57.5%
Alfa Romeo 159
Alfa Romeo 159 MOT pass rate and common problems
The Alfa Romeo 159 passed 57.5% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 14.8 percentage points below the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the 159 compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
67.9%
Alfa Romeo average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The 159 runs 10.4 points behind the Alfa Romeo average. It is 7th of the 7 Alfa Romeo models in the data. The average 159 arrived at its test 16.1 years old with 120,543 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
159 MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 to 10 years (small sample) | 1 | 100% | 27.7 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 2,811 | 57.5% | 14.9 pts below |
Too few tests fall into some age groups to compare them reliably. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where 159 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Alfa Romeo 159 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Suspension and brakes together account for 45.4% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common 159 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Alfa Romeo 159 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 40.3% of everything testers recorded against failed Alfa Romeo 159 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a 159
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken, component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength, ball joint excessively worn and pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn. 17.5% of failure items.
2
Brakes
Recorded most often: rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements and service brake performance excessively binding. 9.4% of failure items.
3
Tyres
Recorded most often: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm and condition has ply or cords exposed. 7.1% of failure items.
4
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working. 3.7% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific 159 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Alfa Romeo 159 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Alfa Romeo 159 MOT FAQs
What is the Alfa Romeo 159 MOT pass rate?
57.5% of Alfa Romeo 159 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 2,812 tests. That is 14.8 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 516th of 575 models.
What does an Alfa Romeo 159 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Alfa Romeo 159 cars failing their 2025 MOT was rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements, on 6.9% of failure items. Next were coil spring fractured or broken (5.9%) and component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (5.8%).
Which area causes the most Alfa Romeo 159 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was suspension at 26.5%, followed by brakes at 18.9%.
Does this mean every Alfa Romeo 159 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Alfa Romeo 159 that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Alfa Romeo 159's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.