Common problems
SEAT Arosa common problems
What MOT testers find on the SEAT Arosa: the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 6,188 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.
MOT data updated
At 20 years, the most tested age
What stands out
- Exhaust, emissions and leaks fails show up on 10.6 of every 100 MOTs of a SEAT Arosa at 20 years old (n=1,764), against 7.0 for all cars of that age (n=1,845,952).
- Suspension fails are less common: 14.0 per 100 MOTs against 16.5 for all cars at the same age.
- The fail item testers record most often at 20 years: exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases, on 5.3 per 100 MOTs (all cars 2.2).
- The most common advisory or minor defect: tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge, on 17.9 per 100 MOTs.
Problems by part at 20 years
How many of every 100 MOTs found a fail, or an advisory or minor defect, in each area. A test with faults in two areas counts in both.
| Area | Fails | All cars | Advisories | All cars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lights and electrics | 21.1 | 21.2 | 15.5 | 17.4 |
| Suspension | 14.0 | 16.5 | 35.7 | 35.2 |
| Brakes | 12.6 | 13.5 | 31.0 | 33.7 |
| Body and structure | 11.1 | 9.2 | 20.2 | 15.6 |
| Exhaust, emissions and leaks | 10.6 | 7.0 | 16.3 | 15.6 |
| Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 8.7 | 7.6 | 6.9 | 6.4 |
| Tyres | 7.8 | 6.4 | 29.6 | 26.1 |
| Steering | 3.1 | 4.2 | 3.9 | 6.5 |
| Seat belts and airbags | 1.5 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 1.5 |
| Number plates and VIN | 0.9 | 0.7 | 6.2 | 6.3 |
| Road wheels | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 1.1 |
What testers fail most on the Arosa at 20 years
| Item | Area | Per 100 MOTs | All cars | Typical repair (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases | Body and structure | 5.3 | 2.2 | £182 to £263 per section |
| Side/position light not working | Lights and electrics | 5.3 | 5.2 | £10 to £47 per lamp |
| Wipers not clearing screen | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 4.6 | 3.4 | £15 to £30 per blade |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect | Lights and electrics | 4.4 | 4.0 | £16 to £39 per car (rough guide) |
| Driveshaft CV boot split | Body and structure | 4.3 | 3.1 | £88 to £196 per boot (rough guide) |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Exhaust, emissions and leaks | 4.2 | 2.5 | diagnosis from £39 (rough guide) |
| Brake light not working | Lights and electrics | 3.4 | 3.9 | £10 to £47 per lamp |
| Service brake imbalance: across an axle | Brakes | 3.3 | 1.0 | |
| Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits | Exhaust, emissions and leaks | 3.0 | 1.5 | |
| Tyre tread below 1.6 mm | Tyres | 2.8 | 2.6 | £88 to £145 per tyre |
Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 20 years
Advisories and minor defects are recorded, but the car still passes. Across all cars, a part with an advisory or minor defect failed at the next MOT 5.5 times in 100 (n=88,666,940 pairs of consecutive MOTs), against 0.3 times in 100 when the same part had none (n=12,936,860,350).
| Item | Area | Per 100 MOTs | All cars | If it needs replacing (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge | Tyres | 17.9 | 15.7 | £88 to £145 per tyre |
| Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases | Body and structure | 13.6 | 5.4 | £182 to £263 per section |
| Suspension arm pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement | Suspension | 13.4 | 7.7 | £92 to £237 per arm (rough guide) |
| Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing | Tyres | 13.1 | 10.2 | £88 to £145 per tyre |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened | Brakes | 12.9 | 10.7 | £148 to £376 per axle (rough guide) |
| Coil spring: corroded | Suspension | 12.0 | 8.0 | |
| Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive | Exhaust, emissions and leaks | 11.9 | 14.1 | |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material | Brakes | 11.6 | 15.2 | £137 to £392 per car (rough guide) |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread | Number plates and VIN | 6.1 | 6.2 | £23 to £63 per plate (rough guide) |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources | Lights and electrics | 5.7 | 5.4 |
Repair estimates are a guide for an independent garage: labour at the national median local garage rate (median £78 an hour from 65 garages, ONS price quotes) times estimated labour hours, plus a parts band. Labour hours and most parts bands are estimates, not quotes, and prices vary by model, engine and region. A warning light fault shows the cost of the diagnosis only.
How problems change with age
| Age | Tests (n) | Lights and electrics | Suspension | Brakes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 years | 1,410 | 20.9 | 14.8 | 11.1 |
| 20 years | 1,764 | 21.1 | 14.0 | 12.6 |
| 21 years | 1,758 | 22.1 | 14.1 | 12.5 |
| 22 years | 1,256 | 20.3 | 12.9 | 9.6 |
What to check on a viewing
On the SEAT Arosa, testers most often record exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases; side/position light not working; wipers not clearing screen. Look at these first, then the areas below.
Lights and electrics
- With someone outside, try every light: dipped and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and number plate lamps.
- Check that the warning lights come on with the ignition and go out once the engine runs.
- Look for misted, cracked or yellowed headlamp lenses.
Suspension
- Listen for knocks or clonks over speed bumps and rough roads on the test drive.
- Push down hard on each corner: the car should settle at once rather than keep bouncing.
- Look behind the wheels for broken or heavily rusted coil springs and split rubber bushes.
- Check that the car sits level and that no tyre is worn on one edge only.
Brakes
- On the test drive the car should stop in a straight line without pulling, juddering or grinding.
- Look at the discs through the wheels for a deep lip, heavy rust or scoring.
- Check that the handbrake or electronic parking brake holds the car on a slope.
- Ask when the pads, discs and brake fluid were last changed, and for the receipts.
Ask for the car's MOT history and service record: advisories that repeat from one year to the next show what has been left. GOV.UK MOT history.
Questions
What are the most common problems on the SEAT Arosa?
At 20 years, the age with the most MOT tests (1,764), the fail items testers record most often on the SEAT Arosa are exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases (5.3 per 100 MOTs), side/position light not working (5.3 per 100 MOTs), wipers not clearing screen (4.6 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (17.9) and exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases (13.6).
Which parts of the SEAT Arosa fail more often than on other cars?
At 20 years: exhaust, emissions and leaks (10.6 per 100 MOTs against 7.0 for all cars); body and structure (11.1 per 100 MOTs against 9.2 for all cars); tyres (7.8 per 100 MOTs against 6.4 for all cars). Compared with 1,845,952 MOTs of all cars the same age.
SEAT Arosa problems by area
More on the SEAT Arosa
Other SEAT models
The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.
Looking at a SEAT Arosa?
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Repair estimates: ONS consumer price quotes for local garage labour (09/2025 to 08/2026), the MOT inspection manual for defect wording, and estimated labour hours and parts bands. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ONS.
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