Seat Alhambra MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Seat Alhambra took 28,819 MOT tests in Britain and passed 74% of them first time, close to the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.
- MOT tests in 2023
- 28,819
- First-time pass rate
- 74%
- All cars
- 71%
What the Alhambra fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Suspension8.8% (all cars 9.0%)
- Tyres8.5% (all cars 6.4%)
- Lights and electrics7.7% (all cars 11.3%)
- Brakes5.0% (all cars 6.8%)
- Body and structure3.3% (all cars 3.5%)
- Exhaust and emissions2.8% (all cars 3.1%)
- Visibility2.8% (all cars 4.8%)
- Seat belts and airbags1.4% (all cars 1.0%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn 3.7%
- Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 3.4%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 2.5%
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 2.3%
- Position lamp: not working 2.0%
- Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.8%
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 1.6%
- Coil spring: fractured or broken 1.5%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 23.6%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 13.5%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 10.3%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 8.2%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 4.7%
- Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt 4.2%
- Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread 3.0%
- Coil spring: corroded 2.9%
Pass rate by year of registration
Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.
| First registered | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 324 | 47% |
| 2004 | 495 | 46% |
| 2005 | 403 | 48% |
| 2006 | 485 | 48% |
| 2007 | 545 | 46% |
| 2008 | 558 | 46% |
| 2009 | 376 | 51% |
| 2010 | 391 | 58% |
| 2011 | 1,266 | 64% |
| 2012 | 1,441 | 66% |
| 2013 | 1,598 | 70% |
| 2014 | 1,907 | 73% |
| 2015 | 2,231 | 75% |
| 2016 | 4,267 | 79% |
| 2017 | 6,119 | 82% |
| 2018 | 2,551 | 85% |
| 2019 | 2,712 | 85% |
| 2020 | 845 | 87% |
Typical mileage by age
Average odometer reading at the MOT, by the car's age in years at the test.
| Age at test | Average mileage |
|---|---|
| 3 years | 27,827 miles |
| 4 years | 40,432 miles |
| 5 years | 55,425 miles |
| 6 years | 72,865 miles |
| 7 years | 94,311 miles |
| 8 years | 101,315 miles |
| 9 years | 102,186 miles |
| 10 years | 101,556 miles |
| 11 years | 116,424 miles |
| 12 years | 120,198 miles |
| 13 years | 131,767 miles |
| 14 years | 136,126 miles |
| 15 years | 140,281 miles |
| 16 years | 137,753 miles |
| 17 years | 144,995 miles |
| 18 years | 149,656 miles |
| 19 years | 149,525 miles |
| 20 years | 149,389 miles |
Check a particular Alhambra
Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.
Other Seat models
- Seat Ibiza
- Seat Leon
- Seat Ateca
- Seat Arona
- Seat MII
- Seat Altea
- Seat Toledo
- Seat Tarraco
- Seat Exeo
- Seat Arosa
- Seat Ibiza FR MPI
- Seat Altea XL
Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.