MOT fail rates by first-use year

2019 SEAT Alhambra MOT fail rate and common faults

How SEAT Alhambra cars first used in 2019 did at their MOTs from 2022 to 2025, against all cars of the same age. From 10,763 DVSA MOT tests of these cars. First use is usually the date the car was first registered.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 6 years, tested in 2025

MOT fail rate at age 6 (n=2,559)15.4%

All cars at 6 years (n=10,382,720)17.8%

Difference−2.4 pts

MOT tests of 2019 cars, 2022 to 202510,763

What stands out

In 2025, at 6 years old, SEAT Alhambra cars first used in 2019 failed 15.4% of MOTs (2,559 tests), 2.4 points below the 17.8% for all cars that age.
From 2022 to 2025, as these cars went from 3 to 6 years old, the fail rate moved from 13.2% to 15.4%.
SEAT Alhambra cars first used a year earlier, in 2018, failed 16.7% at the same age of 6 years (2,552 tests, in 2024).
The most common fail item that is not a wear item, for the SEAT Alhambra at 6 years, is suspension arm bush worn, at 2.7 per 100 MOTs (all cars: 0.4).

MOT fail rate by test year

SEAT Alhambra cars first used in 2019: share of MOT tests that failed, by test year, against all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Test year	Age	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars	Difference
2022	3 years	13.2%	2,718	12.1%	+1.1 pts
2023	4 years	15.2%	2,732	13.4%	+1.8 pts
2024	5 years	16.3%	2,754	15.3%	+1.0 pts
2025	6 years	15.4%	2,559	17.8%	−2.4 pts

Most common faults at 6 years

These figures cover all SEAT Alhambra MOTs at 6 years: cars first used 2016 to 2019, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=15,571). The list uses every first-use year so it has enough tests. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

MOT fail items

Fail item	Per 100 MOTs	All cars
Tyre with cords exposed Wear	3.3	1.0
Suspension arm bush worn	2.7	0.4
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Wear	2.2	2.0
Tyre condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Wear	2.0	1.4
Brake pads under 1.5 mm Wear	1.2	1.9
Wipers not clearing screen Wear	1.1	1.8
Headlamp aim: too low Wear	1.0	0.8
Engine warning lamp at the diesel emissions check: not working or showing a fault	0.7	0.5
Headlight aimed too high Wear	0.5	0.6
Side repeaters: not working Wear	0.5	0.2

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=15,571). A test with two items counts once for each.

Advisories

Advisory	Per 100 MOTs	All cars
Tyre tread close to the legal limit or worn on the edge Wear	18.9	14.3
Suspension pin or bush worn, without excessive movement	12.6	2.1
Brake pads wearing thin Wear	7.5	9.3
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	7.3	7.3
Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt	5.2	2.4
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing Wear	4.2	9.2
Tyre tread close to the legal limit, under the 1.0 mm rule Wear	3.0	2.0
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively	2.4	2.5
Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre	2.2	2.0
Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Wear	1.9	1.0

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=15,571). A test with two items counts once for each.

Fuel type at 6 years

These figures cover all SEAT Alhambra MOTs at 6 years: cars first used 2016 to 2019, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=15,571). Each fuel is set against all cars of the same fuel and age. Fuels with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Fuel	Share of tests	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars, same fuel	Median mileage
Diesel	97.8%	17.8%	15,227	19.4%	60,947 miles

Fail rate by mileage at 6 years

These figures cover all SEAT Alhambra MOTs at 6 years: cars first used 2016 to 2019, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=15,571). At 6 years, SEAT Alhambra cars at over 150,000 miles failed more often (19.3%, n=1,241) than those at under 30,000 miles (11.6%, n=1,479). Bands with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Mileage at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
Under 30,000 miles	11.6%	1,479	11.9%
30,000 to 60,000 miles	18.4%	6,163	17.6%
60,000 to 90,000 miles	19.6%	3,826	22.2%
90,000 to 120,000 miles	17.5%	1,742	25.6%
120,000 to 150,000 miles	15.4%	1,045	26.1%
Over 150,000 miles	19.3%	1,241	25.4%

Car tax rules for a 2019 car

Cars first registered from 1 April 2017 pay a first-year rate set by CO2 emissions, then the standard rate each year. A petrol, diesel or hybrid car with a list price over £40,000 also pays the expensive car supplement for five years, from the second tax payment.

These are the rules, not the amount for a specific car. Car tax check

ULEZ and clean air zones

Diesel cars first registered from September 2015 usually meet Euro 6, the diesel standard for the London ULEZ, so they usually do not pay the daily charge.
The clean air zones in Birmingham and Bristol use the same Euro 4 petrol and Euro 6 diesel standards. The low emission zones in Scotland use them too, but enforce them with fines, not a daily charge.

The Euro standard of the car decides, not the year alone. ULEZ checker

Other years of the SEAT Alhambra

2018 SEAT Alhambra

Other SEAT models first used in 2019

Model	Age at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
SEAT Leon (2019)	6 years in 2025	22.2%	19,291	17.8%
SEAT Arona (2019)	6 years in 2025	16.6%	14,755	17.8%
SEAT Ibiza (2019)	6 years in 2025	17.5%	13,111	17.8%
SEAT Ateca (2019)	6 years in 2025	11.9%	10,830	17.8%
SEAT Tarraco (2019)	6 years in 2025	16.7%	4,170	17.8%
SEAT Mii (2019)	6 years in 2025	15.9%	1,306	17.8%

More on the SEAT Alhambra

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

Found one you might buy? Vet the specific car.

These figures describe 2019 SEAT Alhambra cars as a group, not any one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at the car you are buying: its MOT history, what similar cars did next, and what to ask the seller.

See an example Buying Report All car tools

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources

Car tax and clean air zone rules are summarised from GOV.UK and Transport for London guidance. They are general rules and are not drawn from the MOT data.