Alfa Romeo MiTo hatchback (2008-2018) - Reliability & safety

Safety is something the Alfa Romeo MiTo can shout about, as it secured the maximum five-star rating in Euro NCAP crash safety tests. Alfa Romeo does have a slightly shaky reputation for reliability, but the brand has improved in recent years.

Alfa Romeo MiTo safety

While the Alfa MiTo achieved a five-star safety rating, it did so back in 2008. As Euro NCAP continually makes it harder to achieve that coveted score, all things aren’t necessarily equal, especially when you look at its scores for child occupant and pedestrian protection, which are no better than average.

Even so, all models feature seven airbags, ISOFIX child-seat mounts, anti-whiplash head restraints and electronic stability control as standard. The car also comes with tyre-pressure warning sensors that will warn you about an impending puncture.

However, unlike with rivals such as the MINI and Audi A1, you can't add optional accident-prevention systems like lane-departure warning. The MiTo also lacks a low-speed collision mitigation system that applies the brakes to avoid rear-end shunts in slow-moving traffic. This technology is now offered on many small cars that cost the same or less than the Alfa Romeo.

Reliability

Alfa Romeo does have a slightly shaky reputation for reliability, but the MiTo shares a lot of its components with the Fiat Punto, while the three-cylinder TwinAir petrol engine is also used in the popular Fiat 500. 

In our 2016 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, the MiTo finished 145th out of 150 cars for reliability, so it’s hard to draw many positives.

In recent years, Alfa has climbed up the overall ranking, but it’s still a concern that it was ranked 23rd out of 32 manufacturers for reliability in the 2016 edition.