Is the Alfa Romeo Giulietta reliable?

On MOT evidence the Alfa Romeo Giulietta is below average. It passes 69.8% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 172 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

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

The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 19.7% of failed Alfa Romeo Giulietta 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 Giulietta?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 29.7% of all Alfa Romeo Giulietta 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 Giulietta usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 87,885 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.

Does a Alfa Romeo Giulietta get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 83.0% of Alfa Romeo Giulietta tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 56.8%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Alfa Romeo Giulietta models petrol or diesel?

Of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta cars tested, 52% are petrol, 48% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Alfa Romeo Giulietta MOT pass rate & common failures

From 24,505 recorded MOT tests of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta passes 69.8% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is below average, ranking it 172 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 24,505 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, which appears in 19.7% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 87,885 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

69.8%national average72.3%unadjusted65.5%range covered93%rank172 of 262

The Giulietta is 2.5 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is below average. The unadjusted figure is 65.5%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

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

1.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened19.7%
1,447 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn17.9%
1,310 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements15.0%
1,102 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning11.6%
847 occurrencesDirection indicator not working explained
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 repaired10.6%
774 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
6.A tyre cords visible or damaged10.2%
749 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
7.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm7.5%
547 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
8.A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED6.9%
507 occurrencesHeadlamp not working explained
9.A tyre seriously damaged6.0%
440 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
10.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn5.5%
407 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Alfa Romeo Giulietta 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 requirements29.7%
7,282 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured18.8%
4,611 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn18.0%
4,405 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
4.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened16.7%
4,102 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged10.0%
2,444 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.1%
2,222 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
7.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users6.2%
1,510 tests
8.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn5.3%
1,287 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs83%

6–8 yrs79%

9–11 yrs69%

12–14 yrs59%

15+ yrs57%

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Giulietta fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 87,885
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol52.0%
Diesel48.0%

Trim names grouped into this model (3)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

GIULIETTA SPRINT JTDM-2
GIULIETTA SPRINT JTDM-2 S-A
GIULIETTA SPRINT TB

Check a specific Alfa Romeo Giulietta

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 Mito — 61.6% adjusted
Alfa Romeo Giulia — 85.7% unadjusted
Alfa Romeo Stelvio — 87.7% unadjusted
Alfa Romeo Spider — 71.4% unadjusted
Alfa Romeo 159 — 57.5% unadjusted
Alfa Romeo Brera — 66.3% unadjusted
All Alfa Romeo models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter — 75.6% adjusted, ranked 99
Nissan NV200 — 60.0% adjusted, ranked 252
Kia Soul — 71.1% adjusted, ranked 159
Fiat 500C — 64.8% adjusted, ranked 224

Common questions

Is the Alfa Romeo Giulietta reliable?: On MOT evidence the Alfa Romeo Giulietta is below average. It passes 69.8% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 172 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Alfa Romeo Giulietta?: The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 19.7% of failed Alfa Romeo Giulietta 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 Giulietta?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 29.7% of all Alfa Romeo Giulietta 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 Giulietta usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 87,885 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.
Does a Alfa Romeo Giulietta get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 83.0% of Alfa Romeo Giulietta tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 56.8%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Alfa Romeo Giulietta models petrol or diesel?: Of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta cars tested, 52% are petrol, 48% are diesel. 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. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

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.