11,602 tests in 2025
SEAT Altea reliability and MOT pass rate
66.4% passed first time. The 33.6% fail rate is 11.0 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 15 years old with 109,735 miles.
Pass rate
66.4%
22.6% of all cars failed; 33.6% of these did.
Fixed on the day
7.3%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
109,735 mi
15 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 0 | — |
| 6-9 years | 1 | — |
| 10-13 years | 3,825 | 28.3% |
| 14+ years | 7,776 | 36.2% |
What the Altea fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Suspension74 dangerous51.7%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment14 dangerous33.5%
- Brakes502 dangerous32.9%
- Body, chassis, structure16 dangerous23.5%
- Tyres1,046 dangerous23%
- Noise, emissions and leaks12 dangerous16%
- Visibility3 dangerous12.9%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems7.3%
Is the Altea getting worse?
The fail rate rose 0.3 points to 33.7% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 19,011 | — | 33.4% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 16,792 | — | 33.8% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 13,014 | — | 34.1% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 11,546 | — | 33.7% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Altea at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Altea in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Coil spring: fractured or broken730 tests
- 2Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt549 tests
- 3Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt391 tests
- 4Service brake performance: excessively binding357 tests
- 5Stop lamp: not working352 tests
- 6Condition: has ply or cords exposed341 tests
- 7Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect333 tests
- 8Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick318 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Altea collects 3.08 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm2,717 tests
- 2Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened1,647 tests
- 3Sub-frame: corroded and seriously weakened1,125 tests
- 4Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened1,022 tests
- 5Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure1,008 tests
- 6Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak1,003 tests
- 7Suspension arm: corroded and seriously weakened962 tests
- 8Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick926 tests
Questions
What is the SEAT Altea MOT pass rate?
66.4% of the 11,602 SEAT Altea first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 33.6% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 7.3% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a SEAT Altea usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded on 730 failed tests, followed by "Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" and "Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt". By section, suspension appears in 51.7% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 33.5% of failures, brakes appears in 32.9% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was n/a%; at 14+ years it was 36.2%. The median SEAT Altea tested in 2025 was 15 years old with 109,735 miles.
Is the SEAT Altea getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 0.3 points to 33.7% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every Altea trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 7 safety recalls naming the SEAT Altea: SEAT Altea recalls.
Other SEAT models
Checking a particular Altea?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.