How many Alfa Romeo 156s are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, how new registrations have changed and which fuels they use. Built from DVLA licensing records and 1,008 DVSA MOT tests.
Licensed in Great Britain678−14.5% on a year earlier
Declared SORN2,697Off the road, not taxed
MOT first-time pass rate, 202563.0%Cars of the same ages 60.8%
Rank by number licensedNo. 768of 1,159 models we cover
Peak year200541,946 licensed
Average annual mileage3,112miles a year
How many Alfa Romeo 156s are left in Great Britain?
There were 678 Alfa Romeo 156s licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 2,697 declared off the road (SORN).
That is 98.4% fewer than the peak of 41,946 in 2005.
Alfa Romeo 156s licensed in Great Britain
Numbers peaked in 2005 and have fallen every year since, as older cars are scrapped faster than new ones are registered.
2 versions of the Alfa Romeo 156 have their own page.
The figures above include every version; each version page covers only the cars DVLA records
under that version’s name.
Versions of the Alfa Romeo 156 with their own page
In 2025, 63.0% of Alfa Romeo 156 MOT tests were passed first time,
against 72.8% for all cars.
Cars of the same ages as the Alfa Romeo 156s tested pass 60.8% of the time, so the Alfa Romeo 156 does better than average for its age, by 2.2 points. In 2024 its pass rate was 60.0%.
MOT first-time pass rate by age: Alfa Romeo 156 vs all cars
Comparing like with like: each bar pair covers cars of the same age, so an older average age does not count against a model.
0%
50%
100%
20+ years
Alfa Romeo 156
All cars
MOT first-time pass rate by vehicle age, Alfa Romeo 156 compared with all cars
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the most common reason a Alfa Romeo 156 fails its MOT,
appearing on 44.0% of failed tests. A failed test can have defects in
more than one category, so shares add up to more than 100%.
8.0% of Alfa Romeo 156 tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 7.3% for all cars.
Most common MOT failure categories
Share of failed Alfa Romeo 156 MOT tests with at least one defect in each category
Most common Alfa Romeo 156 MOT defects and advisories
The single most common reason a Alfa Romeo 156 failed its MOT in 2025 was
“Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect”, on 10.7% of 373 failed tests.
62.0% of tests ended with at least one advisory, a problem to watch that did not fail the test; the most common was “Engine oil leak, but not excessive”.
The same fault on any wheel or side counts once.
Most common reasons for failure
Share of failed tests with each defect. A test can fail for more than one.
Most common specific MOT defects on failed Alfa Romeo 156 tests, 2025
Defect
Share of failed tests
Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
10.7%
Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Registrations of Alfa Romeo 156s for the first time in Great Britain were highest at 11,006 in 2001, when this data begins. In 2025, 0 were registered. With almost none registered new, the number on the road is likely to keep falling.
Registered for the first time, by year
0
5k
10k
15k
’01
’02
’03
’04
’05
’06
’07
’08
’09
’10
’11
’12
’13
’14
’15
’16
’17
’18
’19
’20
’21
’22
’23
’24
’25
Alfa Romeo 156s registered for the first time in Great Britain, by year
Of the 699 Alfa Romeo 156s licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 39.1% have an engine of 1,901cc to 2,000cc, and 17.7% have an engine of 3,101cc to 3,200cc. The share with an engine of 3,101cc to 3,200cc has grown from 2.1% in 2014 to 17.7%. Petrols made up 69.3% of those licensed in 2014 and 80.7% in 2025.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
Alfa Romeo 156s licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, by engine size
Engine size
Share of those licensed
1,901cc to 2,000cc 273 licensed
39.1%
3,101cc to 3,200cc 124 licensed
17.7%
2,401cc to 2,500cc 110 licensed
15.7%
1,701cc to 1,800cc 92 licensed
13.2%
2,301cc to 2,400cc 59 licensed
8.4%
1,501cc to 1,600cc 37 licensed
5.3%
Other sizes 4 licensed
0.6%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size
Fuel
Licensed
Share
1,901–2,000cc
Petrol
197
28.2%
3,101–3,200cc
Petrol
124
17.7%
2,401–2,500cc
Petrol
110
15.7%
1,701–1,800cc
Petrol
92
13.2%
1,901–2,000cc
Diesel
76
10.9%
2,301–2,400cc
Diesel
59
8.4%
1,501–1,600cc
Petrol
37
5.3%
Engine sizes, 2014 to 2025
Share of those licensed at the end of each year, for the most common sizes.
Alfa Romeo 156s licensed in the UK by fuel type, share of each year’s total
Year
Petrol
Diesel
2014
69.3%
30.6%
2015
67.8%
32.1%
2016
66.7%
33.3%
2017
65.8%
34.0%
2018
67.7%
32.1%
2019
68.7%
31.1%
2020
71.6%
28.2%
2021
73.4%
26.4%
2022
75.0%
24.9%
2023
77.9%
22.0%
2024
79.1%
20.8%
2025
80.7%
19.3%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
United Kingdom figures from DfT table VEH0220 (licensed cars at the end of each year, SORN
excluded), so they differ slightly from the Great Britain counts elsewhere on this page.
How we use engine sizes.
Alfa Romeo 156 fuel economy and CO2
The Vehicle Certification Agency’s new car data lists the Alfa Romeo 156 from 2000, when the data begins, to 2005. On the NEDC test (listings 2000 to 2005), official combined fuel economy for its petrol and diesel versions ranges from 23.0 to 48.7 mpg, with CO2 of 155 to 293 g/km.
Official NEDC figures by engine and fuel, listed 2000 to 2005
Official NEDC figures by engine and fuel, listed 2000 to 2005
Official figures from laboratory type-approval tests. VCA says they may not be achieved in
real-world driving, and should not be used to rank cars with similar figures.
Engine sizes are rounded to the nearest 0.1 litre. A version is one line in
VCA’s data (description, gearbox, engine and fuel), counted once however many years it was
listed.
Matched from VCA’s model names “156 Sportwagon Range”, “156 Saloon Range”, “156 Saloon”, “156 Saloon (2003) Range”. How we use VCA’s figures.
Alfa Romeo 156 safety recalls
DVSA lists 7 safety recalls for the Alfa Romeo 156 since 1992, the first in 1998. The most recent was launched on 30 October 2006.
Possibility of engine bay fire
Launched 30 October 2006DVSA recall R/2006/170Manufacturer ref. 5076
Defect
It has been identified that on a small number of vehicles the possibility exists there may be a short circuit situation within the engine additional heater system during the warm up period which could lead to a fire within the engine compartment.
Remedy
Recalled vehicles will have the electrical supply to the additional heater modified; in order to avoid the possibility of the short circuit occurring.
A recall applies to cars built on particular dates or with particular VINs, not to every Alfa Romeo 156. The details come from manufacturers through DVSA, which says they may be delayed or
incomplete. To check a specific car, use GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check or ask the manufacturer or a
dealer. How we match recalls to models.
Figures cover Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland is not included.
Licensed counts are vehicles with a current tax or exemption at the end of each year (or the latest quarter). SORN counts are shown separately.
First registrations count vehicles registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.
Models are grouped by DVLA’s generic model name, so every generation and trim counts together.
MOT figures cover normal tests of cars aged three and over in 2025; retests are excluded. Age is rounded to the nearest year.
DVSA records the model name typed in at the test. We match those names to DVLA’s generic models, so a handful of tests may be counted under a close relative.
