How reliable is the Alfa Romeo 159 compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Alfa Romeo 159, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 57.5% across 2,812 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Alfa Romeo 159?

The item recorded most often is "Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement", which appears in 23.9% of failed Alfa Romeo 159 tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Alfa Romeo 159?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 36.7% of all Alfa Romeo 159 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Alfa Romeo 159 usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 120,543 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Are most Alfa Romeo 159 models petrol or diesel?

Of the Alfa Romeo 159 cars tested, 75% are diesel, 25% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Alfa Romeo 159 MOT pass rate & common failures

From 2,812 recorded MOT tests of the Alfa Romeo 159, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 2,812 MOT tests, 57.5% of Alfa Romeo 159 tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Alfa Romeo 159 fleet does not yet cover a wide enough spread of ages and distances to compare it fairly against other models. Its most commonly recorded failure is parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, which appears in 23.9% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 120,543 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

57.5%unadjusted, not comparable2,812 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the 159. The examples tested do not cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages to compare it fairly, and an unadjusted pass rate mostly sorts models by how recently they were bought rather than how well they were built. The failure and advisory patterns below come from the same 2,812 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Alfa Romeo 159 tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement23.9%
255 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
2.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened20.3%
217 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
3.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 repaired20.0%
214 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
4.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements12.2%
130 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
5.A tyre cords visible or damaged11.8%
126 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
6.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn11.4%
122 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
7.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning11.2%
120 occurrencesLamp not working explained
8.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn7.0%
75 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
9.Exhaust system leaking or insecure5.7%
61 occurrencesExhaust leaking or insecure explained
10.Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake5.7%
61 occurrencesBrake binding or imbalanced across an axle explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Alfa Romeo 159 tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements36.7%
1,032 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users19.5%
548 tests
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured17.1%
480 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded16.5%
463 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn10.5%
295 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded8.7%
244 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
7.A tyre seriously damaged7.3%
204 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
8.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm7.2%
202 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

What gets tested

The 159 fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 120,543
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel74.9%
Petrol25.1%

Check a specific Alfa Romeo 159

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Alfa Romeo models

Alfa Romeo Giulietta — 69.8% adjusted
Alfa Romeo Mito — 61.6% adjusted
Alfa Romeo Giulia — 85.7% unadjusted
Alfa Romeo Stelvio — 87.7% unadjusted
Alfa Romeo Spider — 71.4% unadjusted
Alfa Romeo Brera — 66.3% unadjusted
All Alfa Romeo models

Common questions

How reliable is the Alfa Romeo 159 compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Alfa Romeo 159, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 57.5% across 2,812 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Alfa Romeo 159?: The item recorded most often is "Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement", which appears in 23.9% of failed Alfa Romeo 159 tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Alfa Romeo 159?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 36.7% of all Alfa Romeo 159 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Alfa Romeo 159 usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 120,543 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Are most Alfa Romeo 159 models petrol or diesel?: Of the Alfa Romeo 159 cars tested, 75% are diesel, 25% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. No adjusted rate is shown because this model's tested examples do not cover enough of the national age and mileage range for standardisation to mean anything.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.