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. The Alfa Romeo 156 sits 10.9 points below the national average, ranked 1,855 of 2,005 models. On one bought as 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 recorded closing bids for damaged Alfa Romeo 156s 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, 2.4% of tests (26.29x 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, 3% of tests (11.29x the national rate for this defect)
3. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 2.8% of tests (6.7x the national rate for this defect)
4. An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction, 2.5% of tests (6.09x 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, 4.6% of tests (4.92x the national rate for this defect)
6. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 7.3% of tests (3.12x the national rate for this defect)
7. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 4.3% of tests (2.82x the national rate for this defect)
8. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 2.9% of tests (2.82x the national rate for this defect)
9. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 3% of tests (2.36x the national rate for this defect)
10. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 3.9% of tests (2.32x the national rate for this defect)

From 1,227 DVSA-tracked Alfa Romeo 156 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.53% of these flagged Alfa Romeo 156 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Alfa Romeo 156

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Alfa Romeo 156 before it actually fails on it.

1. A flexible brake hose excessively damaged, deteriorated, chafed, twisted or stretched, 4.2% of tests (7.42x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. 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, 8.3% of tests (5.48x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 5.6% of tests (4.52x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 21.2% of tests (4.48x the national rate for this advisory)
5. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 11.9% of tests (4.18x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
6. Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow, 3.2% of tests (2.87x the national rate for this advisory)
7. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 14.3% of tests (2.58x the national rate for this advisory)
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 24.6% of tests (1.84x the national rate for this advisory)
9. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 8.8% of tests (1.7x the national rate for this advisory)
10. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 4.5% of tests (1.69x the national rate for this advisory)

From 1,227 DVSA-tracked Alfa Romeo 156 tests, 2024.

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
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate