47,993 tests in 2025
SEAT Ateca reliability and MOT pass rate
89.9% passed first time. The 10.1% fail rate is 12.5 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 6 years old with 46,118 miles.
Pass rate
89.9%
22.6% of all cars failed; 10.1% of these did.
Fixed on the day
2.2%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
46,118 mi
6 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 18,812 | 8.9% |
| 6-9 years | 28,765 | 10.9% |
| 10-13 years | 0 | — |
| 14+ years | 0 | — |
What the Ateca 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.
- Tyres1,969 dangerous43.2%
- Brakes1,089 dangerous25.2%
- Suspension45 dangerous15.4%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment3 dangerous12.6%
- Visibility1 dangerous10.8%
- Noise, emissions and leaks3 dangerous5.7%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems4.7%
- Body, chassis, structure8 dangerous1.7%
Is the Ateca getting worse?
The fail rate rose 2.7 points to 10.5% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 32,379 | 4 | 7.8% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 37,670 | — | 8.7% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 36,538 | — | 9.8% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 42,027 | — | 10.5% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Ateca 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 Ateca in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm931 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick890 tests
- 3Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords625 tests
- 4Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak310 tests
- 5Condition: has ply or cords exposed276 tests
- 6Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn269 tests
- 7Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively260 tests
- 8Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction190 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Ateca collects 2.27 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 1.6mm7,164 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick6,155 tests
- 3Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak4,452 tests
- 4Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure4,103 tests
- 5Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened3,331 tests
- 6Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt2,708 tests
- 7Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn1,441 tests
- 8Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre1,264 tests
Questions
What is the SEAT Ateca MOT pass rate?
89.9% of the 47,993 SEAT Ateca first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 10.1% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 2.2% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a SEAT Ateca usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm", recorded on 931 failed tests, followed by "Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick" and "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords". By section, tyres appears in 43.2% of failures, brakes appears in 25.2% of failures, suspension appears in 15.4% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 8.9%; at 6-9 years it was 10.9%. The median SEAT Ateca tested in 2025 was 6 years old with 46,118 miles.
Is the SEAT Ateca getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 2.7 points to 10.5% 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 Ateca 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 11 safety recalls naming the SEAT Ateca: SEAT Ateca recalls.
Other SEAT models
Checking a particular Ateca?
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.