170,945 tests in 2025
SEAT Leon reliability and MOT pass rate
79.8% passed first time. The 20.2% fail rate is 2.4 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 9 years old with 74,733 miles.
Pass rate
79.8%
22.6% of all cars failed; 20.2% of these did.
Fixed on the day
4.2%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
74,733 mi
9 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 25,899 | 12% |
| 6-9 years | 68,354 | 18.1% |
| 10-13 years | 50,497 | 21.1% |
| 14+ years | 26,103 | 32.1% |
What the Leon 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.
- Suspension426 dangerous44.1%
- Tyres11,504 dangerous31%
- Brakes5,293 dangerous25.2%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment46 dangerous17.9%
- Visibility7 dangerous12%
- Noise, emissions and leaks25 dangerous11.4%
- Body, chassis, structure120 dangerous9.6%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems1 dangerous3.2%
Is the Leon getting worse?
The fail rate rose 2.1 points to 20.5% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 179,352 | — | 18.4% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 183,116 | — | 18.9% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 160,141 | — | 19.5% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 165,276 | — | 20.5% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Leon 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 Leon in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Coil spring: fractured or broken7,019 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm4,200 tests
- 3Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak4,062 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick3,682 tests
- 5Condition: has ply or cords exposed2,461 tests
- 6Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords2,333 tests
- 7Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction2,014 tests
- 8Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively1,827 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Leon collects 2.64 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.
- 1Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak30,485 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm29,111 tests
- 3Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick17,102 tests
- 4Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure15,658 tests
- 5Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened15,278 tests
- 6Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine6,494 tests
- 7Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened6,279 tests
- 8Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn5,560 tests
Questions
What is the SEAT Leon MOT pass rate?
79.8% of the 170,945 SEAT Leon first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 20.2% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 4.2% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a SEAT Leon usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded on 7,019 failed tests, followed by "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" and "Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak". By section, suspension appears in 44.1% of failures, tyres appears in 31% of failures, brakes appears in 25.2% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 12%; at 14+ years it was 32.1%. The median SEAT Leon tested in 2025 was 9 years old with 74,733 miles.
Is the SEAT Leon getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 2.1 points to 20.5% 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 Leon 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 22 safety recalls naming the SEAT Leon: SEAT Leon recalls.
Other SEAT models
Checking a particular Leon?
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.