Common problems
Alfa Romeo 147 common problems
What MOT testers find on the Alfa Romeo 147: the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 3,701 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.
MOT data updated
At 16 years, the most tested age
What stands out
- Suspension fails show up on 22.5 of every 100 MOTs of a Alfa Romeo 147 at 16 years old (n=1,317), against 17.1 for all cars of that age (n=4,858,625).
- Lights and electrics fails are less common: 17.9 per 100 MOTs against 20.4 for all cars at the same age.
- The fail item testers record most often at 16 years: suspension arm bush worn, on 7.7 per 100 MOTs (all cars 2.2).
- The most common advisory or minor defect: tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge, on 19.1 per 100 MOTs.
Problems by part at 16 years
How many of every 100 MOTs found a fail, or an advisory or minor defect, in each area. A test with faults in two areas counts in both.
| Area | Fails | All cars | Advisories | All cars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 22.5 | 17.1 | 37.8 | 33.7 |
| Lights and electrics | 17.9 | 20.4 | 9.6 | 15.3 |
| Brakes | 15.6 | 11.6 | 28.3 | 29.5 |
| Body and structure | 11.4 | 7.6 | 17.2 | 12.6 |
| Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 10.7 | 6.8 | 4.4 | 5.7 |
| Tyres | 8.7 | 7.5 | 28.3 | 28.4 |
| Exhaust, emissions and leaks | 6.5 | 6.2 | 13.1 | 12.0 |
| Seat belts and airbags | 5.4 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Steering | 3.0 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 4.6 |
| Road wheels | 1.1 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 1.5 |
| Number plates and VIN | 0.6 | 0.6 | 3.5 | 4.8 |
What testers fail most on the 147 at 16 years
| Item | Area | Per 100 MOTs | All cars | Typical repair (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension arm bush worn | Suspension | 7.7 | 2.2 | £92 to £237 per arm (rough guide) |
| Handbrake too weak | Brakes | 6.3 | 2.5 | |
| Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength | Suspension | 4.9 | 1.5 | |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 4.6 | 2.3 | £2 to £14 per car (rough guide) |
| Suspension ball joint worn | Suspension | 4.0 | 2.5 | £75 to £237 per side (rough guide) |
| Tyre tread below 1.6 mm | Tyres | 3.9 | 3.1 | £88 to £145 per tyre |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect | Lights and electrics | 3.6 | 3.0 | £16 to £39 per car (rough guide) |
| Washers: not working | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 3.4 | 1.2 | £28 to £118 per car (rough guide) |
| Side/position light not working | Lights and electrics | 3.3 | 5.9 | £10 to £47 per lamp |
| Driveshaft CV boot split | Body and structure | 3.0 | 2.9 | £88 to £196 per boot (rough guide) |
Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 16 years
Advisories and minor defects are recorded, but the car still passes. Across all cars, a part with an advisory or minor defect failed at the next MOT 5.5 times in 100 (n=88,666,940 pairs of consecutive MOTs), against 0.3 times in 100 when the same part had none (n=12,936,860,350).
| Item | Area | Per 100 MOTs | All cars | If it needs replacing (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge | Tyres | 19.1 | 18.2 | £88 to £145 per tyre |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened | Brakes | 18.4 | 11.2 | £148 to £376 per axle (rough guide) |
| Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive | Exhaust, emissions and leaks | 11.2 | 10.7 | |
| Suspension arm pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement | Suspension | 9.6 | 8.7 | £92 to £237 per arm (rough guide) |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened | Suspension | 9.1 | 5.3 | |
| Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing | Tyres | 9.0 | 9.5 | £88 to £145 per tyre |
| Coil spring: corroded | Suspension | 7.9 | 7.4 | |
| Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases | Body and structure | 7.6 | 4.6 | £182 to £263 per section |
| Suspension arm ball joint: ball joint has slight play | Suspension | 5.6 | 2.3 | £75 to £237 per side (rough guide) |
| Brake pads: wearing thin | Brakes | 4.7 | 6.8 | £72 to £174 per axle (rough guide) |
Repair estimates are a guide for an independent garage: labour at the national median local garage rate (median £78 an hour from 65 garages, ONS price quotes) times estimated labour hours, plus a parts band. Labour hours and most parts bands are estimates, not quotes, and prices vary by model, engine and region. A warning light fault shows the cost of the diagnosis only.
How problems change with age
| Age | Tests (n) | Suspension | Lights and electrics | Brakes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 years | 1,195 | 20.0 | 18.0 | 14.5 |
| 16 years | 1,317 | 22.5 | 17.9 | 15.6 |
| 17 years | 1,189 | 19.5 | 18.0 | 15.3 |
What to check on a viewing
On the Alfa Romeo 147, testers most often record suspension arm bush worn; handbrake too weak; component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength. Look at these first, then the areas below.
Suspension
- Listen for knocks or clonks over speed bumps and rough roads on the test drive.
- Push down hard on each corner: the car should settle at once rather than keep bouncing.
- Look behind the wheels for broken or heavily rusted coil springs and split rubber bushes.
- Check that the car sits level and that no tyre is worn on one edge only.
Lights and electrics
- With someone outside, try every light: dipped and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and number plate lamps.
- Check that the warning lights come on with the ignition and go out once the engine runs.
- Look for misted, cracked or yellowed headlamp lenses.
Brakes
- On the test drive the car should stop in a straight line without pulling, juddering or grinding.
- Look at the discs through the wheels for a deep lip, heavy rust or scoring.
- Check that the handbrake or electronic parking brake holds the car on a slope.
- Ask when the pads, discs and brake fluid were last changed, and for the receipts.
Ask for the car's MOT history and service record: advisories that repeat from one year to the next show what has been left. GOV.UK MOT history.
Questions
What are the most common problems on the Alfa Romeo 147?
At 16 years, the age with the most MOT tests (1,317), the fail items testers record most often on the Alfa Romeo 147 are suspension arm bush worn (7.7 per 100 MOTs), handbrake too weak (6.3 per 100 MOTs), component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (4.9 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (19.1) and brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (18.4).
Which parts of the Alfa Romeo 147 fail more often than on other cars?
At 16 years: suspension (22.5 per 100 MOTs against 17.1 for all cars); brakes (15.6 per 100 MOTs against 11.6 for all cars); windscreen, wipers and mirrors (10.7 per 100 MOTs against 6.8 for all cars). Compared with 4,858,625 MOTs of all cars the same age.
Alfa Romeo 147 problems by area
More on the Alfa Romeo 147
Other Alfa Romeo models
The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.
Looking at a Alfa Romeo 147?
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Repair estimates: ONS consumer price quotes for local garage labour (09/2025 to 08/2026), the MOT inspection manual for defect wording, and estimated labour hours and parts bands. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ONS.
Source
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources