2003 Alfa Romeo 147: MOT pass rate and reliability

68.4% of 2003 Alfa Romeo 147s pass the MOT first time, measured across 206 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 92,038 miles.

How the 2003 compares

• Against all Alfa Romeo 147s (62.4%, 1,838 tests): +6 points
• Against all 2003 cars (64.7%): +3.7 points
• National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Alfa Romeo 147 model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2003 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Alfa Romeo 147:

What this means if you are buying a 2003 147

The 2003 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 6 points more often than the Alfa Romeo 147 average. That is a point in its favour, though condition and service history still matter more than the model year. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.

What a 23-year-old car fails on

A 2003 car is 23 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:

• Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
• Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
• Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
• Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
• Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
• Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested

That is above average, the point where suspension bushes, drop links and exhaust corrosion start showing up as advisories before they become failures. On a 2003 Alfa Romeo 147 the average at test was 92,038 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.

2003 is the strongest year on record for this model at 68.4%, ahead of every other year we hold data for.

Nearby model years

• 2006 Alfa Romeo 147 - 55.6%
• 2007 Alfa Romeo 147 - 57%
• 2008 Alfa Romeo 147 - 60.7%

All Alfa Romeo 147 MOT data · Every model