Alfa Romeo 159 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Alfa Romeo 159 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Alfa Romeo 159 passed on its first attempt in 61.4%, and its overall record sits −11.1 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Alfa Romeo 159 in the 2023–2025 data: 13,282 tests across 7 model years (2006–2012). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Alfa Romeo 159 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Alfa Romeo 159, the Suspension section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Alfa Romeo 159's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Alfa Romeo 159 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Alfa Romeo 159, each with how many of the model's 13,282 tests it was noted on.

• "Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements" (Major) — noted on about 954 Alfa Romeo 159 tests, 7.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 740 Alfa Romeo 159 tests, 5.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 481 Alfa Romeo 159 tests, 3.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength" (Major) — noted on about 473 Alfa Romeo 159 tests, 3.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 398 Alfa Romeo 159 tests, 3.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Ball joint excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 300 Alfa Romeo 159 tests, 2.3% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Alfa Romeo 159 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Alfa Romeo 159 model year on record is 2012 (74.8% across 326 tests), and the weakest is 2006 (67.6%). The gap between them is 7.2 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Alfa Romeo 159 reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.1 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Alfa Romeo 159 Owners

These checks follow this Alfa Romeo 159's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Alfa Romeo 159.

• the coil springs — “coil spring fractured or broken”

  Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.

• the windscreen — “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.

• corrosion — “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.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Alfa Romeo 159. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Alfa Romeo 159 is most common

Across every 159 model year on record (2006–2012): 5,777 Alfa Romeo 159 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 13,282 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 236 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.

The twenty areas with the most Alfa Romeo 159 cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →

Frequently Asked Questions: Alfa Romeo 159 MOT & Reliability