1,577 tests in 2025
SEAT Arosa reliability and MOT pass rate
64.6% passed first time. The 35.4% fail rate is 12.8 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 22 years old with 75,075 miles.
Pass rate
64.6%
22.6% of all cars failed; 35.4% of these did.
Fixed on the day
7.8%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
75,075 mi
22 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 18 | — |
| 6-9 years | 0 | — |
| 10-13 years | 0 | — |
| 14+ years | 1,559 | 35.7% |
What the Arosa 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.
- Suspension33 dangerous43.1%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment7 dangerous42.9%
- Brakes50 dangerous36.7%
- Body, chassis, structure7 dangerous28.6%
- Noise, emissions and leaks27.7%
- Tyres115 dangerous18.8%
- Visibility1 dangerous15.7%
- Steering1 dangerous9.5%
Is the Arosa getting worse?
The fail rate held at 35.4% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (-1.2 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2,902 | 19 | 35.4% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 2,438 | 20 | 33.3% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 1,768 | 21 | 32.3% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 1,577 | 22 | 35.4% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Arosa 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 Arosa in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Position lamp: not working70 tests
- 2Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt67 tests
- 3Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect66 tests
- 4Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases63 tests
- 5Service brake performance: efficiency below requirements57 tests
- 6Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn53 tests
- 7Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively51 tests
- 8Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits50 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Arosa collects 3.65 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 1.6mm255 tests
- 2Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine248 tests
- 3Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn236 tests
- 4Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened213 tests
- 5Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure206 tests
- 6Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded201 tests
- 7Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases199 tests
- 8Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened172 tests
Questions
What is the SEAT Arosa MOT pass rate?
64.6% of the 1,577 SEAT Arosa first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 35.4% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 7.8% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a SEAT Arosa usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Position lamp: not working", recorded on 70 failed tests, followed by "Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" and "Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect". By section, suspension appears in 43.1% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 42.9% of failures, brakes appears in 36.7% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 11.1%; at 14+ years it was 35.7%. The median SEAT Arosa tested in 2025 was 22 years old with 75,075 miles.
Is the SEAT Arosa getting less reliable?
The fail rate held at 35.4% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (-1.2 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
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 Arosa trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
Other SEAT models
Checking a particular Arosa?
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.