Alfa Romeo Reliability Is Better Than Its Reputation

Alfa Romeo has a long and historied past, with most modern models featuring powerful engines, stunning designs and great handling, but it’s also suffered from patchy reliability for decades. Are the current crop of Alfas still as unreliable as the old stereotypes suggest, or has this Italian marque finally managed to shed its reputation for building beautiful but fragile vehicles?

To find out, we analyzed the latest data from J.D. Power, which uses verified owner feedback to gauge a vehicle’s quality and reliability levels.

How Does Alfa Romeo Reliability Compare To Its Rivals?

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Alfa Romeo has a far smaller product lineup than most of its direct rivals, and the current range comprises of the sub-compact Tonale SUV, compact Stelvio SUV and the sporty Giulia sedan. Those last two models have been on sale for close on a decade, while the Tonale is relatively new, having been introduced in 2024.

Short-Term Reliability

In the J.D. Power U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS), Alfa Romeo has had relatively scattered results. In 2023 it went against all expectations and topped the charts among premium brands and was rated 3^rd across the entire automotive industry. The IQS measures owner reported problems after the first 90 days of ownership, covering everything from mechanical components to ADAS, and on-board electronic systems. A strong showing here indicates that the basic product has been built to a high standard, and that the manufacturer has dealt with the majority of glitches and issues that can sometimes afflict a new vehicle.

This was aptly demonstrated with the introduction of the compact Tonale SUV, which had several teething issues that contributed to a drop in the overall rankings for the brand. It has since been on a slow upward trend, thanks to Stellantis addressing some of the Tonale’s software integration issues, and the brand is now 7^th overall for 2026 compared to premium rivals.

Long-Term Reliability

The J.D. Power U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) tracks owner-reported defects after three years of vehicle ownership and uses the same Problems Per 100 Vehicles (PP100) score to gauge long-term reliability. The 2026 results show that Alfa Romeo models perform better than the 217 PP100 average of premium luxury brands, and it came in 3^rd, just behind Lexus and Porsche. The data shows that the well-developed Stelvio SUV and Giulia sedan are to thank for this impressive performance.

Where Do Individual Alfa Romeo Models Rank in Reliability?

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J.D. Power’s Quality & Reliability score is based on verified owner feedback measuring defects, malfunctions, and design flaws across vehicle platforms. While the low volume of Alfa Romeo models sold means that they are not assessed for every model year, the scores below are the most recent for each model currently in production.

Ongoing manufacturing updates have bolstered core models like the Stelvio SUV, which actually outperforms several established German competitors in several key metrics. The Giulia shares many drivetrain and electronic components with the Stelvio and has proved to be similarly reliable, especially in the past few model years. Unfortunately, the Tonale has been beset with issues, and the first model year scored a relatively poor quality and reliability score, despite being rated as enjoyable to drive by owners.  

Alfa Romeo’s overall reliability and quality scores over the past few years demonstrate that Stellantis has been hard at work rectifying issues with the Tonale models, but it needs to ensure long-term electronics and software durability to retain the consumer trust it has built with its more established models.  The mechanically similar Jeep Compass shares a platform with the Tonale, and has proven to be more reliable overall, so hopefully the latest tweaks can remedy any remaining issues for this sporty little Alfa SUV.

Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo has largely been a brand that consumers gravitate to because of its style and performance, but it has proven to be able to deliver solid reliability, too, as long as you pick the right models. Let’s hope that the next generation of electrified and pure-electric Alfa Romeo models will be able to continue this trend, because an Alfa that is pretty and reliable is an unbeatable combination.

About the author

John Tallodi

Senior Editor

John Tallodi is a senior editor at Autoblog and a motoring journalist with more than 17 years of experience. He specializes in modern classics from the '80s and '90s and has written for Carwow, CarBuzz, Total 911, MSN and Auto Classics.