Alfa Romeo Giulietta. You've been warned... | ReDriven used car review

This week we take on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta! There is LOTS to love about the little Italian hatch, but saying it comes with some warning is a massive understatement.

Let us know if we missed anything in the comments below and don't forget to subscribe to stay up to date with all of our latest content!

00:00​​​​​​​ - Intro
01:24 - What is it?
04:20 - How's the exterior?
05:39 - How's the interior?
08:00 - How's the tech?
09:13 - Is it practical?
10:43 - What goes wrong?
15:42 - Is it safe?
16:41 - What's it like to drive?
19:30 - How much is it?
20:07 - Fuel use, warranty & servicing
21:09 - Should you buy it?

#alfaromeo
#giulietta
#hothatch

---

At ReDriven, we’ll be taking you through the pros and cons of a huge range of used cars to see how well they’re going now that they’re a few years old, have thousands of kilometres on the clock, and are coming toward the end of their warranty, or maybe don’t have one at all.

Plus, thanks to our resident mechanic, Jim, you’ll find out what commonly goes wrong with them and what might need to be fixed.

Most importantly, we want to make ReDriven a voice for the most in-the-know used car experts there are...you guys.. See, you’re the ones that actually buy, live with, love and sometimes unfortunately hate the cars we’ll be reviewing.

So we want to hear your thoughts. Hit us up in the comments, or on Instagram and Facebook.

We’d love nothing more than for you to give us as much feedback as possible, so we can make this channel the best it can be.

Find us on:

[GQV]

Sold my mk7 GTI to buy a Giulietta QV, never looked back. Third year of ownership and I am loving it, car feels alive compared to the GTI and it's a head turner, especially with a few mods.

[sxn]

The myth that Alfa's are unreliable is out of date. I've had a few (Mainly giulietta Cloverleafs and now have a Giulia veloce) and never had an ounce of trouble from them. Here in the UK they are just above Audi and Mercedes in the warranty figures and just below BMW with 87% of new cars having no issues within warranty. So the tag of being unreliable is from the poor builds of the 80s and very early 90s.

[FranciscoYantorno]

The Giulietta is actually extremely reliable with no known issues really in both 1.4 and 1750 engines and also the diesels.

[lm-vnhm]

I am so sick of hearing about the reliability rep, meanwhile everyone I know with their German cars have a new very expensive issue every single week

[stevenmeissner]

I had a Giulietta Sportiva 170 hp from 2014-18 and no problems. Bought a new Giulietta Veloce 🍀 in 2018 and it's really fun and absolutely no problems. I've already taken her twice on vacation to Italy, everything was great.

[pauljackson]

I've done nearly 95k miles in my Giulietta. Apart from the usual wear and tear and one small issue with a DPM thing, she hasn't skipped a beat!

[paulnewman]

I moved from a long line of VWs, with genuinely constant niggling problems, to a 2011 Giulietta 1.4MA a couple of years ago. It has no niggling problems. All the friends I've made through forums, of people who love the car, have no niggling problems. Mine has been more solid than the Golf, Passt, or Polo that preceeded it

Assuming, like any sporty car, you keep up the service schedule then the only real issue you are likely to hit is the boot wiring loom. The cables can get old and break and it's a fairly standard thing to have them replaced (about 50 quid a side for me) - most older cars will have had this done by now

Outside of that, if you buy a sporty one, you just need to be aware that some people like to mod them - so be thorough and check what you're buying. Exactly as if you were buying a Golf GTI or something

All in - mine is fantastic. It's the car I've had the most compliments about from strangers, it's the one that's made me the most friends (with other owners), it's beautiful to drive, and it's reliable as hell

Before I bought mine a mate explained it to me: when you sit in a vw you close the door with a business like clunk and go, 'yeah solid'. When you sit in a Alfa you go because it's a lovely place to be

I honestly haven't regretted getting mine for a moment - sadly Alfa as a brand has two main weaknesses: the reputation of older cars fueling the 'full of niggles' thing (which isn't true of newer models) and that the dealerships have incredibly bad reps

Either way - keep talking them down, please. It'll keep the price down for me to afford my next one - can't wait 😁

[photosbyernesto]

My wife and I have had our 2011 QV since new, and are still in love with ours! Yes, the rear hatch wiring loom was a problem, and there were a couple of other minor gremlins, but otherwise it's been super reliable and an absolute blast and joy to drive and own. We've made sure to service it religiously with Zagame's all the way and we feel like it's going to be with us for a while yet. Love it!

[robertmarriage]

Been commuting 80km per day in my second hand 2015 Giulietta QV for eighteen months now with almost zero issues. Car has racked up nearly 135000km. A tiny crack in header tank (replaced) and a broken clip in top dashboard glovebox. Super fun, super reliable!

[JohnFullerton-ctmz]

Ive had a 2017 giulietta Veloce for 3 years, with no issues. Absolutely brilliant car. My last car was a audi S3 and I was sick of it in the end, they are everywhere you look these days. I Wanted something different the alfa just stands out! I love the fact I can drive for hours without see another one. My next car will definitely be an alfa giulia or stelvio.

[stanislas]

The Alfa Romeo Giulietta was the best looking compact car, and 10 years later it's timeless, and still a great car.
I have a Giulietta Veloce 240 bhp, and I love it. Not perfect, but very pleasant to drive and so beautiful!

[frankmaatje]

I had a Giulietta 2.0 diesel 170 hp for 6 years and sold it with 280.000 kms. Yes, I had a door handle that broke (aftermarket €25, -) The engine was unbelievable reliable and strong and economical. In the end I had a bearing in the gearbox that made some noise (repair €1000, -). But It was so much fun to drive. And don't believe the argument that a volkswagen is more reliable. Perhaps it has in numbers less problems, but a complete new engine or gearbox doesn't make you happy. At the moment I have a 200 hp Giulia 2.2D and so far, I have zero flaws.

[marcodelprato]

Unreliability in Alfas is an old mytth, a lie deeded by other makers. They are great cars and sometimes much more reliable than some Germans like Audi, BMW or vw

[Disc]

The 1.4 engines are very reliable engines and have been used in many different Alfa/Fiat models over the years (Panda, 500, Punto, Bravo, MiTo, Giulietta, Delta, etc). Built to last if maintained properly, like most cars.
(The FIRE (for "Fully Integrated Robotised Engine") is a series of automobile engines from Fiat Powertrain Technologies, built in FCA's Termoli, Betim and also in Dundee, MI (only in 1.4 Multiair versions) plants. It was designed by Italian design firm Rodolfo Bonetto.[1] It is constructed by robot assembly plants ("Robogate") to reduce costs.)

[gincatgoogle]

I owned one for 3 years from new. Struggled a little with traction off the line, but once up and running it was fun. The suspension was supple. Nothing broke. The dna switch was great. I use it in the snow and it worked well. But every other day it stayed in dynamic mode. I do miss it. Under rated car.

[BernardSpecledagger]

Hey, thanks so much for this review, please keep them coming. Your efforts help push down the second hand value so the likes of me and others who have commented below, get to buy a brilliant, very reliable car at an amazing price. I've owned 4, buying a 1.4 Giulietta soon to go with my 147 Ducati Corse (aka the red missile). All ultra reliable, so long as you maintain them properly. Easy to work on, parts aren't that expensive if you know where to look, such as The Alfa Workshop in the UK, even with shipping to Australia they are good. Even if you get a problem (rare) as soon as you get back behind the wheel all is forgiven. Bellissima!

[MRShanno]

Have owned 1, missed it when I sold it, and have just bought another.

Guaranteed, there is no other car that will give you the smiles for the money. This coming from a 15 year industry veteran (Toyota, Bmw, Porsche, JLR) who’d swallowed the lie that Alfa’s suck hook line and sinker! Owning one was an unexpected delight, it was reliable, attractive and fun to drive with an actual personality that endears everyone who gets in one.

The upside to buying these cars is that the majority of owners are passionate about their car, so most are very well cared for unlike the majority of mass market cars that are treated like refrigerators on wheels. That and the fact that they carry an undeserved stigma keeps the prices down making them incredibly cheap, incredibly fun little cars that look as good or better than any of the current crop from Korea, Germany or Japan.

[willvalintine]

This generation of Alfa's are actually very reliable. True they definitely have their niggles and QC issues - but the faults are usually minor and not expensive to repair. Most of the supposedly 'reliable' German brands actually now look very poor on paper for reliability and horendous on the average cost of repair. But as always reputation sticks so people still think Alfa= liability and VW/Audi= reliability, whereas in fact the roles are very much reversed.

[MmacentralNl]

Great car, owned a 1.4t 170hp for 7 years. Had the wiring loom and doorhandle issue, blue and me thingy went after 6 years as well. Other than that, smooth sailing and very fun to drive.
Upgraded to a Giulia recently and it's great! I do miss the Giulietta every now and again though.

[davidbaines-tdgn]

We bought a used one in Perth. Drove around WA for 3 months then crossed Australia to Queensland. We serviced it after the purchase. All we did on the trip was put fuel in. Our tool kit was a screwdriver. When we arrived in Brisbane another service, just oil & filters. Fuel consumption for the trip was 5.7 l/100k
Totally reliable.