Pass rate
68.4%
Below average — 5.4 pts behind the 73.8% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 402 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £68–£207
2000 Alfa Romeo 156 MOT pass rate
- 2000
- typical 90,508 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
22.5% 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 2006 76.3% pass
- Avoid 2007 68.3% pass
Across the 8 years on record, a spread of 8 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 60.3%
- Typical mileage
- 91k mi
The 2000 Alfa Romeo 156 MOT pass rate is 68.4% of its MOT tests — 5.4 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 22.5% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Alfa Romeo 156 does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Body & chassis: 2.3× the national share
Body & chassis accounts for 12.8% of everything recorded on the 2000 Alfa Romeo 156, against 5.6% nationally — 7.2 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 22.5%, but at 21.0% nationally that one is ordinary. Look underneath for corrosion near the jacking points and suspension mounts; surface rust is normal, flaking metal is not.
- Falls short of its own age and mileage. Like-for-like, cars this age and mileage expect about 73.8%; this one manages 68.4% — 5.4 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 8% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
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 156? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2000 Alfa Romeo 156 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 73.8%, so this figure is 5.4 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 60.3%. The median 2000 Alfa Romeo 156 in this dataset had covered 90,508 mi.
94% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 69.1% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 67.8% of the time, April–September 69.0%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated", noted on 4.48% of tests.
- 402 recorded tests behind this page.
- 68.4% overall pass rate, 60.3% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Alfa Romeo 156, the average is 73.3% — best year 2006 (76.3%), worst 2007 (68.3%).
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
- 402
- Typical mileage (median)
- 90,508 mi
- Make and model
- Alfa Romeo 156
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Body Panel Repair
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the 156 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 52% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (94% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the 156
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South West | 108 | 58.3% |
| South East | 100 | 79.0% |
| East of England | 58 | 77.6% |
| West Midlands | 31 | 64.5% |
| Yorkshire | 24 | 58.3% |
| East Midlands | 21 | 57.1% |
| North West | 21 | 71.4% |
| London | 15 | 66.7% |
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 2000 156
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 2000 156
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 exhaust and emissions 4.2% of tests
“catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits”
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 windscreen 4.2% of tests
“windscreen damaged”
Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.
-
Check corrosion 3.7% of tests
“component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength”
Look under the sills, around the jacking points and where the suspension mounts meet the body. Flaking, holed or crumbly metal fails; a brown stain on sound metal does not.
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 2000 156 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £68–£207 — and 8% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £68–£207
- Cheapest common item: position lamp not working
- £5–£25
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 10%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 8%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 402 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 156, side by side
8 model years on record, from 2000 to 2007. Across them the pass rate runs from 68.3% to 76.3% — a spread of 8 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 68.4%joints constant velocity boot…
- 2001 74.8% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2002 75.8% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2003 75.4% headlamp aim projected beam image…
- 2004 71.8% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2005 71.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 76.3% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2007 68.3% position lamp not working
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 2000 Alfa Romeo 156 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 2000 cars with a similar record
- Ford Fiesta 68.3%
- Honda Cr-V 68.7%
- Renault Clio 69.0%
- Peugeot 206 67.8%
- Ford Focus 69.3%
- Nissan Micra 69.4%
Closest pass rates among 2000 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 2000 Alfa Romeo 156 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 1,147 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 | 265 | 22.50% | 20.98% | +1.52 |
| Brakes | 209 | 17.70% | 20.89% | −3.19 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 151 | 12.80% | 5.57% | +7.23 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 147 | 12.50% | 12.21% | +0.29 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 128 | 10.90% | 5.52% | +5.38 |
| Tyres | 93 | 7.90% | 19.76% | −11.86 |
| Visibility | 45 | 3.80% | 4.97% | −1.17 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 41 | 3.50% | 0.82% | +2.68 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 35 | 3.00% | 1.76% | +1.24 |
| Non-component advisories | 33 | 2.80% | 4.18% | −1.38 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 4.5% | £80–250 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 4.2% | £60–250 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 4.2% | £80–200 |
| Prescribed areas prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Major | 4.0% | £40–120 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 3.7% | £180–450 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.5% | £30–80 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.2% | £80–250 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 3.0% | £40–150 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.0% | £5–25 |
| Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.7% | £60–250 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 13.9% | £200–700 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 12.4% | £45–110 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 12.2% | £25–65 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 9.9% | £40–150 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 9.0% | £45–95 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 8.7% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 5 | 60.0% | 25,000 mi |
| 30-60k | 73 | 74.0% | 49,881 mi |
| 60-90k | 119 | 72.3% | 76,526 mi |
| 90-120k | 83 | 68.7% | 101,432 mi |
| 120k+ | 121 | 61.2% | 154,775 mi |
Source: 402 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.
2000 156 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2000 Alfa Romeo 156?
68.4% of the 402 2000 Alfa Romeo 156 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 73.8% for cars first used in 2000. First-attempt pass rate: 60.3%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2000 Alfa Romeo 156?
The three most recorded items are joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (4.48%), catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (4.23%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (4.23%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2000 Alfa Romeo 156 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 60.0% of the time, falling to 61.2% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2000 Alfa Romeo 156 in this dataset had covered 90,508 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2000 Alfa Romeo 156?
Petrol: 69.1% pass rate across 379 tests. Diesel: 56.5% pass rate across 23 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2000 Alfa Romeo 156 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 67.8% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 69.0%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.