Alfa Romeo 156: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Alfa Romeo 156 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 10.9 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 1,224 individual Alfa Romeo 156 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 65.8% first-time pass rate means roughly 34 in every 100 Alfa Romeo 156s presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Alfa Romeo 156 tested had covered 101,610 miles and was built around 2003.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Alfa Romeo 156 bought as a repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Alfa Romeo 156 rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see what damaged Alfa Romeo 156s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Alfa Romeo 156

1. A flexible brake hose excessively damaged, deteriorated, chafed, twisted or stretched, 1.9% of tests (25.54x the national rate for this defect)
2. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 2.4% of tests (10.44x the national rate for this defect)
3. An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction, 2.1% of tests (6.77x the national rate for this defect)
4. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 2.2% of tests (6.05x the national rate for this defect)
5. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 4% of tests (4.87x the national rate for this defect)
6. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 1.8% of tests (4.52x the national rate for this defect)
7. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 3.7% of tests (3.29x the national rate for this defect)
8. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 5.5% of tests (3.14x the national rate for this defect)
9. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 2.4% of tests (3.1x the national rate for this defect)
10. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 3.5% of tests (2.82x the national rate for this defect)

From 1,955 DVSA-tracked Alfa Romeo 156 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.65% of these flagged Alfa Romeo 156 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Alfa Romeo 156 by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Petrol Alfa Romeo 156 - 66.9% first-time pass, 991 tests
• Diesel Alfa Romeo 156 - 66.2% first-time pass, 213 tests

Other Alfa Romeo models

• Alfa Romeo Giulietta - 71.9%
• Alfa Romeo Mito - 66.8%
• Alfa Romeo Giulia - 86.9%
• Alfa Romeo 159 - 60.1%
• Alfa Romeo Spider - 72.9%
• Alfa Romeo Stelvio - 89%
• Alfa Romeo 147 - 61.7%
• Alfa Romeo Brera - 68.8%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Renault Megane Scenic - 65.9%
• Hyundai Amica - 65.8%
• Daihatsu Fourtrak - 65.8%
• Volkswagen Lupo - 65.7%
• Citroen Ds5 - 65.7%
• Volkswagen Bora - 65.6%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate