Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 6,487 tests

Pass rate climbs 6.8 points across the cohorts — newer Stelvio examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 1,513

Pass

88.0%

Fail

9.7%

PRS

1.5%

Avg mileage at test

57,404 mi

2018–2020 cohort 4,683

Pass

92.0%

Fail

7.0%

PRS

0.6%

Avg mileage at test

43,888 mi

2021+ cohort 291

Pass

94.8%

Fail

3.1%

PRS

0.0%

Avg mileage at test

21,998 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

The picture

Stelvio: a strong MOT record by UK norms

Across 3,004 MOT tests, the Stelvio returns 89.2% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is tyre tread under the limit. Brake pads worn below 1.5 mm and windscreen damage round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 38,120, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 32–44

A high-group car — insurance costs will be significantly above average. 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 →

32–44

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

107 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
02

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

74 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
03

Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

57 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
04

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

40 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
05

A tyre cords visible or damaged

39 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
06

A tyre seriously damaged

38 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
07

Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn

30 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
08

Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen

30 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
09

Wiper blade defective

20 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
10

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

19 occurrences · 0.3% 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

£208–£385

If every one of this Stelvio'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

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 6.8-point gap between bands means the year you buy Alfa Romeo Stelvio has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

94.8%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 94.8% — a 6.8-point improvement. Tests in this band average 21,998 miles — roughly 35K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, malfunctioning or obviously inoperative — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.

Band to be cautious about

88.0%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 88.0% pass rate against a fleet average of 94.8% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, less than 1.5 mm thick, and significantly and obviously worn. Average mileage on test for this band is 57,404 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (94.8% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (88.0% pass). That's a 6.8-point spread across 1,513 older tests and 291 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

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

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

Item 02 · Amazon UK

Brake pad measurement gauge

Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.

Search Amazon UK

Item 03 · 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

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

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

Book a mobile mechanic

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.

Get a quote →

Recall history

10 UK recalls on record.

The Stelvio has 10 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Stelvio?

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 Stelvio 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.