.2% | Suspension |
| 2018 | 2,383 | 84.8% | 15.2% | Suspension |
| 2019 | 176 | 84.1% | 15.9% | Suspension |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 11.2% | 14,631 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 8.8% | 11,486 |
| 3 | Brakes | 8.2% | 10,714 |
| 4 | Tyres | 6.0% | 7,844 |
| 5 | Visibility | 4.6% | 5,983 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 4.0% | 5,169 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 3.8% | 4,891 |
| 8 | Steering | 2.0% | 2,597 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coil spring | 9,232 |
| 2 | Headlamp | 4,878 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 4,484 |
| 4 | Rbt (sp) | 4,019 |
| 5 | Tread depth | 3,941 |
| 6 | Brake pads | 3,718 |
| 7 | Wipers | 3,336 |
| 8 | Washers | 3,275 |
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 | 28.9% | 37,714 |
| 2 | Brakes | 27.7% | 36,122 |
| 3 | Suspension | 24.8% | 32,345 |
| 4 | Emissions & environmental | 9.8% | 12,791 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 9.5% | 12,405 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 8.6% | 11,151 |
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 | 9,509 | 14.3% |
| 30-60k | 36,193 | 21.5% |
| 60-90k | 48,012 | 26.3% |
| 90-120k | 27,433 | 28.6% |
| 120-150k | 7,637 | 30.1% |
| 150k+ | 1,460 | 29.4% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 110,440 | 24.5% |
| Diesel | 19,832 | 26.6% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28,740 | 23.6% |
| 2022 | 27,784 | 24.0% |
| 2023 | 26,807 | 25.2% |
| 2024 | 24,681 | 25.4% |
| 2025 | 22,265 | 26.2% |
What to check before buying a Alfa Romeo Mito
- Suspension (11.2% 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.
- Lighting & signalling (8.8% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (8.2% 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 Mito?
75.2% of the 130,277 Alfa Romeo Mito MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 24.8% fail rate, across model years 2008–2020.
What does the Alfa Romeo Mito most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 11.2% of tests, then lighting & signalling (8.8%).
Which Mito years are best and worst for MOT results?
2018 has the best pass rate at 84.8% and 2009 the weakest at 71.6%, from 2,383 and 26,031 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Mito MOT results?
Fail rates run at 14.3% for cars in the 0-30k band and 29.4% for 150k+, a 15.0-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Mito more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 24.5% of the time against 26.6% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 130,277 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.