Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Alfa Romeo Mito 2016: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 67 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2016 Alfa Romeo Mito were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Track rod end (front).

Summary

The 2016 Alfa Romeo Mito follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 1,381 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
67 in every 100
Did not pass first time
33 in every 100454 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
9 yearsabout 54,886 miles
First tests counted
1,381

What failed most often

  1. Track rod end (front)19 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Coil spring (front)15 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2016 Alfa Romeo Mito vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Body and structure

One fault: exhaust system (front), 10 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 454 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Exhaust system (front)

Failed on 27 first tests10 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Exhaust fumes causing a danger to health of persons on board are graded Dangerous, and so is a silencer likely to become detached. Fumes entering the cabin are Major. One or more missing or defective mountings does not necessarily make the exhaust insecure, since testers assess the overall security of the system.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Steering

One fault: track rod end (front), 4.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Track rod end (front)

Failed on 86 first tests4.4 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play is Major, and one worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment is graded Dangerous. A dust cover that is damaged but still keeps dirt out is Minor, and one missing or no longer keeping dirt out is Major. Testers must tell wear from a joint's built-in clearance or spring loading.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: petrol emissions (with catalyst), 4.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Petrol emissions (with catalyst)

Failed on 43 first tests4.3 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Emissions levels over the manufacturer's specified limits are Major, as are levels over default limits, which apply when no exact match is found for the vehicle. Dense blue or clearly visible black smoke at idle, held for a set period, is Major, except for certain older vehicles and two stroke engines where smoke is unavoidable. An induction or exhaust leak that could affect emissions levels is Major too.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Suspension

One fault: coil spring (front), 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Coil spring (front)

Failed on 68 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: headlight, 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Headlight

Failed on 24 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

On vehicles first used on or after a set date, a halogen headlamp unit converted to take HID or LED bulbs fails for light source and lamp not compatible, which is Major. A complete unit built with those light sources is not failed for that. The precise position of the lamps is not part of the inspection beyond a visual look to see that they sit at about the same height and distance from each side.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail.

Coil spring (rear)

Noted on 56 first tests5.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Exhaust system

Noted on 25 first tests4.6 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Engine oil leaks

Noted on 44 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
67in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
5in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
28in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 67.1% of 1,381 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 71.6%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 5 fixed and the 28 not fixed make the 33 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

40608010020102016Older carsNewer cars
40608010020102016Older cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 69 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200954 in every 1002,741
201058 in every 1002,523
201158 in every 1002,298
201262 in every 1001,928
201360 in every 1001,460
201462 in every 1001,512
201561 in every 1001,436
2016 This car67 in every 1001,381
201768 in every 100692
201872 in every 100385

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

The 2016 Alfa Romeo Mito follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Track rod end (front), about 19 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 67.1% of 1,381 first MOTs on the 2016 Alfa Romeo Mito passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 71.6%. Among 454 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Exhaust system (front) appears more often than on similar cars (5.9% of those tests; 27 observed failures; about 10× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2016 Alfa Romeo Mito at the first attempt were Track rod end (front) (18.9%) and Coil spring (front) (15.0%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Exhaust system (front) (5.9% of those tests; 27 observed failures; about 10× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Exhaust system (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (5.9% of those tests; 27 observed failures; about 10× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2016 Alfa Romeo Mito include Exhaust system (front), Track rod end (front), Petrol emissions (with catalyst). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2016 Alfa Romeo Mito (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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