Seat Leon MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Seat Leon took 185,889 MOT tests in Britain and passed 77% of them first time, above 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
- 185,889
- First-time pass rate
- 77%
- All cars
- 71%
What the Leon fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Suspension7.3% (all cars 9.0%)
- Tyres6.8% (all cars 6.4%)
- Lights and electrics6.4% (all cars 11.3%)
- Brakes5.3% (all cars 6.8%)
- Visibility3.7% (all cars 4.8%)
- Exhaust and emissions2.7% (all cars 3.1%)
- Body and structure2.3% (all cars 3.5%)
- Seat belts and airbags0.8% (all cars 1.0%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Coil spring: fractured or broken 3.0%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 2.8%
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 2.2%
- Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak 1.8%
- Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid 1.5%
- Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 1.5%
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 1.4%
- Headlamp aim: too low 1.3%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 19.0%
- Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil 14.8%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 10.0%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 8.8%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 8.2%
- Coil spring: corroded 2.9%
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 2.9%
- Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt 2.8%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 325 | 63% |
| 2002 | 652 | 62% |
| 2003 | 1,358 | 60% |
| 2004 | 1,728 | 60% |
| 2005 | 2,048 | 59% |
| 2006 | 3,533 | 54% |
| 2007 | 5,283 | 59% |
| 2008 | 5,406 | 59% |
| 2009 | 5,472 | 61% |
| 2010 | 6,322 | 63% |
| 2011 | 6,994 | 65% |
| 2012 | 9,250 | 69% |
| 2013 | 11,770 | 74% |
| 2014 | 18,965 | 79% |
| 2015 | 17,301 | 80% |
| 2016 | 15,959 | 82% |
| 2017 | 18,275 | 83% |
| 2018 | 21,200 | 84% |
| 2019 | 19,748 | 84% |
| 2020 | 13,822 | 87% |
| 2021 | 392 | 93% |
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 | 27,668 miles |
| 4 years | 36,284 miles |
| 5 years | 44,063 miles |
| 6 years | 54,186 miles |
| 7 years | 63,924 miles |
| 8 years | 74,787 miles |
| 9 years | 85,011 miles |
| 10 years | 90,996 miles |
| 11 years | 100,590 miles |
| 12 years | 107,077 miles |
| 13 years | 114,918 miles |
| 14 years | 114,703 miles |
| 15 years | 119,810 miles |
| 16 years | 126,076 miles |
| 17 years | 127,926 miles |
| 18 years | 129,247 miles |
| 19 years | 132,035 miles |
| 20 years | 128,950 miles |
Check a particular Leon
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 Ateca
- Seat Arona
- Seat Alhambra
- 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.