Does the Alfa Romeo 156 fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Alfa Romeo 156 records 23.85 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 24.48 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (−0.63, 95% interval −1.51 to +0.25). It ranks 363 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a Alfa Romeo 156 by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Alfa Romeo 156 is “Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement”, recorded 384 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 384 | 3.16 |
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 279 | 2.29 |
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 215 | 1.77 |
| A flexible brake hose excessively damaged, deteriorated, chafed, twisted or stretched | 207 | 1.70 |
| Parking brake inoperative on one side | 177 | 1.46 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 12,164 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Alfa Romeo 156 gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
16.9% of Alfa Romeo 156 MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 3,427 miles later (2,003 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 2,003 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Alfa Romeo 156 2002 · Alfa Romeo 156 2003 · Alfa Romeo 156 2004 · Alfa Romeo 156 2005 · Alfa Romeo 156 in the Netherlands · Alfa Romeo 156 by postcode area · Alfa Romeo 156 body, chassis and structure failures · Alfa Romeo 156 vehicle identification failures · Alfa Romeo 156 lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Alfa Romeo 156 noise, emissions and leaks failures · Alfa Romeo 156 road wheels failures · Alfa Romeo 156 seat belts and airbags failures · Alfa Romeo 156 steering failures · Alfa Romeo 156 suspension failures · Alfa Romeo 156 tyres failures · Alfa Romeo 156 visibility failures