SEAT Altea MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 17 model years and 109,769 tests, the SEAT Altea passes its MOT 74.2% of the time. MPVs of a similar age fail at 26.1%, so the Altea sits squarely on the average. Its most common failure areas are suspension, lighting & signalling and brakes.
Best and worst Altea years
Ranked across Altea 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 2015 (84.0% pass rate); the weakest is 2004 (69.2%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — suspension (13.3%) and lighting & signalling (12.3%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, coil spring and joints — headlamp aim alone was recorded 7,499 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 11.7% in the 0-30k band and 29.0% in the 150k+ band, a 17.4-point spread — more than double.
The diesel cars hold up better: 25.2% fail against 28.9% for petrol, a 3.7-point gap across 109,769 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 31.2% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
How it compares
By model year
Every Altea model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 2,440 | 69.2% | 30.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 5,698 | 69.8% | 30.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 10,659 | 70.2% | 29.8% | Suspension |
| 2007 | 17,715 | 71.2% | 28.8% | Suspension |
| 2008 | 15,125 | 71.5% | 28.5% | Suspension |
| 2009 | 12,140 | 72.7% | 27.3% | Suspension |
| 2010 | 9,637 | 73.8% | 26.2% | Suspension |
| 2011 | 8,909 | 76.8% | 23.2% | Suspension |
| 2012 | 10,497 | 79.3% | 20.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 9,358 | 79.6% | 20.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 4,804 | 82.6% | 17.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 2,772 | 84.0% | 16.0% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 13.3% | 14,591 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 12.3% | 13,454 |
| 3 | Brakes | 8.8% | 9,619 |
| 4 | Tyres | 6.5% | 7,172 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 6.2% | 6,850 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 4.7% | 5,147 |
| 7 | Visibility | 4.1% | 4,485 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 2.4% | 2,579 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Headlamp aim | 7,499 |
| 2 | Coil spring | 6,970 |
| 3 | Joints | 4,546 |
| 4 | Service brake performance | 4,159 |
| 5 | Tread depth | 4,069 |
| 6 | Stop lamp | 3,958 |
| 7 | Linkage ball joint dust cover | 3,898 |
| 8 | Position lamp | 3,571 |
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 | 31.2% | 34,277 |
| 2 | Suspension | 29.6% | 32,543 |
| 3 | Brakes | 27.0% | 29,661 |
| 4 | Body, structure & corrosion | 13.3% | 14,578 |
| 5 | Other defects | 10.7% | 11,750 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 10.7% | 11,748 |
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 | 1,072 | 11.7% |
| 30-60k | 9,943 | 16.9% |
| 60-90k | 26,833 | 23.1% |
| 90-120k | 34,093 | 27.6% |
| 120-150k | 24,147 | 28.8% |
| 150k+ | 13,638 | 29.0% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 91,211 | 25.2% |
| Petrol | 18,558 | 28.9% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 27,772 | 25.7% |
| 2022 | 24,953 | 25.6% |
| 2023 | 22,050 | 25.9% |
| 2024 | 18,958 | 26.0% |
| 2025 | 16,036 | 26.0% |
What to check before buying a SEAT Altea
- Suspension (13.3% 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.
- Lighting & signalling (12.3% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (8.8% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
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 Altea?
74.2% of the 109,769 SEAT Altea MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 25.8% fail rate, across model years 2004–2020.
What does the SEAT Altea most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 13.3% of tests, then lighting & signalling (12.3%).
Which Altea years are best and worst for MOT results?
2015 has the best pass rate at 84.0% and 2004 the weakest at 69.2%, from 2,772 and 2,440 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Altea MOT results?
Fail rates run at 11.7% for cars in the 0-30k band and 29.0% for 150k+, a 17.4-point difference.
Is the diesel or petrol Altea more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the diesel fails 25.2% of the time against 28.9% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 109,769 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.