2025 MOT results
SEAT Altea common problems
The most common reason a SEAT Altea fails its MOT is a broken coil spring, on 15.4% of its 5,035 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 5 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a weak or uneven footbrake at 7.6% of failures against 3.4% expected; a split joint boot at 8.5% of failures against 4.1% expected; a leaking damper at 6.4% of failures against 3.8% expected.
- Tests in 2025 12,318 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 40.9% 5,035 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 10.3% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 68.5% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a SEAT Altea MOT
Each bar is the share of failed SEAT Altea tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 15.4% |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | 11.8% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 10.4% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 9.1% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 8.6% |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | 8.5% |
| Service brake performance: excessively binding Brakes | 7.6% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 7.4% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 7.1% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 6.7% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 6.4% |
| Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension | 6.4% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Broken coil spring
15.4% of failures 10.1% expected 1.5 times as often
A broken suspension spring, which usually snaps in the bottom coil and often fails on both sides within a year.
Look at each corner for a sagging ride height, and listen for a knock over speed bumps.
-
Split joint boot
11.8% of failures 5.9% expected 2 times as often
A split rubber boot on a joint or driveshaft. The joint may still be sound, but dirt and water get in once the boot is open.
Turn the wheels to full lock and look behind them for greasy splits in the rubber concertina.
-
Brake light out
10.4% of failures 8.5% expected somewhat more often
A brake light not working, from a bulb, a poor earth, or the switch on the pedal.
Reverse up to a wall or window at dusk and press the pedal to see all three lamps light.
-
Headlamp aim out of line
9.1% of failures 6.6% expected somewhat more often
The beam pattern points too high, too low, or in the wrong place, so it either dazzles others or lights too little road.
Nothing to do at the roadside, but a garage resets the aim in minutes; a sagging suspension corner or a heavy boot load can throw it out.
-
Sidelight out
8.6% of failures 12.3% expected somewhat less often
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
-
Split joint boot
8.5% of failures 4.1% expected 2.1 times as often
A split rubber boot on a joint or driveshaft. The joint may still be sound, but dirt and water get in once the boot is open.
Turn the wheels to full lock and look behind them for greasy splits in the rubber concertina.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a SEAT Altea, on 43.3% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is body, chassis, structure, on 20.0% against 14.8% expected.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 43.3% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 40.4% |
| Brakes | 27.5% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 20.0% |
| Tyres | 19.9% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 14.3% |
| Visibility | 13.5% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 7.1% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
68.5% of SEAT Altea tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On SEAT Alteas, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 26.0% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 14.1% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 9.6% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 8.8% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 8.7% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 8.5% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 8.4% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 7.9% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.6% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 5.9% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 5.1% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 4.9% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
SEAT Altea problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a SEAT Altea?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Coil spring: fractured or broken” is the most common: it appears on 15.4% of failed SEAT Altea tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 43.3% of failed tests.
How often does a SEAT Altea fail its MOT?
40.9% of SEAT Altea tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 12,318 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 48 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a SEAT Altea than on other cars?
Yes. “Service brake performance: excessively binding” appears on 7.6% of its failures against 3.4% for cars of the same age, and “Linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt” appears on 8.5% of its failures against 4.1% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a SEAT Altea aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 12,318 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.