MOT fail rates

SEAT Arona MOT fail rate by age

How often the SEAT Arona fails its MOT at each age, compared with all cars of the same age, and what it fails on. From 173,475 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 22 September 2026

At 4 years, the most tested age

MOT fail rate at age 4 (n=49,550)11.5%

All cars at 4 years (n=8,699,937)13.4%

Median mileage at test25,891

All cars, median mileage29,800

133 of 348 model groups with enough tests fail less often at 4 years.

What stands out

At 3 years the SEAT Arona fails 11.1% of MOTs (45,382 tests), 1.0 points below the 12.1% for all cars that age. At 7 years it fails 23.7% (12,728 tests), 3.1 points above the 20.6% average.
The gap is widest at 7 years: 3.1 points above all cars.
Its most common structural or mechanical fail item at 4 years: Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn, at 1.1 per 100 MOTs.

MOT fail rate by age

Solid line: this model. Dashed line: all cars at the same age.

SEAT Arona: share of MOT tests that failed, by age, against all cars. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars	Difference	Median mileage
3 years	11.1%	45,382	12.1%	−1.0 pts	19,811 miles
4 years	11.5%	49,550	13.4%	−1.9 pts	25,891 miles
5 years	14.9%	38,245	15.3%	−0.4 pts	32,323 miles
6 years	19.2%	27,570	17.8%	+1.4 pts	39,257 miles
7 years	23.7%	12,728	20.6%	+3.1 pts	46,419 miles

Most common fail items at 4 years

Split into structural or mechanical items and wear items. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

Structural and mechanical

Fail item	Per 100 MOTs
Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn Major	1.1
Service brake performance: excessively fluctuating Major	0.9

Out of 49,550 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Wear and upkeep

Fail item	Per 100 MOTs
Brake pads under 1.5 mm Dangerous	2.5
Tyre condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Major	1.7
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Dangerous	1.3
Tyre with cords exposed Dangerous	1.1
Tyre condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Dangerous	0.8
Headlight aimed too high Major	0.8
Washers: not working Major	0.7
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Major	0.6

Out of 49,550 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Other models at 4 years

Model	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
SEAT Leon	14.0%	66,486	13.4%
SEAT Ibiza	12.9%	43,260	13.4%
SEAT Ateca	10.5%	35,614	13.4%

MOT fail rate by first-use year

Each year has its own page: the fail rate for cars first used that year at each MOT from 2022 to 2025 with at least 1,000 tests, the most common faults at that age, and the car tax and ULEZ rules for that year.

First-use year data updated 28 September 2026.

Latest MOT age with at least 1,000 tests for each first-use year.
First used	Age at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
2018	7 years in 2025	23.5%	12,098	20.6%
2019	6 years in 2025	16.6%	14,755	17.8%
2020	5 years in 2025	12.9%	10,602	15.3%
2021	4 years in 2025	11.5%	11,772	13.4%
2022	3 years in 2025	11.0%	6,790	12.1%

More on the SEAT Arona

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.

Looking at one SEAT Arona?

These are figures for the model, not for one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at a single car: its MOT tests, defects, advisories and mileage readings.

See an example report Browse the 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 22 September 2026.

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