SEAT Toledo MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 31 model years and 41,008 tests, the SEAT Toledo passes its MOT 80.1% of the time. That is 2.8 percentage points worse than small family cars of a similar age, which fail at 17.1%. Its most common failure areas are suspension, lighting & signalling and tyres.
Best and worst Toledo years
Ranked across Toledo 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
Build year matters more than the headline suggests: 2018 cars pass 86.7% of the time while 2006 cars manage 68.9%, a 17.7-point spread.
No single area dominates — suspension (8.7%) and lighting & signalling (8.6%) 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 2,073 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 9.0% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 24.0% once past 150k — 2.7× the risk.
The petrol cars hold up better: 16.8% fail against 22.6% for diesel, a 5.8-point gap across 41,008 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 26.5% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 18.8% of tests failed in 2021 against 21.4% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Toledo model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 180 | 77.2% | 22.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 274 | 75.5% | 24.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 399 | 71.9% | 28.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 519 | 73.2% | 26.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 934 | 73.2% | 26.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 808 | 75.0% | 25.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 1,865 | 69.3% | 30.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 1,513 | 68.9% | 31.1% | Suspension |
| 2007 | 869 | 69.5% | 30.5% | Suspension |
| 2008 | 154 | 71.4% | 28.6% | Suspension |
| 2012 | 670 | 78.5% | 21.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 6,472 | 77.7% | 22.3% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 6,054 | 81.0% | 19.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 5,088 | 80.5% | 19.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 3,687 | 82.6% | 17.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 4,472 | 84.3% | 15.7% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 6,559 | 86.7% | 13.3% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 397 | 89.9% | 10.1% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 8.7% | 3,574 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 8.6% | 3,524 |
| 3 | Tyres | 6.4% | 2,623 |
| 4 | Brakes | 6.0% | 2,446 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 4.0% | 1,650 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 3.3% | 1,360 |
| 7 | Visibility | 3.1% | 1,280 |
| 8 | Steering | 1.2% | 487 |
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 | 2,073 |
| 2 | Pins and bushes | 1,752 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 1,181 |
| 4 | Joints | 1,125 |
| 5 | Coil spring | 1,028 |
| 6 | Position lamp | 863 |
| 7 | Brake pads | 855 |
| 8 | Wipers | 811 |
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 | 26.5% | 10,849 |
| 2 | Suspension | 24.7% | 10,132 |
| 3 | Brakes | 23.8% | 9,771 |
| 4 | Other defects | 9.7% | 3,971 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 7.7% | 3,144 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 7.2% | 2,965 |
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 | 4,182 | 9.0% |
| 30-60k | 8,399 | 15.6% |
| 60-90k | 7,431 | 20.1% |
| 90-120k | 6,475 | 23.4% |
| 120-150k | 5,223 | 23.9% |
| 150k+ | 9,285 | 24.0% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 22,416 | 22.6% |
| Petrol | 18,592 | 16.8% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 9,807 | 18.8% |
| 2022 | 9,012 | 19.0% |
| 2023 | 8,204 | 20.3% |
| 2024 | 7,365 | 20.9% |
| 2025 | 6,620 | 21.4% |
What to check before buying a SEAT Toledo
- Suspension (8.7% 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.
- Lighting & signalling (8.6% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (6.4% 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.
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 Toledo?
80.1% of the 41,008 SEAT Toledo MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 19.9% fail rate, across model years 1992–2022.
What does the SEAT Toledo most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 8.7% of tests, then lighting & signalling (8.6%).
Which Toledo years are best and worst for MOT results?
2018 has the best pass rate at 86.7% and 2006 the weakest at 68.9%, from 6,559 and 1,513 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Toledo MOT results?
Fail rates run at 9.0% for cars in the 0-30k band and 24.0% for 150k+, a 15.0-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Toledo more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 16.8% of the time against 22.6% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 41,008 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.