2025 MOT results
SEAT Ibiza common problems
The most common reason a SEAT Ibiza fails its MOT is worn suspension bushes, on 12.0% of its 64,575 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 7 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a worn steering or suspension joint at 6.2% of failures against 1.5% expected; worn suspension bushes at 12.0% of failures against 4.6% expected; a leaking damper at 7.4% of failures against 3.3% expected.
- Tests in 2025 189,894 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 34.0% 64,575 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 9.0% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 58.0% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a SEAT Ibiza MOT
Each bar is the share of failed SEAT Ibiza 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 |
|---|---|
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 12.0% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 9.6% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 8.3% |
| Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension | 7.4% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 6.8% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.8% |
| Track rod end: ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Steering | 6.2% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 6.0% |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.7% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.6% |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | 5.1% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Worn suspension bushes
12.0% of failures 4.6% expected 2.6 times as often
Worn rubber bushes in a suspension arm, letting the arm move under load.
Perished or cracked rubber at the inner ends of the lower arms, visible with the wheel turned.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
9.6% of failures 8.4% expected about as expected
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
-
Broken coil spring
8.3% of failures 9.5% expected about as expected
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.
-
Leaking damper
7.4% of failures 3.3% expected 2.2 times as often
A damper leaking its oil, so it no longer controls the spring.
A wet, dirty streak down the damper body, or a corner that keeps bouncing after you push it down.
-
Washers that do not work
6.8% of failures 4.9% expected somewhat more often
The washers cannot deliver enough liquid to clean the windscreen with the wipers.
Top the bottle up and check both jets reach the glass; the pump is often fine and the jet blocked.
-
Headlamp aim out of line
6.8% of failures 4.1% expected 1.7 times as 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.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a SEAT Ibiza, on 37.8% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 32.7%.
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 | 37.8% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 34.5% |
| Brakes | 24.9% |
| Tyres | 23.3% |
| Visibility | 17.0% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 12.0% |
| Steering | 11.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 10.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
58.0% of SEAT Ibiza tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On SEAT Ibizas, 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 | 20.4% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 11.0% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 10.2% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 9.6% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 9.1% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 5.9% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 5.7% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 4.5% |
| Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories | 4.4% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 3.7% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 3.2% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 2.9% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a SEAT Ibiza gets older
A 2022 SEAT Ibiza failed 11.9% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2006 one failed 50.0%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 SEAT Ibiza 11.9% failed, from 5,247 tests
- Cut tyre 21.7%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 12.4%
- Worn brake pads 10.4%
- Headlamp aim set too low 6.7%
- Faulty seat belt 6.1%
- Washers that do not work 5.9%
2006 SEAT Ibiza 50.0% failed, from 2,039 tests
- Brake light out 18.3%
- Sidelight out 17.8%
- Headlamp aim out of line 12.4%
- Washers that do not work 10.6%
- Split joint boot 10.5%
- Engine management light on 7.7%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
SEAT Ibiza problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a SEAT Ibiza?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” is the most common: it appears on 12.0% of failed SEAT Ibiza tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 37.8% of failed tests.
How often does a SEAT Ibiza fail its MOT?
34.0% of SEAT Ibiza tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 189,894 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 39 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a SEAT Ibiza than on other cars?
Yes. “Track rod end: ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt” appears on 6.2% of its failures against 1.5% for cars of the same age, and “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” appears on 12.0% of its failures against 4.6% 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 Ibiza 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 | 189,894 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.