Seat MII MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Seat MII took 17,713 MOT tests in Britain and passed 79% 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
- 17,713
- First-time pass rate
- 79%
- All cars
- 71%
What the MII fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Lights and electrics7.1% (all cars 11.3%)
- Brakes5.6% (all cars 6.8%)
- Visibility4.2% (all cars 4.8%)
- Tyres4.0% (all cars 6.4%)
- Body and structure2.3% (all cars 3.5%)
- Suspension2.2% (all cars 9.0%)
- Seat belts and airbags2.0% (all cars 1.0%)
- Exhaust and emissions1.7% (all cars 3.1%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Service brake performance: excessively binding 2.4%
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 2.3%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 1.7%
- SRS malfunction indicator lamp: warning lamp indicates a fault 1.7%
- Position lamp: not working 1.6%
- Headlamp aim: too low 1.6%
- Fuel cap/sealing device: ineffective 1.4%
- Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps 1.2%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 13.1%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 13.0%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 6.2%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 4.2%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 3.4%
- Service brake performance: binding but not excessively 3.3%
- Brake discs: worn, but not excessively 2.6%
- Non-component advisories: Play in steering rack inner joint(s) 1.6%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1,781 | 72% |
| 2013 | 3,542 | 74% |
| 2014 | 3,107 | 79% |
| 2015 | 2,697 | 79% |
| 2016 | 2,227 | 79% |
| 2017 | 1,477 | 85% |
| 2018 | 1,261 | 85% |
| 2019 | 1,321 | 90% |
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 | 14,122 miles |
| 4 years | 20,744 miles |
| 5 years | 26,930 miles |
| 6 years | 33,098 miles |
| 7 years | 39,780 miles |
| 8 years | 45,983 miles |
| 9 years | 52,224 miles |
| 10 years | 58,858 miles |
| 11 years | 64,249 miles |
Check a particular MII
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 Alhambra
- 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.