Car Model Guide/ Alfa Romeo/ Giulietta/ 940/ 1.4 MultiAir

1.4 MultiAir 940A2

A turbocharged 1.4 with hydraulic variable valve lift in place of an intake camshaft, which is clever and works well. The MultiAir actuator on top of the head is the part that fails, and it's replaced as an assembly.

Overview

The 1.4 MultiAir is the 940A2 petrol version of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta hatchback (940), sold 2010–2020 with 170 PS and manual or automatic. Demands diligence at level 3. The MultiAir actuator unit is replaced as an assembly and costs a meaningful share of the car. 2 failure modes are recorded against its engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components. Prices on this page are illustrative placeholders rather than a sourced market sample. See the methodology for how the bands are derived.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta hatchback (940) · photo 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulietta (940 Series 3) Super hatchback (2018-10-19) 01 by EurovisionNim · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Power170 PS

Torque250 Nm

Years2010–2020

Fuelpetrol

DriveFWD

Engines940A2

Biggest risks

Ranked by probability × repair cost. 2 recorded in total.

73Solid

MultiAir actuator unit failure€900–€1,800partly checkable
Module, sensor and infotainment faults€120–€800checkable

Risk level −22 · Likely spend vs price −5 · all issues →

System by system9 systems reviewed · 7 with no recurring fault reported

EnginewatchMultiAir actuator unit failure, €900–€1,800.

Fuel system✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Intake & air✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Cooling✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Emissions✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Transmission✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

ElectricswatchModule, sensor and infotainment faults, €120–€800.

Suspension & brakes✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Body & interior✓ clearNo recurring fault reported for this system on this engine.

Pre-facelift or facelift, this engine spans both

The same badge either side of the changeover. Bands are split at the facelift year from the generation record.

Phase	Years	Low	Average	High	Good buy	What differs
pre Pre-facelift	2010–2015	€4,200	€6,800	€10,500	€5,500	The specification the car launched with.
LCI Facelift (LCI)	2016–2020	€4,600	€7,400	€11,450	€6,000	Revised trim and infotainment; Euro 6 diesels; Simplified model range

Known issues, ranked by expected cost

Faults recorded against this engine, its components and its chassis, ranked by likelihood × repair cost. Costs are indicative ranges with a stated labour basis.

MultiAir actuator unit failure940A2 1.4 MultiAir€900–€1,800

A rough idle, a warning light, reduced power and in some cases a misfire that comes and goes with engine temperature. The hydraulic valve-lift unit sits on top of the cylinder head and replaces the intake camshaft. Its solenoids and seals fail with age and poor oil, and the unit is supplied as a complete assembly rather than in parts.

Check: Drive the car hard enough to load the engine, since faults here often show under load rather than at idle. Ask for oil receipts and check that the correct grade has been used.

EngineoccasionalPartly detectableevidence: documented90–170k km

Module, sensor and infotainment faults940 body€120–€800

Warning lights that appear and clear, an infotainment screen that reboots, and switches or window motors that stop working. The car carries a lot of small modules and their connectors age, particularly where damp reaches them. A tired battery makes several unrelated-looking faults appear at once, which is what confuses most diagnoses.

Check: Work every switch, window, mirror and screen function during the viewing, then scan every module rather than just the engine. Check the battery's age while you're there.

ElectricalcommonDetectable at viewingevidence: documented90–180k km

Ranked by probability × repair cost, not by how loudly a failure is discussed. Inherited from the engine, gearbox, chassis and shared components, each written once.

Pre-purchase inspection

The same issue records, reordered into the sequence you can actually check them in: cold start, static, drive, paperwork.

2 checks · saved in this browser ·

1On the driveInclude low-speed manoeuvring, not just an open road.

MultiAir actuator unit failureDrive the car hard enough to load the engine, since faults here often show under load rather than at idle. Ask for oil receipts and check that the correct grade has been used.

2OBD scanMandatory. A seller who refuses a scan has answered the question.

Module, sensor and infotainment faultsWork every switch, window, mirror and screen function during the viewing, then scan every module rather than just the engine. Check the battery's age while you're there.

Mileage and servicing

What the odometer does and doesn't tell you here, plus the service items whose neglect causes the expensive failures above.

The MultiAir unit fails on condition rather than on a schedule, and oil quality is the strongest predictor. A car with documented changes on the right grade is a far better bet than a low-mileage one with gaps.

Service item	Interval	Cost
Engine oil and filter The MultiAir unit is oil-actuated and intolerant of poor oil.	15,000 km or annually	€100–150
Spark plugs Worn plugs cause misfires that get blamed on the valve unit.	60,000 km	€90–160

What to pay

What this engine sells for, against the median of every engine in the chassis. All figures are illustrative placeholders. See the basis chips.

median €7.1k

€4.2k€5.5k€11.4k

Cheapfind the reasonGood buyif it checks outFairnormal moneyOverpricedneeds justifying

Asking price (€)Mileage (km)

Enter an asking price to get a verdict against this variant's band: cheap, fair, good buy or overpriced.

United States vs Europe

1 EUR = 1.08 USD · 2026-07

🇪🇺 Europe · EUR€5,500band €4,200–€11,450

🇺🇸 United StatesNot sold1.4 MultiAir 940A2 was never a US-market car

What that meansNo US band exists to compare. Any car you find there's a private import, parts and specialist knowledge are thinner, and the price says more about import cost than about the market.

US figures are the EU band converted at a stated rate. No US market differential is modelled: we hold no sourced US asking prices, and inventing one would be worse than saying so. What the comparison does show for real is availability. Most of this range was never sold in the US.

ModelAlfa Romeo Giulietta 1.4 MultiAir
Chassis940
Engine940A2
Years2010–2020
MarketCentral EU
Windowrolling 12 months to 2026-07

Good buy at or under the marker · Median asking price · bar spans the 10th to 90th percentile · dashed line is the 940 median, all 2 engines

Good buy isn't the same as cheapest. The good-buy figure assumes the known failure items are either done with receipts or verifiably not yet due. Full breakdown by facelift phase →

Buyer notes

Our judgement, kept separate from the records it's built on.

Our read, not a record

This engine replaces the intake camshaft with hydraulic valve control, and it works well enough that the car feels considerably quicker than 170 PS suggests. The actuator assembly sitting on top of the head is the part that fails, and it isn't a cheap repair on a car worth this much. Ask for oil receipts and check for a rough idle or a warning light. So drive it hard enough to load the engine, since faults here often show under load rather than at idle.

Everything above this line comes from the issue and specification records. This paragraph is our judgement on top of them. See how we reach it.

Full specification

Manufacturer figures for this engine and body, as recorded in the variant and engine data.

Engine code	940A2 1.4 MultiAir
Configuration	I4, turbocharged · 1368 cc
Fuel / injection	petrol · port
Model years	2010–2020
Facelift phase	Sold either side of the 2016 facelift, 2010–2015 pre, 2016–2020 LCI
Power / torque	170 PS · 250 Nm
Transmissions	6-speed manual · 6-speed dual clutch
Gearbox families
Drivetrain	FWD
Economy (real-world)	6.5–8.5 l/100 km mixed
Markets	EU