Alfa Romeo 156 MOT pass rate and common failures
In 2025, 63.0% of Alfa Romeo 156 MOT tests were a first-time pass, across 1,008 tests in Great Britain. For all cars it was 71.5%.
Compared with cars of the same age
Older cars fail more often, so a model that’s mostly a few years old will look better than one that’s mostly 12. These figures compare like with like.
At 3–5 years
–
Too few tests at this age to say.
At 6–10 years
–
Too few tests at this age to say.
At 11 years and over
63.1%
All cars: 61.3% (1.8 points better). 967 tests.
Pass rate by age
Figures by age, with typical mileage
| Age (years) | Tests | First-time pass | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 74 | 58.1% | 57.2% | 113,750 miles |
| 20+ | 893 | 63.5% | 61.4% | 96,250 miles |
Typical mileage is the median reading at the test, to the nearest 2,500 miles.
What fails most often
The share of Alfa Romeo 156 MOT tests that failed on at least one item in each area, against all cars. A test can fail on several areas at once.
| Area | 156 | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 26.0% | 16.6% |
| Suspension | 19.5% | 13.7% |
| Brakes | 15.7% | 10.2% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 14.7% | 4.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 12.5% | 4.0% |
| Visibility | 9.8% | 5.2% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 6.5% | 1.1% |
| Tyres | 6.1% | 8.4% |
Most common reasons for failing
- Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect failed 5.9% of tests · what this means
- Position lamp: not working failed 4.4% of tests · what this means
- Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn failed 4.2% of tests · what this means
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength failed 4.0% of tests
- Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt failed 3.7% of tests
- Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid failed 3.7% of tests · what this means
- Prescribed areas: prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced failed 3.5% of tests
- Ball joint excessively worn failed 3.3% of tests · what this means
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction failed 3.0% of tests · what this means
- Srs malfunction indicator lamp: warning lamp indicates a fault failed 2.7% of tests · what this means
Checking a particular 156?
See its own MOT history, mileage record and advisories in plain English. Free, no sign-up.
About these figures
- They cover every 156 version DVSA records under this name (engines, trims and generations together), on its first MOT test of each visit. A “pass with rectification” (fixed within an hour) counts as a fail, as in DVSA’s own statistics.
- Cars under three years old are left out, because the few tested that young are mostly taxis.
- Fuel mix of the cars tested: petrol 82.2%, diesel 17.7%, liquefied petrolum gas (lpg) 0.1%.
- A pass rate describes the model, not any one car. How a car has been looked after matters more.
Download these figures (CSV) · Other Alfa Romeo models · All makes
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data for 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Our own analysis; not produced or endorsed by DVSA.