SEAT Ibiza MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 37 model years and 1,202,579 tests, the SEAT Ibiza passes its MOT 78.4% of the time. Against superminis of a similar age (19.4% fail rate), the Ibiza comes out 2.2pp worse. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, suspension and brakes.
Best and worst Ibiza years
Ranked across Ibiza 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 2022 (91.3% pass rate); the weakest is 2005 (69.2%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (9.4%) and suspension (9.0%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, pins and bushes and tread depth — headlamp aim alone was recorded 58,107 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 9.0% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 30.0% once past 150k — 3.3× the risk.
The petrol cars hold up better: 21.0% fail against 26.2% for diesel, a 5.2-point gap across 1,202,571 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 28.2% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 20.6% of tests failed in 2021 against 22.4% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Ibiza model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 50 | 78.0% | 22.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1996 | 109 | 71.6% | 28.4% | Suspension |
| 1997 | 265 | 73.2% | 26.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1998 | 474 | 76.6% | 23.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1999 | 650 | 76.3% | 23.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 684 | 72.2% | 27.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 1,324 | 74.5% | 25.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 3,003 | 71.1% | 28.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 8,722 | 69.5% | 30.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 11,069 | 69.6% | 30.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 13,797 | 69.2% | 30.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 23,833 | 70.3% | 29.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 32,684 | 69.8% | 30.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 43,242 | 69.5% | 30.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 65,127 | 71.7% | 28.3% | Suspension |
| 2010 | 74,703 | 73.7% | 26.3% | Suspension |
| 2011 | 94,838 | 74.6% | 25.4% | Suspension |
| 2012 | 89,986 | 76.2% | 23.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 107,138 | 76.8% | 23.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 123,736 | 78.7% | 21.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 112,382 | 79.9% | 20.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 113,175 | 80.5% | 19.6% | Suspension |
| 2017 | 95,565 | 82.4% | 17.6% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 74,953 | 86.3% | 13.7% | Steering |
| 2019 | 58,149 | 90.3% | 9.7% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 27,582 | 90.6% | 9.4% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 18,673 | 91.0% | 9.0% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 5,974 | 91.3% | 8.7% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 602 | 92.4% | 7.6% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 9.4% | 112,607 |
| 2 | Suspension | 9.0% | 107,792 |
| 3 | Brakes | 6.9% | 82,772 |
| 4 | Tyres | 6.4% | 77,385 |
| 5 | Visibility | 5.3% | 64,255 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 3.3% | 39,896 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 2.9% | 34,539 |
| 8 | Steering | 2.2% | 26,920 |
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 | 58,107 |
| 2 | Pins and bushes | 47,206 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 46,652 |
| 4 | Washers | 44,138 |
| 5 | Service brake performance | 29,947 |
| 6 | Headlamp | 28,610 |
| 7 | Shock absorbers | 28,444 |
| 8 | Wipers | 28,265 |
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 | 28.2% | 338,848 |
| 2 | Suspension | 22.4% | 269,317 |
| 3 | Brakes | 20.4% | 245,267 |
| 4 | Other defects | 11.4% | 137,367 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 6.7% | 80,698 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 5.0% | 59,976 |
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 | 157,187 | 9.0% |
| 30-60k | 373,549 | 17.7% |
| 60-90k | 356,665 | 24.5% |
| 90-120k | 215,076 | 28.7% |
| 120-150k | 76,075 | 30.2% |
| 150k+ | 23,714 | 30.0% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 1,069,395 | 21.0% |
| Diesel | 133,176 | 26.2% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 234,407 | 20.6% |
| 2022 | 240,638 | 20.4% |
| 2023 | 244,632 | 21.9% |
| 2024 | 243,901 | 22.4% |
| 2025 | 239,001 | 22.4% |
What to check before buying a SEAT Ibiza
- Lighting & signalling (9.4% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (9.0% 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.
- Brakes (6.9% 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 Ibiza?
78.4% of the 1,202,579 SEAT Ibiza MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 21.6% fail rate, across model years 1988–2024.
What does the SEAT Ibiza most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 9.4% of tests, then suspension (9.0%).
Which Ibiza years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 91.3% and 2005 the weakest at 69.2%, from 5,974 and 13,797 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Ibiza MOT results?
Fail rates run at 9.0% for cars in the 0-30k band and 30.0% for 150k+, a 21.0-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Ibiza more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 21.0% of the time against 26.2% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 1,202,579 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.