The QV variant was offered from launch with a 1.75-litre (1,742 cc) turbocharged TBi inline-four petrol engine producing 235 PS (173 kW), enabling a 0–100 km/h time of 6.8 seconds and a top speed of 242 km/h. QV identification features included a lowered ride height, 18-inch alloy wheels, Brembo brakes with Alfa red calipers, and the Alfa Romeo DNA selector, which adjusted throttle, steering, and stability control responses between Dynamic, Normal, and All Weather modes.
At the 2014 Geneva Motor Show an updated aluminium-block engine raised output to 240 PS (177 kW) and the gearbox was replaced by a six-speed twin dry-clutch TCT unit borrowed from the Alfa Romeo 4C, cutting the 0–100 km/h sprint to 6.0 seconds and raising the top speed to 244 km/h. A limited Launch Edition of 700 units was produced, finished in Grigio Magnesio Opaco, Rosso Alfa, or Rosso Competizione with black sill cladding and a numbered identification plaque.
In 2016 the QV nameplate was replaced by the Veloce designation across most markets, though the powertrain was unchanged. The Giulietta's 1.75 TBi MultiAir engine was voted the best new engine of 2010 by an international panel of automotive journalists. The car finished second in the 2011 European Car of the Year award. Its 2010–11 Euro NCAP result delivered five stars with scores of 97 percent for adult occupant protection, 85 percent child, 63 percent pedestrian, and 86 percent safety assist.
The Giulietta QV was selected as the official safety car of the Superbike World Championship, with US rounds using a Dodge Challenger SRT instead. A fleet of Giuliettas also served operational duties at the Targa Florio. The car appeared as a hero vehicle in the 2013 film Fast and Furious 6.
Italian tuning company Romeo Ferraris developed an independent TCR-specification Giulietta QV without factory involvement and entered it through the Mulsanne Racing squad in the TCR International Series from 2016. Michela Cerruti drove in the opening two rounds; Petr Fulín joined from round five. In 2017 the GE-Force banner fielded Davit Kajaia and Dušan Borković, who took three victories — in Georgia, Bahrain, and at the Salzburgring.
When the WTCC and TCR International Series merged to form the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) in 2018, Mulsanne Racing entered two cars producing over 350 PS. Gianni Morbidelli started the season but was replaced mid-campaign at Vila Real by Kevin Ceccon, who went on to win at Suzuka. Fabrizio Giovanardi held the second seat until being replaced by Luigi Ferrara at Suzuka. For 2019 the car received aerodynamic revisions and was rebadged as the Giulietta Veloce; Ceccon and Ma Qing Hua drove the full season. In 2020 Jean-Karl Vernay took the Giulietta to third place overall in the WTCR standings and won the WTCR Trophy, awarded to the best-placed entry without factory backing.
In the British Touring Car Championship, Handy Motorsport fielded an NGTC-specification Giulietta in 2018 and achieved a race victory. In North America, KMW Motorsports won the TCR class at the January 2022 Michelin Pilot Challenge race at Daytona International Speedway with a Giulietta and continued to field the car in that series through 2025, when its homologation expired. The car was also campaigned in TCR series in Italy, Australia, China, and the United Kingdom.
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