Where each one leads
Alfa Romeo 159
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
BMW 1 Series
- Against cars of the same age, the BMW 1 Series comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 6% more often than average) than the Alfa Romeo 159 (passes 4% less often than average).
- Fewer BMW 1 Series cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (3.1% against 4.7%).
- New BMW 1 Series cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 133 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 157 for the Alfa Romeo 159 in 2022.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Alfa Romeo 159 | BMW 1 Series | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | — | 2000–2012 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 21,580 (2010–2022) | 1,543,810 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 2,238 | 399,896 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 2,416 | 70,649 |
| In traffic in Finland | 525 | 9,945 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Alfa Romeo 159 | BMW 1 Series | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 56% | 76% |
| … against cars of the same age | −4% | +6% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 4.7% | 3.1% |
| US owner complaints | — | 98 |
| Most complaints about | — | Air bags |
| Model year with most complaints | — | 2011 (33) |
| US recall campaigns | — | 3 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | — | 544 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Alfa Romeo 159 | BMW 1 Series | |
|---|---|---|
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 7.5 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | — | 5.8 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | — | 7.1 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | — | 5.7 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 157 g/km | 133 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 88 kW (118 hp) | 106 kW (142 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,555 kg | 1,441 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €38,591 | €35,136 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 238,000 km | 179,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).