All generations and engines together · 24,485 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 57k
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 6,884 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
The 1.4 TB MultiAir turbo petrol has a pattern of the timing drive wearing out well before the service book interval, with real cases needing replacement in the 30,000-55,000 mile range rather than the roughly 60,000 miles Alfa quotes. The giveaway is a rattle or tapping from the front of the engine on start-up; in the worst cases the belt or chain fails outright and takes valves or pistons with it. No recall or manufacturer TSB has surfaced publicly, so treat a car without clear cambelt paperwork as a risk rather than a known-fixed issue.
A scattered set of electrical faults rather than one single culprit: broken wiring in the boot/tailgate loom that can leave the boot locked shut, DAB radio units that drop reception intermittently, climate control flap motors that stick and give inconsistent cabin temperature, and stop-start systems that quit and won't reset with just a new battery. None of it is dangerous but it's fiddly to fix, so bills stack up: a boot loom repair is typically £150-£200 in parts but has been billed over £500 once diagnosis is added, and a stuck climate flap can mean four figures if the dash has to come apart. No recall covers any of it.
A long-running owner complaint of clunks and knocks from the front end, usually blamed on worn anti-roll bar drop links, control arm bushes and top mounts, typically from around 60,000 miles on. This lines up with the measured MOT data for the model, where suspension is the standout fault category for the family-hatch segment, so the forum folklore and the test numbers are pointing at the same area of the car. Drop links and bushes are cheap individually, roughly £50-£150 a side fitted, but they tend to fail one after another rather than all at once.
Cars with the optional TCT gearbox, a dry dual-clutch automatic rather than a torque-converter box, draw complaints of jerky, hesitant pull-away and a slipping or juddery feel at low speed, generally blamed on a worn clutch pack or a clutch actuator losing its adaptation. It tends to show up from around 40,000 miles and gets worse in stop-start traffic. A clutch pack replacement is a four-figure job at a specialist. Manual Giuliettas aren't affected.
On the 1.6 and 2.0 JTDM diesels, owners and independent write-ups describe injector seals leaking fuel into the engine oil, and turbos wearing early enough to cause a noticeable loss of power and black smoke under load, generally from around 80,000-120,000km (roughly 50-75,000 miles). Diesel-smelling, diluted oil on the dipstick is the tell for the injector problem. A reseal and oil change is a few hundred pounds; a replacement turbo runs upwards of £700-£1,000. No manufacturer recall found for either.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (Family hatchbacks), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.