SEAT Leon MOT failure rate and common faults
181,023 SEAT Leon cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 24.0% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 25.5% of the time, which makes the SEAT Leon 6% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
24.0%
failed first time
181,023 MOT tests in 2025
-6%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 25.5%
102 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
106.2
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 97.2
What fails on a SEAT Leon MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common SEAT Leon MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 47.5 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 34.2 |
| Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak | Suspension | 31.6 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 25.8 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 17.6 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 17.3 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 16.0 |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 15.3 |
| Headlamp aim: too low | Lights and electrics | 15.3 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 13.9 |
SEAT Leon MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 3,525 | 11.3% | 11.4% | 32,300 |
| 2021 | 11,120 | 12.8% | 12.8% | 38,900 |
| 2020 | 13,547 | 16.1% | 14.1% | 45,500 |
| 2019 | 19,223 | 22.3% | 16.5% | 54,100 |
| 2018 | 20,949 | 21.5% | 19.1% | 61,600 |
| 2017 | 18,035 | 21.5% | 21.8% | 71,400 |
| 2016 | 15,602 | 20.3% | 25.1% | 79,800 |
| 2015 | 16,739 | 21.4% | 28.1% | 90,300 |
| 2014 | 18,117 | 23.4% | 31.4% | 99,600 |
| 2013 | 11,054 | 28.6% | 34.3% | 104,900 |
| 2012 | 8,076 | 34.5% | 36.6% | 112,400 |
| 2011 | 5,785 | 36.5% | 38.8% | 117,500 |
| 2010 | 5,012 | 39.0% | 40.7% | 123,100 |
| 2009 | 4,031 | 40.2% | 41.8% | 121,300 |
| 2008 | 3,693 | 40.0% | 42.9% | 124,900 |
| 2007 | 3,209 | 40.3% | 42.7% | 129,300 |
| 2006 | 2,047 | 44.5% | 43.0% | 129,200 |
| 2005 | 1,259 | 39.6% | 42.4% | 130,700 |
Advisories to look for in a SEAT Leon's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the SEAT Leon, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge286.6
- Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil262.3
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing135.1
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened121.6
- Brake pads: wearing thin120.1
- Coil spring: corroded49.1
Checking a used SEAT Leon before you buy
The SEAT Leon has no part of the car that fails well above average for its age, so check the areas that fail most often overall.
Suspension
Drive over speed bumps with the radio off and listen for knocks. Look at the car side on: a corner sitting lower than the others often means a broken coil spring.
Tyres
Check the tread across the full width of every tyre, inner edge included. Uneven wear points to worn suspension or out of line steering geometry.
Lights and electrics
Walk round the car with every light on: headlights on dip and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and the number plate lamp. A pattern of electrical faults costs more than a bulb.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Fuel mix of the SEAT Leon cars tested: Petrol 58%, Diesel 39%, Hybrid 3%. Average age at test 9.3 years, average recorded mileage 80,100.
SEAT Leon MOT questions
What is the SEAT Leon MOT failure rate?
24.0% of SEAT Leon cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 181,023 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 25.5% of the time, so the SEAT Leon was 6% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a SEAT Leon MOT?
Suspension caused the most failure items, at 129 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded 47.5 times per 1,000 tests.
Which SEAT Leon year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2014 registrations did best: 23.4% failed against an average of 31.4% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular SEAT Leon will pass?
No. These are averages across every SEAT Leon tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other SEAT models
- SEAT Ibiza33.9% failed
- SEAT Arona15.8% failed
- SEAT Ateca12.2% failed
- SEAT Alhambra25.1% failed
Ranked close to the SEAT Leon
- Mitsubishi ASXrank 99
- Toyota Versorank 100
- Vauxhall Vivarank 101
- Mercedes-Benz A-Classrank 103
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many SEAT Leon cars of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.