57.5%
Alfa Romeo 159 pass rate
Used Alfa Romeo 159 buying guide
In 2025, Alfa Romeo 159 cars passed 57.5% of 2,812 initial MOT tests, 14.8 points below the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific 159? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Alfa Romeo 159 MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
−14.8
percentage points below average
Ranked on pass rate the 159 sits 516th of 575 models in the data. Alfa Romeo as a brand averaged 67.9%, so this model runs 10.4 points behind its own brand.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Alfa Romeo 159 MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the 159 compares with similar cars.
159 fuel types
Diesel made up 74.9% of Alfa Romeo 159 MOT tests in 2025, against 39.3% across all models in this data. Most used examples you look at will be diesels.
Where the 159 fails its MOT
Where Alfa Romeo 159 cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.
The specific items testers recorded most often were rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (6.9%), coil spring fractured or broken (5.9%) and component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (5.8%). See every common 159 MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Alfa Romeo 159 that failed, not a claim that every 159 has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used 159?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.
1
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 26.5% of 159 failure items.
2
Brakes
Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing. 18.9% of 159 failure items.
3
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting. 18.2% of 159 failure items.
4
Tyres
Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear. 9.7% of 159 failure items.
5
Body, chassis, structure
Look underneath and along the sills for corrosion, and check for damaged or poorly repaired panels. 8.4% of 159 failure items.
None of this replaces the car's own record. Run a free MOT history check on the registration to see every test, advisory and recorded mileage for that car.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Alfa Romeo 159 failures cluster around suspension and brakes tells you what to inspect. It tells you nothing about whether the car is safe to buy. An MOT does not show money still owed on the car, a write-off, a theft record or a clocked odometer.
Check the exact 159 you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Alfa Romeo history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used Alfa Romeo models
The most-tested Alfa Romeo models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the 159.
- Used Alfa Romeo Giulietta 65.5% MOT pass rate
- Used Alfa Romeo Mito 60.7% MOT pass rate
- Used Alfa Romeo Giulia 85.7% MOT pass rate
- Used Alfa Romeo Stelvio 87.8% MOT pass rate
- Used Alfa Romeo Spider 71.4% MOT pass rate
- Used Alfa Romeo Brera 66.3% MOT pass rate
See all 7 Alfa Romeo models ranked by MOT pass rate.
Used Alfa Romeo 159 FAQs
Is the Alfa Romeo 159 reliable?
MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 57.5% first-time pass rate for the Alfa Romeo 159 across 2,812 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
What should I check before buying a used Alfa Romeo 159?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, brakes and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment. Then check the individual car's history: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records, stolen markers, mileage and previous keepers. None of these appear in the MOT record or on the V5C.
How do I check an Alfa Romeo 159's history?
Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.