SEAT Alhambra MOT pass rate & common failures
166,825 MOT tests on the SEAT Alhambra (1996–2021) give it an 81.9% pass rate. That is effectively the same as MPVs of a similar age (18.1% fail rate), so the MOT record here is unremarkable in either direction. Its most common failure areas are suspension, tyres and lighting & signalling.
Best and worst Alhambra years
Ranked across Alhambra years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
The strongest year on this record is 2020 (89.6% pass rate); the weakest is 2003 (65.6%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — suspension (7.7%) and tyres (7.3%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are pins and bushes, tread depth and headlamp aim — pins and bushes alone was recorded 9,369 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 22.7% versus 8.7%.
Split by fuel, petrol examples fail 1.6pp more often than diesel ones (19.7% vs 18.1%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 27.4% of tests without failing them.
How it compares
By model year
Every Alhambra model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 145 | 73.1% | 26.9% | Suspension |
| 1998 | 256 | 72.3% | 27.7% | Suspension |
| 1999 | 182 | 71.4% | 28.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 190 | 73.7% | 26.3% | Suspension |
| 2001 | 464 | 67.2% | 32.8% | Suspension |
| 2002 | 1,137 | 66.0% | 34.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 2,366 | 65.6% | 34.4% | Suspension |
| 2004 | 3,656 | 66.7% | 33.3% | Suspension |
| 2005 | 2,923 | 67.5% | 32.5% | Suspension |
| 2006 | 3,317 | 67.2% | 32.8% | Suspension |
| 2007 | 3,649 | 66.5% | 33.5% | Suspension |
| 2008 | 3,847 | 68.2% | 31.8% | Suspension |
| 2009 | 2,584 | 68.8% | 31.1% | Suspension |
| 2010 | 2,495 | 73.2% | 26.8% | Suspension |
| 2011 | 8,006 | 76.5% | 23.5% | Suspension |
| 2012 | 9,140 | 78.2% | 21.8% | Suspension |
| 2013 | 9,861 | 79.1% | 20.9% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 11,559 | 81.0% | 19.0% | Tyres |
| 2015 | 13,152 | 83.1% | 16.9% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 24,424 | 85.8% | 14.2% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 34,082 | 87.3% | 12.7% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 14,247 | 88.5% | 11.5% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 12,249 | 89.1% | 10.9% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 2,842 | 89.6% | 10.4% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 41 | 82.9% | 17.1% | Brakes |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 7.7% | 12,789 |
| 2 | Tyres | 7.3% | 12,114 |
| 3 | Lighting & signalling | 6.6% | 10,955 |
| 4 | Brakes | 4.3% | 7,120 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.8% | 4,655 |
| 6 | Visibility | 2.6% | 4,335 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 2.4% | 3,937 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 1.1% | 1,870 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pins and bushes | 9,369 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 5,272 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 4,502 |
| 4 | Position lamp | 3,448 |
| 5 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 3,106 |
| 6 | Component mounting prescribed areas | 3,045 |
| 7 | Brake pads | 2,848 |
| 8 | Wipers | 2,815 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 27.4% | 45,646 |
| 2 | Suspension | 24.2% | 40,398 |
| 3 | Brakes | 20.8% | 34,609 |
| 4 | Other defects | 12.6% | 20,998 |
| 5 | Visibility | 4.4% | 7,288 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 4.2% | 7,034 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 15,612 | 8.7% |
| 30-60k | 37,925 | 13.8% |
| 60-90k | 37,438 | 17.5% |
| 90-120k | 28,555 | 21.2% |
| 120-150k | 21,353 | 23.8% |
| 150k+ | 25,903 | 22.7% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 162,878 | 18.1% |
| Petrol | 3,945 | 19.7% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 33,752 | 18.6% |
| 2022 | 34,891 | 17.9% |
| 2023 | 34,400 | 17.8% |
| 2024 | 32,748 | 18.2% |
| 2025 | 31,034 | 17.9% |
What to check before buying a SEAT Alhambra
- Suspension (7.7% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
- Tyres (7.3% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
- Lighting & signalling (6.6% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the SEAT Alhambra?
81.9% of the 166,825 SEAT Alhambra MOT tests in this dataset passed, an 18.1% fail rate, across model years 1996–2021.
What does the SEAT Alhambra most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 7.7% of tests, then tyres (7.3%).
Which Alhambra years are best and worst for MOT results?
2020 has the best pass rate at 89.6% and 2003 the weakest at 65.6%, from 2,842 and 2,366 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Alhambra MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.7% for cars in the 0-30k band and 22.7% for 150k+, a 14.1-point difference.
Is the diesel or petrol Alhambra more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the diesel fails 18.1% of the time against 19.7% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 166,825 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.