SEATUsed-car reliability
At 7 years old, the average SEAT fails its MOT more often than the average UK car.
MOT fail rate · 7-year-old cars
Fails more often than the average 7-year-old car (about 1 in 6 MOTs, 16.6%)
Where to start
The SEAT models whose MOT tests at 7 years old most and least often ended in a fail.
Lowest fail rates
SEAT Ateca11.8%fail rate
SEAT Mii15.1%fail rate
SEAT Alhambra16.3%fail rateHighest fail rates
SEAT Ibiza22.3%fail rate
SEAT Toledo21.1%fail rate
SEAT Arona19.6%fail rateWhat actually goes wrong
The most common MOT faults across the SEAT range, in plain English. Models with more MOT tests count for more. The percentage is the share of MOT tests on SEAT cars that recorded that defect.
A tyre is worn, cut, damaged or otherwise not fit for the road. Tyres are the only thing connecting the car to the road, so this is always worth taking seriously.
MOT wording: Tyre worn close to the legal limit or worn on the edge
A shock absorber (damper) is worn, leaking, or insecure. Worn dampers cause bouncy handling and longer stopping distances because the tyres lose contact with the road.
MOT wording: Shock absorber has a light misting of oil
A suspension spring is broken, cracked, corroded, or missing. This includes coil springs, leaf springs, and torsion bars. Springs support the car's weight — a broken one lowers one corner of the car and affects handling.
MOT wording: Coil spring corroded
A suspension arm, wishbone, strut, sub-frame, or anti-roll bar is worn, cracked, bent, or has excessive play. These structural parts hold the wheels in position and control body lean in corners.
MOT wording: Suspension part corroded, but not seriously weakened
Across all SEAT models; models with more MOT tests count for more.
The whole range
For each model, one number: the share of its MOT tests at 7 years old that ended in a fail. Retests count as tests. Lower is better. The UK average (about 1 in 6 MOTs, 16.6%) is shown for reference. Only models with enough MOT data at 7 years old are ranked. The rest sit just below, unranked.
The lowest 7-year fail rate of any SEAT here.
Among the lower fail rates in the SEAT range at 7 years old.
Among the lower fail rates in the SEAT range at 7 years old.
Among the lower fail rates in the SEAT range at 7 years old.
Above the SEAT average, and at or above the UK average.
Above the SEAT average, and at or above the UK average.
Above the SEAT average, and at or above the UK average.
Fail rates are the share of MOT tests on 7-year-old cars ending in a fail, retests included (DVSA MOT results, 2025). UK average across all makes at the same age: 16.6%. How we count fail rates
Shown unranked. These models don’t have enough MOT data at 7 years old yet. They’re either too new (few cars old enough) or too old (few still on the road). Each is shown at the age with the most tests, so the percentages aren’t directly comparable to the list above.
Averages tell you the odds across the range. Enter a number plate to see that car’s own MOT history, its risk rating, and what’s likely to need attention.
