Alfa Romeo Giulia (2026) Review - Select Car Leasing

Introduction

With a focus on all things electrified, it appeared the Alfa Romeo days were numbered. But the Italian carmaker, which is part of the wider Stellantis Group, has made a welcomed about-turn on its decision.

Instead of phasing out the popular saloon car, they announced at the Brussels Motor Show that the Guilia, alongside its sibling the Stelvio, will continue to be sold until spring, 2027. And that also includes the return of the powerhouse Quadrifoglio variants, too.

The Giulia is sold with the choice of two petrol engines with standard vehicles powered by a 2.0-litre 280hp unit matched to a fully automatic gearbox. For anyone looking for that extra firepower, the Giulia Quadrifoglio gains a 2.9-litre V6 Bi-Turbo powertrain delivering 520hp.

The lesser-powered car (which we’re focusing on in this review) is offered in three well-equipped trim levels called Sprint, Veloce and Intensa with prices starting from £43,800.

We opted for the mid-range Giulia Veloce for our test drive with a starting price of £47,325 before any options were factored into the mix.

What are the Pros and Cons of the Alfa Romeo Giulia?

Pros: 

• Stylish good looks
• Engaging handling and performance 
• It has its own style and personality
• Well equipped
• Comfortable

Cons: 

• Looking a little jaded round the edges
• Some of the tech is very hit and miss (typically Alfa Romeo)
• Interior is quite dated
• Powered boot lid is rather temperamental

What are first impressions of the Alfa Romeo Giulia?

The four-door Alfa Romeo Giulia is a sleek saloon car that perfectly blends sporty prowess with classic elegant Italian styling. At the front there is the trademark ‘scudetto’ triangular-shaped grille and this is flanked by slim sweeping light clusters, large air intakes with the off-set number plate completing the front-end look.

The side profile is perfectly streamlined with a tapering roof line accentuating the car’s flowing lines. There are blacked out rear windows and 19-inch alloys with red brake calipers. From the rear, the Giulia Veloce has twin tailpipes, Alfa Romeo badging and a wide stance that is highlighted further by the tail lights that are angled outwards.

What are the Alfa Romeo Giulia key features?

The Alfa Romeo Giulia line-up consists of three trims called Sprint, Veloce and Intensa, all of which are well-equipped with mod cons.

For example, Guilia Sprint has active cruise control, an infotainment system with sat nav, Bluetooth and DAB radio. There is full smartphone connectivity, three USB ports, dual-zone automatic climate control, fabric seat upholstery, an electrochromic rearview mirror, front and rear parking sensors and 18-inch alloys with grey brake calipers.

Move up to Giulia Veloce, as tested, and there are a number of features introduced, such as powered front sports seats with four-way lumbar support upholstered in dark leather. There are blacked-out rear windows, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, a Veloce rear bumper, limited slip differential, along with 19-inch dark petal design alloys complemented by red brake calipers.

Finally, the top-of-the-range Guilia Intensa features a leather dashboard, door panels and central armrest with tan contrast stitching, a Harman Kardon premium sound system, two-tone steering wheel, some Intensa signatures along with the Italian flag on the external mirror caps, plus 19-inch wheels with the same design as the Veloce, but featuring golden accents, and black brake calipers.

How does the Alfa Romeo Giulia perform and handle when put to the test?

Powering the Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce is a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine delivering 280hp and 400Nm of torque. It is sharp away from the starting line with the 0-62mph dash completed in 5.7 seconds and the vehicle tops out 149mph.

The acceleration through the eight-speed automatic gearbox is perfectly timed, but there are huge steering wheel paddles if you fancy changing gears manually. Additionally, there are drive modes labelled ‘d’, ’n’ and ‘a’ which stands for Dynamic, Natural and Advanced efficiency. No prizes for guessing which is the most fun of the three.

Despite its low slung styling, the Guilia is deceptively comfortable and the lower centre of gravity results in some engaging handling ability. Yes, it’s a car that can confidently go about its business cruising at 70mph on motorways, but it’s certainly in its happy place when faced with winding country lanes – the more twists and turns, the better. It’s grounded, boasts exceptional grip and body sway is non-existent.

In busier towns and villages with cars and pedestrians appearing from all angles, the driver visibility is good, but not great. It’s fine forwards and sideways, but you have to lean back for any over-the shoulder view due to wide pillars and the rear screen is also quite narrow in its design.

But the perfectly weighted steering makes manoeuvring through the crowds a simple task and special mention to the suspension set-up that smooths out the uneven road surfaces and helps deliver a refined all-round performance, even on the larger wheels.

What are the day-to-day running costs of the Alfa Romeo Giulia?

The Alfa Romeo Giulia line-up is competitively priced with the entry-level Sprint model costing £43,800 (on the road). The Veloce version, as tested, is priced at £48,800 and the range-topping Intensa is £53,200. The higher-powered Giulia Quadrifoglio, with its 0-62mph sprint time of just 3.9 seconds, costs £87,055.

Our test car also had a few optional extras such as upgraded metallic paintwork and an electrically-operated panoramic sunroof and these added a further £3,250 to the final price-tag.

When it comes to the day-to-day running costs, the Guilia Veloce can deliver a combined 37.7mpg and has carbon emission of 169g/km, according to WLTP-testing. This CO2 figure would result in a first-year Vehicle Excise Duty charge (road tax) of £1,410 dropping down to the standard annual fee of £200 after 12 months.

And, as the vehicle falls below the government’s new £50k Expensive Car Supplement threshold, there will be no added extras in that department. Anyone considering the Alfa Romeo Giulia as a business car would see a Benefit in kind tax rating of 37 per cent.

The car is sold with quite a standard three-year, 60,000-mile warranty package.

Is the interior high-end and is the Alfa Romeo Giulia tech-rich?

With powered seats and plenty of manual steering wheel adjustment, finding the ideal driving position is a simple process inside the Alfa Romeo Giulia. You do sit quite low to the ground but the seats offer plenty of support so even longer journeys won’t leave you feeling cramped and desperate to stretch your legs. The seats and steering wheel can also be heated against those cold winter mornings.

I wouldn’t say the interior is particularly modern or upmarket, but it is sensibly designed with all the controls, dials and readouts well-positioned for ease of use. There are however, exceptionally large paddles which can be used to manually change gears and these do get in the way at times.

There’s nothing flashy about the infotainment set-up either with a fairly compact 8.8-inch touchscreen that is also quite temperamental. At times, it really lags behind and then, all of a sudden, it catches up with the endless prods and pokes offering the option to navigate to the Outer Hebrides! At other times though, it works without a hitch.

Behind the steering wheel is a 12.3-inch digital driver display with a choice of layouts which can prioritise dials with revs and speed, or navigational directions. Everything seems to work well, although at one time, my Google Maps was showing the current speed limit at 70mph, while the car’s system claimed I could be driving at up to 80mph – in the UK.

There is a nice mix of physical controls, which we always like, and on-board tech also impresses with a 3D navigation system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity, Bluetooth, a DAB radio and lots more besides.

Are practicality and boot storage requirements well catered for in the Alfa Romeo Giulia?

Classy saloon cars seem to have dropped off the radar a little with the influx of SUVs that have flooded the market in recent years. But they are certainly worth exploring thanks to their generally-dynamic handling.

However, space is often the compromise due to the lower couple-like styling with tapering roofline and that’s pretty much the case with the Alfa Romeo Giulia.

It’s a car that stretches 4,643mm in length, is 2,024mm across, 1,450mm tall and has a 2,820mm wheelbase. Up front, there is ample room for a couple of six footers to find a comfortable seating position and, despite being relatively low to the ground, comfort levels really do impress.

Sadly, rear seat passengers don’t fare quite so well, especially if the front seats are pushed well back. Taller adults will find the leg room is not particularly generous and neither is the head space due to that sloping roof design. It is okay on shorter journeys, but ideally it’s best suited to youngsters. Additionally, the rising waist line and tapering roof results in quite small windows, so some rear occupants may find the experience a tad claustrophobic.

The boot is opened automatically - well, it should be. And, at times, did open when the key fob button was pushed. However, it was very hit and miss and by the end of the week I was opening it manually. It also made me feel a little nervy about the lid popping open on the move – thankfully, that didn’t happen though.

Capacity-wise, it can hold 480 litres of luggage with the option of lowering the split-folding rear seats if necessary. However, there is a high loading lip which makes carrying heavy items quite tricky.

But if you do need to carry extra kit, the rear-wheel drive Giulia can tow a braked trailer weighing up to 1.6 tonnes. And there are a number of storage options scattered throughout the cabin too, including a lockable glovebox, central cubby, narrow door bins, seat back nets, front and rear cup holders, some trays, a wireless charging pad and three USB-C ports.

Is the Alfa Romeo Giulia a safe car?

The Alfa Romeo Guilia achieved a maximum five stars when it was tested for its Euro NCAP safety rating back in 2016. As it has only received facelifts since launch, it has not been re-tested.

All three trim levels feature active cruise control, active lane management, autonomous emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, lane keep assist, rain sensing wipers, a seat belt reminder, traffic sign recognition, driver attention alert, a tyre pressure monitoring system and a full suite of airbags.

A Driver Assistance Pack introducing intelligent speed control and active driving assist is a £1,100 option on Sprint and Veloce models, but is standard on the higher Intensa trim.

Can I choose optional extras with a Alfa Romeo Giulia lease?

If you are buying a car such as the Alfa Romeo Giulia, you may want stamp your own individual style on it via some optional extras and there are plenty to choose from. For example, our test car was supplied with Montreal Green metallic paintwork that costs an extra £2,000 – all other colour upgrades are £700.

A Driver Assistance Pack that adds intelligent speed control, is a £1,100 extra, while the panoramic glass sunroof costs £1,250. Owners choosing the entry-level car will have more choices when it comes to options as the Veloce and Intensa models include many features as standard.

For example, the Giulia Sprint can be specified with an upgraded Premium interior and Sound Pack for £2,250, additional ADAS safety features for £1,100. There is the option of red or black sports leather upholstery at £3,000, upgraded 19-inch alloy wheels at £1,000 and a few other features.

Basically, the higher the trim, the fewer the options available as they are generally built into the asking price.

What are the rival cars to the Alfa Romeo Giulia?

It’s fair to say most rivals to the Giulia will boast more up-to-date technology, but sometimes that’s not always good news as it means there is more to potentially go wrong. And do we really need all these bings and bongs every five seconds? I think not.

Some of the top-quality competitors in the executive saloon sector would be the Audi A4, Mercedes C-Class and BMW 3 Series.

What’s the final verdict of the Alfa Romeo Giulia?

Without doubt, the Giulia is not without faults.

It’s quite dated, the technology has more mood swings than Mother Nature and you half expect the boot to pop open at any moment. But we can forgive all of those issues, because it drives beautifully. There are no fanfares or quirky features – just pure engaging driving fun. And that’s something that counts for a lot in our book.

It was a sad day when Alfa Romeo announced the car’s days were numbered, but now it has been given a reprieve, albeit briefly, and we applaud that.

This car stands out from the crowd, because the designers have not followed the brief, but have stuck to their guns. That results in a unique look for an executive saloon and while the interior feels quite jaded compared to newer models, it still has everything you could really wish for … when it works that is.

To sum up, the Alfa Romeo Giulia is one of those cars that tugs on the heart strings for all the right reasons, but may be quite frustrating for any overly-tech-savvy drivers.

Where to next?

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**Score based on Select’s unique meta score analysis, taking into account the UK’s top leading independent car website reviews of the Alfa Romeo Giulia

**Correct as of 23/04/26. Based on 12 months initial payment, 5,000 miles annually, over a 48 month lease. Initial payment equivalent to 12monthly payments, or £6,983.76 (Plus admin fee) Ts and Cs apply. Credit is subject to status.

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