SEAT MOT statistics

SEAT Altea MOT pass rate

Age for age, the Altea failed its 2025 MOT first time 5% more often than the average car, placing it 164th of 252 in our most reliable used cars ranking. Across all 12,318 of its tests, 40.9% failed first time, counting those repaired during the test. That is also 13.2 points above the 27.7% average across all cars and light vans tested.

Clean first-time passes: 59.1%
Failed first time: 40.9%
Tests in 2025: 12,318

Fail rate by age

How the Altea holds up as it gets older, with the typical mileage on the clock at each test.

Age at test	Tests	Initial fail rate	Typical mileage
11 years	774	31.7%	87,322 mi
12 years	1,390	36.7%	95,270 mi
13 years	1,490	35.2%	102,992 mi
14 years	1,223	39.2%	108,922 mi
15 years	1,167	39.4%	113,096 mi
16 years	1,345	46.3%	120,191 mi
17 years	1,493	45.3%	122,970 mi
18 years	1,586	46.0%	124,609 mi
19 years	830	44.9%	122,452 mi

What an Altea fails on

Defects recorded at 2025 tests, by inspection category.

Category	Share of defects
Suspension	24.1%
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	23.6%
Brakes	16.5%
Tyres	10.0%
Body, chassis, structure	8.6%
Noise, emissions and leaks	6.3%
Visibility	5.6%
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems	2.4%

Does the fuel type make a difference?

Same model, different engines, different MOT day.

Fuel	Tests	Initial fail rate
Petrol	1,820	43.7%
Diesel	10,497	40.4%

From the average to the actual car

Statistics describe the herd. The Altea in the advert is one animal, with its own service record, its own advisories and its own story, and that's the thing to check before money moves.

Start free: our MOT check shows its current status and last result in seconds. The £5.00 report adds every test it has ever sat, every MOT mileage reading, the tax band and registered spec. If the seller's car beats the averages above, the record will show it. If it doesn't, better to know now.

Other SEAT models

SEAT Ibiza: 34.0% failed first time
SEAT Leon: 24.2% failed first time
SEAT Arona: 15.8% failed first time
SEAT Ateca: 12.1% failed first time
SEAT Alhambra: 25.5% failed first time
SEAT Mii: 24.1% failed first time

Altea MOT: common questions

What is the SEAT Altea MOT pass rate?

In 2025, 59.1% of SEAT Altea MOTs were clean first-time passes. The other 40.9% failed or needed a defect fixed during the visit, measured across 12,318 official DVSA test results.

What does an Altea fail its MOT on most?

Suspension topped the list for the SEAT Altea in 2025, followed by lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes. The pattern is worth knowing before a viewing: check those areas yourself and read the car's own MOT history for repeat advisories.

Is an Altea reliable?

On MOT results, the SEAT Altea failed first time 5% more often than the average car of the same age in DVSA's 2025 figures, ranking it 164th of the 252 popular models we compare. The MOT never tests the gearbox, clutch or electronics, so treat the rate as one signal and the specific car's history and condition as the deciding ones.