Alfa Romeo Brera — MOT statistics 2024
The Alfa Romeo Brera failed 35.62% of 1,746 first MOT attempts in 2024 ("first-time", excluding retests). Adjusted for the age of the fleet, its initial-failure ratio is 83.7 (100 = expected for its age profile). This car fails its MOT about 16% less often than expected for its age. Small sample — treat with care.
Age-adjusted peer: Chrysler 300C (index 83.8) — the two published results are 0.1 index points apart.
Alfa Romeo Brera common problems: what actually fails the MOT
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment are well below the reference at 18.4 per 100 tests, against 31.3 per 100 tests across UK vehicles of the same ages.
higher bar = fails more oftenrate per 100 tests
family vs national — matched to UK vehicles of the same ages — top component groups, per 100 tests. Legend: This family · National avg. Combined labels: family / national average. A gap here reflects how these vehicles are driven, used and maintained as well as how they were built — an MOT defect is a test outcome, not a breakdown.
Component-group comparison table
Each ratio carries a 95% interval. With 6 groups compared here, roughly one apparent difference in twenty is chance alone, and 1 of these is already inside an interval that includes 1.00×.
| Group | This family | Cases behind it | UK, same ages | Family / national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 24.3 | 3,157 | 27.4 | 0.89×0.86–0.92 |
| Lamps & electrical | 18.4 | 2,393 | 31.3 | 0.59×0.57–0.61 |
| Brakes | 16.9 | 2,188 | 18.9 | 0.89×0.85–0.93 |
| Tyres | 10.5 | 1,357 | 10.8 | 0.98×0.92–1.02 · not distinguishable |
| Emissions & leaks | 9.1 | 1,178 | 6.6 | 1.37×1.29–1.45 |
| Visibility | 7.7 | 1,005 | 10.6 | 0.73×0.69–0.78 |
| What failed | per 100 tests (this family) | per 100 tests (UK average) | ratio family / UK | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring or spring component fractured or seriously…A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened | 11.03 | 2.86 | 3.86× | Ask the seller about: A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirementParking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 4.76 | 1.24 | 3.84× | Feel for brake judder and pulling on the test drive |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake…Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 3.41 | 1.03 | 3.31× | Feel for brake judder and pulling on the test drive |
| Suspension component excessively damaged or corrodedA suspension component excessively damaged or corroded | 2.57 | 0.30 | 8.65× | Look underneath for rust or cracks around subframe and suspension mountings |
| Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunctionEngine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction | 3.27 | 1.19 | 2.76× | Ask the seller about: Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction |
| Exhaust system leaking or insecureExhaust system leaking or insecure | 3.00 | 1.16 | 2.59× | Watch for smoke on a cold start — emissions failures are costly |
| Tyre cords visible or damagedA tyre cords visible or damaged | 3.11 | 1.63 | 1.91× | Check tyre tread depth across the full width |
| Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the…Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements | 4.75 | 3.59 | 1.32× | Check tyre tread depth across the full width |
| Suspension pin, bush or joint excessively wornA suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | 5.44 | 4.87 | 1.12× | Listen for knocks over bumps — worn joints show up on the test |
| Windscreen or window damaged or seriously…Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view | 2.46 | 2.36 | 1.04× | Check wipers, washers and windscreen chips in the driver's view |
Named defects ranked by how much more often they appear than the national average — not by raw rate.
Alfa Romeo Brera MOT advisories: what gets flagged
Suspension is highest at 42.6 per 100 tests; Non-component advisories are lowest at 5.8 per 100 tests — the gap is 36.8 per 100 tests.
higher bar = flagged more oftenadvisory items per 100 initial tests
Advisory rates table
| Group | Advisories per 100 |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 42.6 |
| Tyres | 41.2 |
| Brakes | 34.2 |
| Body & structure | 11.5 |
| Emissions & leaks | 9.8 |
| Non-component advisories | 5.8 |
Advisories are wear the tester noted but didn't fail — what will need money soon.
If a car like this fails, does it fail again?
A failure rate does not say whether a failure is a one-off or the start of something. This follows the same vehicles into their next ordinary MOT a year later — retests after a repair are excluded, because they follow a failure by definition. 2019-2024.
| After this year's test | Fails next year | Vehicles followed |
|---|---|---|
| It failed | 31.6% | 1,155 |
| It passed | 31.6% | 5,776 |
A failed test does not clearly change next year's odds here (31.6% against 31.6%): the difference is within the margin of error. The failure most likely to come back is visibility — 33.3% of those vehicles fail again next year. Some of this is the vehicle and some is the owner: a car that was let go once tends to be let go again. One caveat: a car that fails may be sold or scrapped rather than tested again, so these figures describe the vehicles that came back.
Adjusted for how much these are actually driven
The headline index adjusts for the fleet's age. Wear, though, follows mileage: a three-year-old taxi and a three-year-old garage queen sit in the same age band. These two rows compare every car with vehicles of the same age, and then with vehicles of the same age and the same annual mileage, 2019-2024, on 12,947 tests. Both stand on the six-year corpus so they are measured on identical data — compare them with each other, not with the headline index above, which is measured on 2024 alone.
| Standardised for | Index | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Age only | 89.7 | fails less often than expected |
| Age and annual mileage | 90.9 | fails less often than vehicles driven as much |
| Share doing under 3,000 miles a year | 5.1% | a normal spread of use |
Mileage changes little here (+1.2 points): this fleet is driven about as much as the vehicles it is compared with. One limit to keep in mind: mileage is partly a result of how often a car breaks down — one that spends weeks in the workshop covers fewer miles — so the mileage-matched figure can understate a real weakness. Tests with no usable odometer reading are left out of it.
How the Alfa Romeo Brera compares with cars of its own age and size
Not against the whole fleet — against cars of the same size class tested at the same age, 2019-2024.
| Age | Alfa Romeo Brera | Same class, same age | Difference | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 years | 31.37% | 25.59% | +5.78 pp | 663 |
| 11 years | 33.47% | 28.22% | +5.25 pp | 1,240 |
| 12 years | 37.38% | 30.54% | +6.83 pp | 1,830 |
| 13 years | 39% | 32.61% | +6.39 pp | 2,346 |
| 14 years | 36.45% | 34.58% | +1.87 pp | 2,173 |
| 15 years | 38.09% | 36.03% | +2.06 pp | 1,977 |
| 16 years | 38.57% | 37.08% | +1.49 pp | 1,400 |
| 17 years | 36.71% | 37.47% | -0.76 pp | 790 |
| 18 years | 43.77% | 37.84% | +5.93 pp | 361 |
Raw first-time failure rates within each age, so fleet age cannot flatter either side. A positive difference means this model fails more often than its own class at that age.
How does the Alfa Romeo Brera perform as it gets older?
The Romeo Brera at age 16 is well below the reference at 32.7%, against 43.1% for all vehicles of the same age.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
Chart axes: car age, years · failure-rate scale 0–47%.
Takeaway: solid line: this family; dashed: all cars.
Data table
| Age | Alfa Romeo Brera | All vehicles | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 32.2% | 41.6% | -9.4 pp |
| 16 | 32.7% | 43.1% | -10.4 pp |
| 17 | 36.7% | 43.1% | -6.5 pp |
| 18 | 43.9% | 43.9% | +0.0 pp |
Is an Alfa Romeo Brera ULEZ compliant?
The share of classifiable 2024 Alfa Romeo Brera MOT tests likely ULEZ compliant by first-registration date is 69.2%.
Based on 1,725 classifiable initial MOT tests. This describes the tested fleet, not a specific car. MOT data do not record Euro class, so likely compliance is inferred from fuel and first-registration date. For the only authoritative answer, check the registration with TfL's official ULEZ checker.
higher = larger share likely compliantinferred from fuel and first-registration date; not a recorded Euro class
| Vehicle age at test | Likely ULEZ-compliant share | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 0 |
| 3–5 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 0 |
| 6–7 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 0 |
| 8 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 0 |
| 9 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 0 |
| 10–14 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 114 |
| 15–17 years | 68.2% Check a registration with TfL | n = 1,250 |
| 18 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 360 |
| 19 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 1 |
| 20+ years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 0 |
How dangerous are Alfa Romeo Brera MOT failures?
Major defects stand out at 74.0 per 100 tests, against 52.8 per 100 tests nationally.
higher bar = fails more oftenrate per 100 tests
Severity table
| Severity | This family /100 | National /100 | Family / national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor | 11.60 | 14.22 | 0.82× |
| Major | 73.95 | 52.75 | 1.40× |
| Dangerous | 14.00 | 11.15 | 1.26× |
Chart values: Minor 11.6 · Major 74.0 · Dangerous 14.0.
Per 100 tests on this family. National average: Minor 14.2 · Major 52.8 · Dangerous 11.2 per 100.
Does the month of an Alfa Romeo Brera MOT matter?
Feb is highest at 39.4%; Jun is lowest at 33.8% — the gap is 5.7 percentage points.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
Chart scale: 27%–41%.
bars: Alfa Romeo Brera · dashed: all class-4 cars
Month-by-month table
| Month | Alfa Romeo Brera | All vehicles | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39.01% | 31.12% | +7.9 pp |
| Feb | 39.44% | 29.99% | +9.4 pp |
| Mar | 38.8% | 28.26% | +10.5 pp |
| Apr | 37.43% | 29.78% | +7.6 pp |
| May | 37.97% | 28.79% | +9.2 pp |
| Jun | 33.75% | 28.15% | +5.6 pp |
| Jul | 37.29% | 29.33% | +8.0 pp |
| Aug | 35.03% | 29.2% | +5.8 pp |
| Sep | 36.52% | 28.19% | +8.3 pp |
| Oct | 36.74% | 30.34% | +6.4 pp |
| Nov | 37.76% | 30.58% | +7.2 pp |
| Dec | 35.29% | 29.33% | +6.0 pp |
Takeaway: the spread between best and worst month is 5.7 percentage points — noticeable seasonality. Seasonality partly reflects registration-date clustering, not weather.
Before reading the shape: most of it is not about cars. Britain changes its registration plates twice a year, and 18.9% of these cars were first registered in March with another17.1% in September — 36% in two months against the 17% an even spread would give. An MOT falls due three years after first registration, so the buying calendar becomes the testing calendar. That shapes how many cars are tested each month — not how often they fail: the busiest months here are not the worst ones, so read the failure line on its own and the volume behind it separately.
Alfa Romeo Brera average mileage by age
At age 16, the middle half of Romeo Breras runs from 70,736 miles to 115,718 miles, against 91,494 miles as the median.
further right = more milesmedian is the typical car; band is p25–p75
Chart axes: car age, years · odometer scale 0–129k mi.
Does high mileage mean more Alfa Romeo Brera MOT failures at the same age?
Within the same age group, split by odometer (2024 MOTs), so this separates wear from age: at ages 15+, 15.3% of those with under 40,000 miles failed first time versus 40.1% of those with over 140,000 miles.Inside this age group, higher mileage goes with more failures.
| Age | Odometer | % failing | 95% interval | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15+ | <40k miles | 15.3% | 8.2–26.5% | 59 (rough estimate) |
| 15+ | 40-70k miles | 24.6% | 20.3–29.5% | 333 (rough estimate) |
| 15+ | 70-100k miles | 38% | 34.1–42.1% | 568 |
| 15+ | 100-140k miles | 42.3% | 38–46.7% | 494 (rough estimate) |
| 15+ | 140k+ miles | 40.1% | 32.8–47.9% | 157 (rough estimate) |
line: median · band: middle half of the fleet (p25–p75)
Mileage by age (p25 / median / p75)
| Age | p25 | Median | p75 | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 63,667 | 76,194 | 109,049 | 91 |
| 15 | 64,835 | 83,524 | 105,586 | 419 |
| 16 | 70,736 | 91,494 | 115,718 | 471 |
| 17 | 78,544 | 97,524 | 122,470 | 360 |
| 18 | 76,283 | 94,465 | 121,549 | 360 |
A typical 16-year-old Romeo Brera has ~91,494 miles on the clock. Much more — ask why; much less — check for gaps in the MOT history.
Where in Britain the Alfa Romeo Brera fails its MOT most
Bristol area is highest at 55.0%; Enfield area is lowest at 7.7% — the gap is 47.3 percentage points.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
| Toughest areas | % failing | vs model overall |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol (BS) | 55% | +17.9 pp |
| Edinburgh (EH) | 51.5% | +14.4 pp |
| Leeds (LS) | 50% | +12.9 pp |
| Luton (LU) | 50% | +12.9 pp |
| Stoke-on-Trent (ST) | 50% | +12.9 pp |
| Easiest areas | % failing | vs model overall |
|---|---|---|
| Enfield (EN) | 7.66% | -29.5 pp |
| Southend-on-Sea (SS) | 22.12% | -15.0 pp |
| Slough (SL) | 22.96% | -14.2 pp |
| Kingston upon Thames (KT) | 25.41% | -11.7 pp |
| Stevenage (SG) | 29.36% | -7.8 pp |
Every dot is a postcode area — size = how many were tested there, colour = share failing. These figures are not age-adjusted: coastal and rural areas often run older fleets and salted roads, so higher raw fail rates do not automatically mean a worse local stock of this model.
Map labels: Scotland · N. England · Wales · London · S. West. Colour scale: 8%–55% failing.
How many miles does an Alfa Romeo Brera last?
100,000+ miles is highest at 34.2%; 150,000+ miles is lowest at 4.5% — the gap is 29.7 percentage points.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
| Odometer | Tests ≥ threshold | Share of sample |
|---|---|---|
| 100,000+ miles | 4,433 | 34.18% |
| 150,000+ miles | 581 | 4.48% |
Of 12,968 tests of this family with a usable odometer in 2024, 34.2% had reached 100k miles, 4.5% had reached 150k miles. This is a cross-section of cars still presenting for MOT, not a full birth cohort.
Alfa Romeo Brera faults that come together
Emissions & leaks + Seatbelts & SRS stand out at 4.19×, against 1.00× if the faults were independent.
above 1.0× = more than expectedbelow 1.0× = less
| Group A | Group B | Together | Lift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 26 | 4.19× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Noise, emissions and leaks | 231 | 3.98× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 34 | 3.4× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Steering | 77 | 3.22× (rough estimate) |
| Identification of the vehicle | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 20 | 3.21× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 27 | 3.13× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Noise, emissions and leaks | 363 | 3.03× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Noise, emissions and leaks | 304 | 2.94× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Visibility | 300 | 2.9× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Steering | 120 | 2.81× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Brakes | 223 | 2.76× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 453 | 2.72× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 250 | 2.67× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Steering | 132 | 2.67× (rough estimate) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Visibility | 171 | 2.66× (rough estimate) |
| Identification of the vehicle | Suspension | 22 | 2.66× (rough estimate) |
| Road Wheels | Suspension | 20 | 2.62× (rough estimate) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Tyres | 181 | 2.61× (rough estimate) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Steering | 78 | 2.54× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Visibility | 125 | 2.49× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Suspension | 308 | 2.48× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Suspension | 635 | 2.47× |
| Brakes | Suspension | 548 | 2.47× |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Tyres | 269 | 2.41× (rough estimate) |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Suspension | 32 | 2.4× (rough estimate) |
| Steering | Suspension | 154 | 2.34× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Tyres | 222 | 2.31× (rough estimate) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Suspension | 360 | 2.26× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Tyres | 122 | 2.26× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Visibility | 199 | 2.23× (rough estimate) |
| Steering | Visibility | 57 | 2.15× (rough estimate) |
| Tyres | Visibility | 126 | 2.11× (rough estimate) |
| Steering | Tyres | 60 | 2.1× (rough estimate) |
| Suspension | Tyres | 309 | 2.08× (rough estimate) |
| Suspension | Visibility | 261 | 1.89× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Identification of the vehicle | 17 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Road Wheels | 17 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Tyres | 17 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 16 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Visibility | 15 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Identification of the vehicle | Noise, emissions and leaks | 11 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Road Wheels | Tyres | 10 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Road Wheels | 10 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Road Wheels | 9 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Identification of the vehicle | Visibility | 9 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Identification of the vehicle | Tyres | 9 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Road Wheels | 8 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Identification of the vehicle | 7 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Steering | 6 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Road Wheels | Visibility | 6 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Road Wheels | Steering | 5 | too few (rough estimate) |
Defects in «Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment» and «Suspension» appear together 2.47× more often than chance (635 co-occurrences in the same test; lift≥1.3, n≥500).
Lift = how many times more often both groups appear on the same test than if independent. A pair is listed from 5 tests with both faults; the lift is shown from 20, and called above chance only when its 95% interval excludes 1 (see rough estimates).
Is low mileage better for an Alfa Romeo Brera?
Cars driven under 5,000 miles a year is well below the reference at 26.6%, against 46.6% for cars driven 8,000–12,000 miles a year.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
| Band | Fail % | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| <5k miles/year | 26.62% | 541 |
| 8–12k miles/year | 46.6% | 618 |
| Gap (low − normal) | -19.98 pp | — |
By fuel and age
Diesel
| Age | Low-use fail % | n | Normal fail % | n | Gap pp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 14.63 | 41 | 42.71 | 192 | -28.07 pp |
| 12 | 25.45 | 55 | 44.05 | 311 | -18.6 pp |
| 13 | 25.61 | 82 | 47.3 | 370 | -21.69 pp |
| 14 | 33.75 | 80 | 44.01 | 284 | -10.26 pp |
Petrol
| Age | Low-use fail % | n | Normal fail % | n | Gap pp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 24.03 | 129 | 38.83 | 103 | -14.8 pp |
| 11 | 18.72 | 219 | 35.8 | 176 | -17.07 pp |
| 12 | 25.3 | 328 | 44.64 | 233 | -19.33 pp |
| 13 | 26.8 | 459 | 45.56 | 248 | -18.77 pp |
| 14 | 27.7 | 509 | 44.12 | 170 | -16.42 pp |
At matched ages 5–14, cars averaging under 5k miles/year fail at 26.6% vs 46.6% for 8–12k miles/year — 20.0 pp lower (n_low=541, n_normal=618). In this family low annual use is associated with fewer MOT fails, not more — the ‘garage queen’ penalty is not visible in overall fail rates.
Which Alfa Romeo Brera engine is best?
diesel over 2.0 is highest at 110.6; petrol 1.5–1.8 is lowest at 79.3 — the gap is 31.3 points.
below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age
| Fuel | Capacity | vs own age norm | Raw fail % | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| petrol | 1.5–1.8 litre | 79.3 | 27.75% | 227 (rough estimate) |
| petrol | over 2.0 litre | 94.6 | 35.17% | 8,308 |
| diesel | over 2.0 litre | 110.6 | 41.2% | 4,367 (rough estimate) |
Splitting this model by fuel alone hides the thing that actually differs. Within the same badge, the diesel over 2.0 runs at 110.6 against this model's own age norm while the petrol 1.5–1.8 runs at 79.3 — a spread of 31.3 points between two cars that share a name.
Read this one with more care than the rest of the page. Age is held constant, but who buys which engine is not: the largest capacity in a range is often a performance or executive variant that is garaged, cherished and lightly driven, while the smallest is frequently a fleet or entry car worked hard from new. The gap below is real in the test records; how much of it is the engine and how much is the owner, this data cannot separate. Bands under 100 tests are not shown; bands under 5,000 tests are rough estimates.
Best year for an Alfa Romeo Brera, and the years to avoid
Build year 2007 is highest at 106.8; Build year 2010 is lowest at 77.4 — the gap is 29.4 points.
below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age
build year vs the same model at the same age · 100 = as expected
Every build year with its confidence interval
| Build year | vs own age norm | 95% CI | Raw fail % | Tests | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 77.4 | 64.8–90 | 27.53% | 523 | better |
| 2009 | 86.3 | 80.6–92 | 31.48% | 2,789 | better |
| 2008 | 98.2 | 92.8–103.6 | 36.9% | 3,420 | no different |
| 2007 | 106.8 | 100.9–112.8 | 40.92% | 2,986 | worse |
| 2006 | 106.1 | 99.7–112.5 | 40.85% | 2,602 | no different |
The best build year here is 2010 and the weakest is 2007. Comparing build years sounds simple and is not: within a single year of testing, a car's build year and its age are the same number, so a naive comparison of years is a comparison of ages wearing a disguise. Each year below is measured against the same model at the same age in other cohorts, across six years of testing — 3 of 5 years come out distinguishable from their own model's age norm.
Two limits worth knowing before you act on this. Age, test year and build year are locked together by arithmetic, so the test-year effect is taken from the observed national failure level of each year rather than estimated — it is an adjustment, not a solution.
Alfa Romeo Brera MOT repair costs
The MOT-failure repair budget per test runs from £122.50 to £232.75, against £54.85 for the test itself.
bigger number = costs morepounds per test, MOT-failing faults only
| Component | Fails per 100 tests | Typical repair | Its price | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 24.3 (nat. 15.36) | Suspension coil spring (single corner) | £180 | £43.74 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 18.4 (nat. 18.09) | Battery replacement (standard 12V lead-acid) | £140 | £25.76 |
| Brakes | 16.9 (nat. 11.25) | Front brake pads (parts + labour, typical hatchback) | £150 | £25.35 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 9.1 (nat. 3.67) | Exhaust rear silencer | £200 | £18.20 |
| Tyres | 10.5 (nat. 8.7) | Tyre (single mid-range 16" fitted) | £90 | £9.45 |
Multiply how often each component fails on this model by what that repair usually costs, and you get the amount an owner should expect to budget per test for MOT-failing faults only — roughly £123 to £233, on top of the test fee itself. It is a budgeting figure, not a quote: the spread between a set of pads and a set of discs is most of the range.
Prices are modal quotes from a hand-kept catalogue of published UK garage guides — we do not scrape the booking sites, their terms forbid it, so this list is short and updated by hand with a source and date against each line. Each line prices one typical repair in that group, not a full remedy, and only groups our catalogue actually covers are counted. The contrast worth noticing is the second card: the legal maximum for the test has been £54.85 since 2010, while the repairs it uncovers have followed inflation the whole time.
For scale from a different direction: Warrantywise, which sees used-car warranty claims rather than test failures, puts the average claim at £2,052 across the ten highest-claim models it ranks and £539 for Honda, the lowest-claim make in its index (Warrantywise index 2026, 1.6 million claims, cars aged 3–15). Those sit an order of magnitude above the figures in this table, and the gap is the point: a warranty claim is a gearbox or an engine, which almost never fails an MOT, while the faults that do fail one are corrosion, lamps and tyres, which no warranty pays for. The two numbers answer different questions and neither replaces the other.
Alfa Romeo Brera running costs for a fleet
Vehicles failing at age 18 stand out at 44.0%, against 32.0% at age 15, tested in the same year.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
Failure rate and typical odometer by age
| Age | Fails | Median odometer | Tests | Gap vs age 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 32.22% | 83,524 | 419 | — |
| 16 | 32.7% | 91,494 | 471 | — |
| 17 | 36.67% | 97,524 | 360 | — |
| 18 | 43.89% | 94,465 | 360 | — |
No single year stands out as the point where this model starts costing more: the year-to-year steps in its failure rate are too small or rest on too few tests to name one (D1 rule: a step is named only with at least 2,000 tests on both sides and a jump above 3 percentage points).
Repair spend uses the same modal prices as the section above, so it inherits the same limits: one typical repair per component group, not a full remedy. Downtime is the gap between the failed test and the passed re-test, which is the window a vehicle is legally off the road.
Alfa Romeo Brera rust problems: where they corrode
Age-standardised corrosion susceptibility stands out at 3.49×, against 1.00× for the national age-standardised rate.
above 1.0× = rusts more than averagebelow 1.0× = rusts less
This Alfa Romeo Brera fails on corrosion far more often than average once age is held constant, and its owners live in areas that are gentler than most for the models we publish. Those two point in opposite directions, which is the informative case: it rusts more than average despite living in gentler places, so the cause is the car, not the postcode.
Corrosion is the one failure mode that is as much about geography as about the car. We keep the two apart on purpose: a model can look rusty simply because it is popular in Scotland, and a model can look clean simply because it is bought in Surrey. Blending them into a single score would hide which of the two is doing the work.
Exposure is this model's tests weighted by an area corrosion index built from frost days, salt load and distance to the coast — the composite validated at r = 0.42 against corrosion defects we actually record. It is published as a rank, not a raw score, because every mainstream model skews towards low-corrosion areas for the simple reason that most of Britain's cars are in the south. Susceptibility is standardised to the national age profile, so an old fleet does not get labelled a rusty model.
Does an Alfa Romeo Brera advisory become a failure?
Suspension is highest at 21.1%; Non-component advisories are lowest at 0.0% — the gap is 21.1 percentage points.
higher = more likelypercentage is the observed transition probability
chance the same component fails at the next MOT, given an advisory now
| Component | Fails next time | Typical lead time | Miles of warning | Advisories tracked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 21.1% | 12.1 months | 3,543 | 2,163 |
| Brakes | 15.2% | 12.1 months | 3,652 | 2,094 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 11.3% | 12.1 months | 3,660 | 927 |
| Tyres | 10.1% | 12.2 months | 3,500 | 2,437 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 9.8% | 12.2 months | 3,266 | 898 |
| Non-component advisories | 0.0% | — | — | 529 |
This is the question an advisory note actually raises, and it needs six years of test history to answer. We followed the same vehicles from one MOT to the next across 2019–2024 and measured how often a component that was merely advised came back as a genuine failure at the next test.
Read it as a budgeting horizon, not a prophecy: the most likely component above turns into a failure for about 21 in 100 cars, and the median gap is 12.1 months and roughly 3,543 miles. The rest were repaired, sold, scrapped, or simply held. Rows with fewer than 500 tracked advisories are not shown.
What will fail next on an Alfa Romeo Brera?
Suspension after a failure at age 15-19 is highest at 21.2%; Brakes after a passed at age 9-11 are lowest at 5.9% — the gap is 15.3 percentage points.
higher = more likelypercentage is the observed transition probability
| Age | Last test | Most likely next failures | Cars tracked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9-11 | passed | Suspension 10.6% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 7.7% · Brakes 5.9% | 1,057 |
| 9-11 | advisory | Suspension 13.1% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 11.1% · Brakes 9.5% | 800 |
| 9-11 | failure | Suspension 17.7% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 16.9% · Brakes 14.4% | 932 |
| 12-14 | passed | Suspension 11.7% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 8.6% · Brakes 7.6% | 1,951 |
| 12-14 | advisory | Suspension 18.0% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 12.2% · Brakes 10.1% | 1,604 |
| 12-14 | failure | Suspension 21.1% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 16.5% · Brakes 12.2% | 2,150 |
| 15-19 | passed | Suspension 13.2% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 9.3% · Brakes 7.7% | 506 |
| 15-19 | advisory | Suspension 19.5% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 13.9% · Brakes 13.7% | 569 |
| 15-19 | failure | Suspension 21.2% · Brakes 13.8% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 13.4% | 768 |
The same chains, cut differently: given a car's age and how its last test went, which component most often causes trouble at the following one.
The pattern that repeats across every family: a failure at one test roughly doubles the chance of a failure on the same component at the next one, and an advisory sits about half-way between a clean pass and a failure. Age bands in years; probabilities are per car, not per defect item.
Alfa Romeo Brera ownership: what six years of MOTs show
The ten-day re-test pass rate is highest at 68.5%; The later re-test pass rate is lowest at 9.0% — the gap is 59.5 percentage points.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
Failing is usually a same-week event, not a disaster. Of 3,296 failures followed through to their re-test, 22.48% were repaired and passed the same day and 68.51% within ten days; the median gap is 2 days. 8,347 defect items were cleared in the process.
Per mile driven, not per year. Dividing failures by the miles that actually went onto the odometers between consecutive tests gives 0.965 failures per 10,000 miles, on a median of 2,780 miles a year across 2,475 chains. This is the number to compare between models — an annual rate quietly rewards cars that barely leave the drive.
Two populations hide inside one model. 28.68% of these cars strung together three or more tests with nothing recorded at all, while 38.48% carried the same advisory three times or more — the same fault, noted, ignored, noted again. When you buy used you are buying one of those two histories, and the MOT record shows which.
Odometer anomalies: 1.131% of 2,475 chains show a reading lower than the previous test, with a median drop of 33,193 miles. We call this an anomaly and not fraud on purpose — instrument swaps, imports, unit mix-ups and keying errors all land in the same bucket. Obvious typos (drops under 100 miles or over 90% of the reading) are already excluded.
Alfa Romeo Brera safety recalls and how to check yours
DVSA recall campaigns stand out at 4.
bigger number = more recorded casescompare like-for-like scope, not sample size alone
recall campaigns launched per year
| Reference | Launched | Vehicles | Concern |
|---|---|---|---|
R/2009/028 | 13/04/2009 | 100 | REDUCTION OF BRAKING ASSISTANCE MAY OCCUR |
R/2007/174 | 07/12/2007 | 687 | BRAKES MAY FAIL |
R/2007/092 | 27/07/2007 | 610 | POSSIBLE LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL |
R/2007/047 | 18/04/2007 | 51 | BRAKING EFFICIENCY WILL BE REDUCED |
DVSA lists 4 safety recall campaigns for the Alfa Romeo Brera, covering roughly 1,448 vehicles in total. A recall is the manufacturer fixing a fault for free, so an open recall on your car costs nothing to clear.
Counter-intuitive, and measured on our own data: across the 25 families published here, more recalls go with a lower MOT Risk Index (r = −0.52). Heavily recalled models are not worse cars in the test bay — an active manufacturer removes the fault before it becomes an MOT failure.
Check whether a specific car has an outstanding recall — free, by registration — at DVSA's recall service. Source: DVSA vehicle safety recalls (check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk), OGL.
Alfa Romeo Brera MOT: quick answers
Alfa Romeo Brera MOT Risk Index is well below the reference at 83.7, against 100 for a car with the same age profile.
below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age
- What is the Alfa Romeo Brera first-time MOT pass rate?
- 64.38% of first attempts passed in 2024 (1,746 tests). This is the first-time figure: retests after repair are excluded. Basis: first-time, excluding retests.
- Why does this number differ from other sites?
- Other sites often report a pass rate that includes retests or counts all attempts. Our 35.62% figure is the first-time initial failure rate, using 1,746 primary tests as the denominator (first-time, excluding retests). The age-adjusted MOT initial-failure ratio 83.7 is shown separately because raw rates compare fleet age as well as cars.
Compare the Alfa Romeo Brera with other cars
MG HS is highest at 83.8; Alfa Romeo Brera is lowest at 83.7 — the gap is 0.1 points.
below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age
Same brand
All Alfa Romeo MOT statisticsAlfa Romeo Giulia MOT statsAlfa Romeo Spider MOT stats
Similar risk
Chrysler 300C (index 83.8)Jeep Grand Cherokee (index 83.8)MG HS (index 83.8)
Same size class
how Mercedes-Benz S compareshow Toyota Voxy compareshow Toyota Camry compares
By build year
Alfa Romeo Brera 2006Alfa Romeo Brera 2007Alfa Romeo Brera 2008Alfa Romeo Brera 2009Alfa Romeo Brera 2010
By area
Alfa Romeo Brera MOT failure rate by postcode area
By failure group
Alfa Romeo Brera body, chassis and structure failuresAlfa Romeo Brera brakes failuresAlfa Romeo Brera vehicle identification failuresAlfa Romeo Brera lamps, reflectors and electrics failuresAlfa Romeo Brera noise, emissions and leaks failuresAlfa Romeo Brera road wheels failuresAlfa Romeo Brera seat belts and airbags failuresAlfa Romeo Brera steering failuresAlfa Romeo Brera suspension failuresAlfa Romeo Brera tyres failuresAlfa Romeo Brera visibility failures
Data details & how to cite
Scope: class-4 vehicles (cars), initial tests only, outcomes pass / fail / fixed-on-the-spot at the station (PRS counts towards the failure rate — the defect was present at arrival). Index = observed initial failures ÷ failures expected for this fleet's exact age profile, ×100; margin of error is a 95% confidence interval. Covers ALL generations together — a 3-year-old and a 15-year-old are very different cars; a generation split is on the roadmap. Dataset release dataset_release_id=dvsa-2024-v2, frozen baseline; headline claim_id=family-stats:alfa-romeo-brera:dvsa-2024-v2. Full method: methodology.
Cite: MOT Risk Index (2026). Alfa Romeo Brera MOT statistics 2024 (data release dvsa-2024-v2; downloadable dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, doi:10.5281/zenodo.22975051). https://motriskindex.co.uk/cars/alfa-romeo-brera/ · Published 2026-07-30.