How many SEAT Arosas are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, how new registrations have changed and which fuels they use. Built from DVLA licensing records and 1,698 DVSA MOT tests.
Licensed in Great Britain1,332−19.8% on a year earlier
Declared SORN1,449Off the road, not taxed
MOT first-time pass rate, 202556.8%Cars of the same ages 61.3%
Rank by number licensedNo. 629of 1,159 models we cover
Peak year200417,662 licensed
Average annual mileage3,795miles a year
How many SEAT Arosas are left in Great Britain?
There were 1,332 SEAT Arosas licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 1,449 declared off the road (SORN).
That is 92.5% fewer than the peak of 17,662 in 2004.
SEAT Arosas licensed in Great Britain
Numbers peaked in 2004 and have fallen every year since, as older cars are scrapped faster than new ones are registered.
In 2025, 56.8% of SEAT Arosa MOT tests were passed first time,
against 72.8% for all cars.
Cars of the same ages as the SEAT Arosas tested pass 61.3% of the time, so the SEAT Arosa does worse than average for its age, by 4.5 points. In 2024 its pass rate was 58.3%.
MOT first-time pass rate by age: SEAT Arosa vs all cars
Comparing like with like: each bar pair covers cars of the same age, so an older average age does not count against a model.
0%
50%
100%
20+ years
SEAT Arosa
All cars
MOT first-time pass rate by vehicle age, SEAT Arosa compared with all cars
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the most common reason a SEAT Arosa fails its MOT,
appearing on 49.9% of failed tests. A failed test can have defects in
more than one category, so shares add up to more than 100%.
9.8% of SEAT Arosa tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 7.3% for all cars.
Most common MOT failure categories
Share of failed SEAT Arosa MOT tests with at least one defect in each category
The single most common reason a SEAT Arosa failed its MOT in 2025 was
“Position lamp: not working”, on 13.0% of 733 failed tests.
71.2% of tests ended with at least one advisory, a problem to watch that did not fail the test; the most common was “Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge”.
The same fault on any wheel or side counts once.
Most common reasons for failure
Share of failed tests with each defect. A test can fail for more than one.
Most common specific MOT defects on failed SEAT Arosa tests, 2025
Defect
Share of failed tests
Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
13.0%
Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
11.7%
Exhaust system: major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure
10.1%
Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
10.1%
Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure
10.0%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility
8.5%
Service brake performance: efficiency below requirements Brakes
8.0%
Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension
7.2%
Catalyst emissions: lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks
7.1%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks
Registrations of SEAT Arosas for the first time in Great Britain peaked at 2,637 in 2002. In 2025, 0 were registered. With almost none registered new, the number on the road is likely to keep falling.
Registered for the first time, by year
0
1k
2k
3k
’01
’02
’03
’04
’05
’06
’07
’08
’09
’10
’11
’12
’13
’14
’15
’16
’17
’18
’19
’20
’21
’22
’23
’24
’25
SEAT Arosas registered for the first time in Great Britain, by year
Of the 1,443 SEAT Arosas licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 62.6% have an engine of 901cc to 1,000cc, and 27.0% have an engine of 1,301cc to 1,400cc. The share with an engine of 901cc to 1,000cc has fallen from 69.1% in 2014 to 62.6%.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
SEAT Arosas licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, by engine size
Engine size
Share of those licensed
901cc to 1,000cc 904 licensed
62.6%
1,301cc to 1,400cc 389 licensed
27.0%
1,401cc to 1,500cc 138 licensed
9.6%
1,701cc to 1,800cc 8 licensed
0.6%
Other sizes 4 licensed
0.3%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size
Fuel
Licensed
Share
901–1,000cc
Petrol
904
62.6%
1,301–1,400cc
Petrol
389
27.0%
1,401–1,500cc
Diesel
114
7.9%
1,401–1,500cc
Petrol
24
1.7%
Engine sizes, 2014 to 2025
Share of those licensed at the end of each year, for the most common sizes.
SEAT Arosas licensed in the UK by fuel type, share of each year’s total
Year
Petrol
Diesel
2014
91.2%
8.8%
2015
91.0%
9.0%
2016
91.5%
8.5%
2017
92.1%
7.9%
2018
91.8%
8.2%
2019
91.6%
8.4%
2020
91.5%
8.4%
2021
91.7%
8.3%
2022
90.7%
9.3%
2023
91.1%
8.9%
2024
91.2%
8.8%
2025
91.5%
8.5%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
United Kingdom figures from DfT table VEH0220 (licensed cars at the end of each year, SORN
excluded), so they differ slightly from the Great Britain counts elsewhere on this page.
How we use engine sizes.
SEAT Arosa fuel economy and CO2
The Vehicle Certification Agency’s new car data lists the SEAT Arosa from 2000, when the data begins, to 2004. On the NEDC test (listings 2000 to 2004), official combined fuel economy for its petrol and diesel versions ranges from 37.7 to 64.2 mpg, with CO2 of 119 to 180 g/km.
Official NEDC figures by engine and fuel, listed 2000 to 2004
Official NEDC figures by engine and fuel, listed 2000 to 2004
Official figures from laboratory type-approval tests. VCA says they may not be achieved in
real-world driving, and should not be used to rank cars with similar figures.
Engine sizes are rounded to the nearest 0.1 litre. A version is one line in
VCA’s data (description, gearbox, engine and fuel), counted once however many years it was
listed.
Matched from VCA’s model names “Arosa”, “Arosa / S / Sport”, “Arosa SDI”. How we use VCA’s figures.
SEAT Arosa safety recalls
DVSA lists 1 safety recall for the SEAT Arosa, launched on 6 July 2002.
Brake vacuum supply pipe concern
Launched 6 July 2002DVSA recall R/2002/081Manufacturer ref. 47S1
Defect
On Arosa vehicles in the affected chassis number range tension cracks may occur on the vacuum pipe to the brake servo in the area of the connections of the pipes because of a manufacturing fault. If a vacuum pipe leaks the brake servo loses its function. Without the servo assistance a lot more force must be used on the pedal. But this will not lead to a failure of the brake system
Remedy
The fitted vacuum pipes will be checked and if necessary replaced.
Vehicles affected
7,113 Arosa vehicles
Built
Build dates not given
A recall applies to cars built on particular dates or with particular VINs, not to every SEAT Arosa. The details come from manufacturers through DVSA, which says they may be delayed or
incomplete. To check a specific car, use GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check or ask the manufacturer or a
dealer. How we match recalls to models.
Figures cover Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland is not included.
Licensed counts are vehicles with a current tax or exemption at the end of each year (or the latest quarter). SORN counts are shown separately.
First registrations count vehicles registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.
Models are grouped by DVLA’s generic model name, so every generation and trim counts together.
MOT figures cover normal tests of cars aged three and over in 2025; retests are excluded. Age is rounded to the nearest year.
DVSA records the model name typed in at the test. We match those names to DVLA’s generic models, so a handful of tests may be counted under a close relative.
