Alfa Romeo
39,507 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Mitos pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 6.1 points below the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — buyers should expect more first-time fails than the typical UK car.
Pass
71.5%
Pass-after-fix
4.2%
Fail
23.6%
Avg miles
78,316
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Petrol cars first registered from January 2006 meet Euro 4 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 39,507 tests
Pass rate climbs 8.1 points across the cohorts — newer Mito examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
71.3%
Fail
23.7%
PRS
4.3%
Avg mileage at test
78,916 mi
Pass
79.4%
Fail
18.3%
PRS
2.1%
Avg mileage at test
34,409 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
The Alfa Romeo MiTo is a supermini car which was made by Fiat Group Automobiles from 2008 until 2020 and sold under the Alfa Romeo marque. It is a three-door hatchback with a front-engine, front-wheel-drive layout and shares its SCCS platform with the Fiat Grande Punto.
MOT data from 27,004 tests puts this car on a 69.9% first-time pass rate, well below the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 74,340 miles. The most common fail item is fractured or weakened suspension spring, followed by failed number plate light.
If style is your top priority then it’s tricky to top the MiTo. That won’t be enough for many buyers though - and the MiTo falls short in too many other areas.
The Mito's pass rate warrants caution in the used market. Factor in likely first-test remedial work on the common failure items and get a pre-purchase inspection that covers the specific items this car trips on most.
ABI Insurance Group
Below the fleet average — generally reasonable to insure. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.
Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →
10–22
out of 50
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A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
1,567 occurrences · 4.0% of tests
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
1,545 occurrences · 3.9% of tests
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated
968 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
806 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
799 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
763 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective
754 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
Exhaust system leaking or insecure
602 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
594 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer
570 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 4 failures
£228–£610
If every one of this Mito's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
Try the calculator
Build your own retest budget.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 8.1-point gap between bands means the year you buy Alfa Romeo Mito has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
79.4%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 79.4% — a 8.1-point improvement. Tests in this band average 34,409 miles — roughly 45K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: fractured or broken, does not clear the windscreen effectively — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. The stricter post-2018 MOT test rules meant manufacturers had to tighten up emissions and electrical checks, but this band still shows far fewer major failures on suspension and bodywork than the older fleet.
Band to be cautious about
71.3%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 71.3% pass rate against a fleet average of 79.4% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, fractured or broken, and ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt. Average mileage on test for this band is 78,916 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (79.4% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (71.3% pass). That's a 8.1-point spread across 38,977 older tests and 530 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
H7 / W21W bulb pack
A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
Search Amazon UK
My Motor World · affiliate
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Summit
Summit ADRG-238 Alfa Romeo Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS
£8.79
View at My Motor World →
Summit
Summit ADRG-380 Alfa Romeo Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass RHS
£9.89
View at My Motor World →
Summit
Summit ADRG-381 Alfa Romeo Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS
£12.09
View at My Motor World →
Summit
Summit ADRG-383 Alfa Romeo Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass RHS
£12.09
View at My Motor World →
Click Mechanic · affiliate
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Mobile mechanic · UK-wide
Book a mechanic at your door.
Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.
Owner reports · Honest John
Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.
What's good
Not particularly good to drive, can't compete with Audi A1 or MINI for quality, not great value.
Recall history
The Mito has 2 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a Mito and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.
