A used Alfa Romeo MiTo is worth it only with receipts for regular oil changes on the right grade, and don't take on a 1.4 MultiAir that misfires or a 1.4 TB 155 whose gearbox whines in fifth and sixth.
3 known faults, 3 rated high severity in our database; owners report 41.8 mpg, 76% of the official figure. Everything below is built from that data and the archived owner history, not from a press car.
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Check an Alfa Romeo MiTo advert (free) →The MiTo to buy is the one with a paper trail of oil changes on the correct grade, because the 1.4 MultiAir petrol has a known fault where its MultiAir actuator unit fails between 40,000 and 80,000 miles, and skipped or wrong oil is often the trigger. That fault covers MultiAir cars from 2008 onwards, so there's no year of MultiAir you can buy without checking the history.
The 1.4 TB 155 from 2008 to 2011 and the 1.6 JTDm 120 built up to about early 2013 carry a second known fault: the bearings in their M32 six-speed gearbox wear out. A whine, mainly in fifth and sixth, or a gearstick that moves in first or fifth as you get on and off the throttle, means the bearings are already going.
The 1.3 MultiJet diesel has a known fault of its own: its timing chain can snap between 60,000 and 100,000 miles, and one owner's 2011 car did exactly that. The last cars, 2015 to 2018, have little on record, but the MultiAir and diesel chain faults both cover them, so don't treat a late one as clear.
There isn't a MiTo engine you can buy blind, so the lesser risk is whichever one comes with proof it's been looked after. On the 1.4 MultiAir petrol, the known weak point is the MultiAir actuator unit, which gives up between 40,000 and 80,000 miles, often after missed oil changes or the wrong oil. When it goes, the engine runs on three cylinders with the warning light on, idles roughly and loses its pull.
The MultiAir's cambelt is due at 72,000 miles or 60 months, so ask for the receipt on any car near or past either mark. The 1.4 TB 155 built from 2008 to 2011 and the 1.6 JTDm 120 built up to about early 2013 use the M32 six-speed gearbox, and its bearings are a known failure. A loud whine, mostly in fifth and sixth, or a lever that shifts in first or fifth as you accelerate and lift off, means it's failing.
The 1.3 MultiJet diesel isn't the safe pick either: its timing chain is a known fault that can snap between 60,000 and 100,000 miles, so listen for a rattle on a cold start. One owner's car smoked when started, with worn turbo oil seals the main suspect, and that report's advice was to let the engine idle for 30 seconds before turning it off after a long climb or a hard run.
Start the engine from cold. On a 1.3 MultiJet, listen for a chain rattle and watch the exhaust, since one owner's diesel puffed smoke on start up. On a MultiAir, a misfire, a lumpy idle or the engine management light points to the actuator unit, and one report described MultiAir engines leaking oil round the spark plugs until they misfired, with some needing a new engine at around 3 years old. On a turbo petrol that lights up the warning lamp under load, check the turbo pipe for a split.
Turn the steering from lock to lock and make sure the assistance doesn't cut out: owners of 2010 and 2011 cars reported the electric power steering failing, and one report blamed regularly holding it on full lock for straining the motor. On the drive, listen for a whine in the top gears on a 1.4 TB 155 or 1.6 JTDm, feel for the gear lever moving in first or fifth as you accelerate and back off, and look underneath for oil weeping from a gearbox seal.
Switch on the air con, the heated rear screen, main beam, the reversing lights and Bluetooth, because one owner's 2011 car kept blowing a 5 amp fuse that knocked all of them out along with the driving aids. Check both front wheelarches are firmly fixed to the body, as they came away on one owner's 2014 car, and look under the factory security stickers on the tailgate and passenger door for faded paint.
Ask for receipts showing oil changes with the grade listed, the cambelt receipt on any MultiAir past 72,000 miles or 60 months, and any bills for gearbox work on a 1.4 TB 155 or 1.6 JTDm. A MultiAir with gaps in its oil history is the one to leave, since poor oil changes are often behind actuator failure, and a 1.3 MultiJet past 60,000 miles wants proof of any timing chain work.
Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.
It's worth buying if you choose on paperwork rather than looks, because each of its three known faults has symptoms you can pick up on a test drive, and the MultiAir and diesel chain faults turn up between 40,000 and 100,000 miles. There's no five-door version, so it isn't much of a family car. Skip any car with gaps in its oil history.
The MultiAir's actuator unit is the big risk, leaving the engine on three cylinders. The M32 gearbox bearings on the 1.4 TB 155 (2008 to 2011) and on the 1.6 JTDm 120 built up to about early 2013 wear out too. On the 1.3 MultiJet, the timing chain can snap between 60,000 and 100,000 miles, as on one owner's 2011 car. Owner reports add electric power steering failures on 2010 and 2011 cars and a 2010 Cloverleaf needing a major fuel injection repair.
One report also found metal fragments in a MiTo's gearbox fluid, and one owner of a five-year-old car had a leaking transmission oil seal. Alfa dropped its two solid red colours after trouble with the paint, so go over a solid red car's finish carefully. Ask what's been replaced on the gearbox and steering, and don't accept a car whose seller can't show when the oil was last changed.
Real-world economy on this generation: Alfa Romeo MiTo 41.8 mpg.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
Paste any Alfa Romeo MiTo advert and we check it against the faults, the MOT record and these figures in seconds.
Check an advert now (free) →Owners report 41.8 mpg across the Alfa Romeo MiTo engines with data, about 76% of the official figure, from 450 submissions.
Alfa Romeo MiTo Real MPG by engine →It's the looks that sell it: the MiTo takes its styling from Alfa's 4C and 8C sports cars, so even a plain one parked on the drive doesn't look like an everyday small hatchback. There's only one generation, sold from 2008 to 2018, so you get that shape whichever engine you end up choosing.
The petrol versions have decent pace and some real character, so they're not dull to drive when the road gets interesting. The 1.3 MultiJet diesel is the frugal one of the range, which suits you if most of your miles are a daily commute and you want fewer stops at the pump.
A used Alfa Romeo MiTo is worth it only with receipts for regular oil changes on the right grade, and don't take on a 1.4 MultiAir that misfires or a 1.4 TB 155 whose gearbox whines in fifth and sixth. Our database holds 3 known Alfa Romeo MiTo faults, 3 rated high severity, and the sections above say which generation and engine carry them.
Start the engine from cold. Read the MOT history for repeat advisories and ask for invoices for any work the seller mentions. Then paste the advert into the free check, which reads it against every known Alfa Romeo MiTo fault before you travel.
Owners report 41.8 mpg on average, about 76% of the official figure, from 450 submissions. Belt (1.4 MULTIAIR): 72,000 miles or 5 years, whichever comes first, so budget for it if the history does not show it done. The known faults page lists a rough repair cost against each fault. Alfa Romeo MiTo Real MPG by engine.
If you used the Honest John car-by-car reviews before the site closed in 2026, this is where the Alfa Romeo MiTo buying advice now lives. It is written from the archived owner reports and model notes (archived page, 21 items read for this model), our own known-faults database, the confirmed service intervals and the Real MPG figures. Every number on the page comes from that data, not from the text. The same data feeds our free advert check.
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The Alfa Romeo MiTo is one decision. Reading the advert, the history and the seller are the rest, and these cover them.
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