Pass rate
72.0%
Below average — 1.3 pts behind the 73.3% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 193 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £26–£74
2001 Alfa Romeo 147 MOT pass rate
- 2001
- typical 77,315 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
21.5% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Part only £35–£75 for Suspension pin or bush excessively worn. What fitting it takes →
Which year to buy
- Best 2003 76.0% pass
- Avoid 2006 67.7% pass
Across the 9 years on record, a spread of 8.3 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 65.4%
- Typical mileage
- 77k mi
The 2001 Alfa Romeo 147 MOT pass rate is 72.0% of its MOT tests — 1.3 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 21.5% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Alfa Romeo 147 does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Fewer problems with tyres
Tyres are 12.0% of this car’s recorded faults, against 19.8% nationally — the mirror image of the usual story on a car of this age.
- Based on a small sample. 193 tests back this page. That is enough to publish and to index, not enough to treat the decimal places as precise — read the pattern, not the second digit.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Alfa Romeo 147? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2001 Alfa Romeo 147 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 73.3%, so this figure is 1.3 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 65.4%. The median 2001 Alfa Romeo 147 in this dataset had covered 77,315 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 69.7% of the time, April–September 75.0%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Srs malfunction indicator lamp warning lamp indicates a fault", noted on 7.77% of tests.
- 193 recorded tests behind this page.
- 72.0% overall pass rate, 65.4% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Alfa Romeo 147, the average is 71.2% — best year 2003 (76.0%), worst 2006 (67.7%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 193
- Typical mileage (median)
- 77,315 mi
- Make and model
- Alfa Romeo 147
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Indicator Bulb
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the 147 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 56% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the 147
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 50 | 76.0% |
| East of England | 34 | 67.6% |
| South West | 25 | 68.0% |
| West Midlands | 23 | 82.6% |
| North West | 19 | 84.2% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2001 147
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2001 147
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the lights 7.8% of tests
“srs malfunction indicator lamp warning lamp indicates a fault”
Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.
-
Check the exhaust and emissions 4.2% of tests
“exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases”
Listen for a blow at idle and have someone rev it gently. Then look at the tailpipe smoke: blue is oil, white when warm is coolant, black is over-fuelling. Any of those and the emissions test is the least of it.
-
Check the wipers and washers 4.2% of tests
“washers provides insufficient washer liquid”
Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2001 147 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £26–£74 — and 53% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £26–£74
- Cheapest common item: srs malfunction indicator lamp warning lamp…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 53%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 193 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the 147, side by side
9 model years on record, from 2001 to 2009. Across them the pass rate runs from 67.7% to 76.0% — a spread of 8.3 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2001 72.0%srs malfunction indicator lamp…
- 2002 71.8% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2003 76.0% headlamp aim projected beam image…
- 2004 75.6% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2005 71.8% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2006 67.7% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2007 68.2% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2008 70.0% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2009 72.3% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2001 Alfa Romeo 147 with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2001 cars with a similar record
- Honda Civic 72.0%
- Ford Puma 72.1%
- Volkswagen Polo 71.8%
- Audi Tt 72.2%
- Skoda Octavia 71.8%
- Renault Megane Scenic 71.8%
Closest pass rates among 2001 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2001 Alfa Romeo 147 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 562 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 124 | 21.50% | 20.98% | +0.52 |
| Brakes | 107 | 18.60% | 20.89% | −2.29 |
| Tyres | 69 | 12.00% | 19.76% | −7.76 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 66 | 11.50% | 12.21% | −0.71 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 56 | 9.70% | 5.57% | +4.13 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 48 | 8.30% | 5.52% | +2.78 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 31 | 5.40% | 0.82% | +4.58 |
| Visibility | 24 | 4.20% | 4.97% | −0.77 |
| Non-component advisories | 23 | 4.00% | 4.18% | −0.18 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 14 | 2.40% | 1.76% | +0.64 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Srs malfunction indicator lamp warning lamp indicates a fault Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Major | 7.8% | £3–12 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 5.2% | £5–25 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 4.2% | £45–120 |
| Washers provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | Major | 4.2% | £5–15 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 3.6% | £40–150 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 3.1% | £18–45 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 2.6% | £18–45 |
| Headlamp not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.6% | £5–25 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 2.1% | £180–450 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.1% | £30–80 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 18.6% | £45–110 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 17.1% | £45–95 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 16.6% | £200–700 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 11.9% | £45–95 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 10.9% | £45–120 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 9.8% | £40–150 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 9 | 66.7% | 26,476 mi |
| 30-60k | 61 | 73.8% | 47,375 mi |
| 60-90k | 45 | 77.8% | 75,568 mi |
| 90-120k | 39 | 71.8% | 101,378 mi |
| 120k+ | 39 | 64.1% | 134,365 mi |
Source: 193 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2001 147 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2001 Alfa Romeo 147?
72.0% of the 193 2001 Alfa Romeo 147 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 73.3% for cars first used in 2001. First-attempt pass rate: 65.4%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2001 Alfa Romeo 147?
The three most recorded items are srs malfunction indicator lamp warning lamp indicates a fault (7.77%), position lamp not working (5.18%), exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases (4.15%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2001 Alfa Romeo 147 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 66.7% of the time, falling to 64.1% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2001 Alfa Romeo 147 in this dataset had covered 77,315 mi.
Does the season affect the 2001 Alfa Romeo 147 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 69.7% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 75.0%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.