Used car guide · 2001–2009

Alfa Romeo 147 common problems and MOT failures

What goes wrong on a used Alfa Romeo 147, year by year: known faults from UK buying guides, the parts flagged at MOT more than on other cars (from 5,664 MOTs done during 2023–2025), and what to check before you buy one.

5,664MOTs done in 2023–2025, all years of this model
3,327on the UK register
2005best year at its MOT

Pick the year

Most years have their own guide. The year is when the car was first registered (it’s on the logbook, or check the reg below).

200920082007200620052004200320022001

What usually goes wrong with an Alfa Romeo 147?

We haven’t found widely reported faults for the Alfa Romeo 147 in the UK buying guides we use yet. That doesn’t mean it has none, so check the car carefully and look at the MOT weak spots below.

Common Alfa Romeo 147 MOT failures to check

Parts flagged at MOT well above the usual rate for cars the same age, in more than one year. From the DVSA’s results for every MOT done in Great Britain during 2023–2025.

  • Washers

    up to 2.4× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

    Rough price £15–£60 our estimate

    At the viewing: Test the wipers and washers on every speed.

  • Sub-frame

    up to 2.2× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2006 and 2007.

    Rough price £300–£1,000 our estimate

    At the viewing: Look underneath at the frame the suspension bolts to. Flaky rust or holes are expensive to fix.

  • Suspension arm bushes and joints

    up to 1.8× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2005 and 2008.

    Rough price £120–£180 (one arm) ClickMechanic

    At the viewing: Listen for clunks over bumps and feel for the steering wandering. Worn arm bushes show as cracked rubber near the wheels.

Alfa Romeo 147 MOT pass rate by year

Of the years since 2005 with plenty of MOT tests, the 2005 Alfa Romeo 147 did best (57% passed first time, 0 points above all 2005 cars) and the 2007 did worst (50%, 7 points below all 2007 cars). Older cars fail more, so compare each year with all cars registered the same year.

YearPass first timeAll cars that yearMOT tests
200958%59% -1567
200855%57% -21,144
200750%57% -7913
200651%56% -5682
200557%57% +0594
200464%57% +7577
200365%57% +8644
200258%58% +0382 (small sample)
200161%60% +1161 (small sample)

Questions to ask the seller before buying an Alfa Romeo 147

Ask before you travel to see it. A seller who knows the car will have answers, and receipts.

  1. Any recent work on the washers? (Flagged at MOT 2.4× as often on the Alfa Romeo 147 as on other cars the same age.)
  2. Any recent work on the sub-frame? (Flagged at MOT 2.2× as often on the Alfa Romeo 147 as on other cars the same age.)
  3. Any recent work on the suspension arm bushes and joints? (Flagged at MOT 1.8× as often on the Alfa Romeo 147 as on other cars the same age.)
  4. Can I see the service history and receipts for any big jobs?

Looking at an Alfa Romeo 147?

Check the actual car: its own MOT history, whether it already shows these weak spots and what to ask the seller. Free, no sign-up.

Where this comes from: MOT figures are the DVSA’s anonymised results for every MOT test done in Great Britain during 2023–2025, grouped by the year each car was first registered. How many are on the road is from the Department for Transport’s vehicle licensing statistics. Known faults are from UK buying guides, in our own words, with links. How we score