Alfa Romeo 159 MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Alfa Romeo 159 took 4,226 MOT tests in Britain and passed 57% of them first time, below the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.
- MOT tests in 2023
- 4,226
- First-time pass rate
- 57%
- All cars
- 71%
What the 159 fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Suspension20.2% (all cars 9.0%)
- Brakes15.9% (all cars 6.8%)
- Lights and electrics14.8% (all cars 11.3%)
- Tyres9.3% (all cars 6.4%)
- Exhaust and emissions8.2% (all cars 3.1%)
- Body and structure6.7% (all cars 3.5%)
- Visibility5.1% (all cars 4.8%)
- Steering3.6% (all cars 1.8%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements 8.9%
- Coil spring: fractured or broken 7.8%
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength 4.3%
- Position lamp: not working 4.1%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 3.9%
- Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 3.5%
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 3.3%
- Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint excessively worn 3.1%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 28.3%
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 14.9%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 10.3%
- Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened 8.7%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 7.1%
- Service brake performance: binding but not excessively 6.6%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 6.3%
- Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint has slight play 5.0%
Pass rate by year of registration
Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.
| First registered | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 318 | 53% |
| 2007 | 855 | 57% |
| 2008 | 825 | 54% |
| 2009 | 903 | 58% |
| 2010 | 736 | 58% |
| 2011 | 495 | 58% |
Typical mileage by age
Average odometer reading at the MOT, by the car's age in years at the test.
| Age at test | Average mileage |
|---|---|
| 12 years | 112,237 miles |
| 13 years | 116,003 miles |
| 14 years | 119,118 miles |
| 15 years | 124,615 miles |
| 16 years | 118,952 miles |
| 17 years | 118,143 miles |
Check a particular 159
Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.
Other Alfa Romeo models
- Alfa Romeo Giulietta
- Alfa Romeo Mito
- Alfa Romeo Giulia
- Alfa Romeo Spider
- Alfa Romeo Stelvio
- Alfa Romeo 147
- Alfa Romeo GT
- Alfa Romeo Brera
- Alfa Romeo 156
- Alfa Romeo GTV
Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.