Car statistics by year

2005 SEAT Leon

SEAT Leon cars first registered in 2005: how they did at their 2025 MOT, what failed them, how far they have been driven and how many are still on the road. Compared with every car first registered in 2005, so like is set against like.

A year of the SEAT Leon. “2005” is the year of first registration.

Last updated
Records analysed
1,259 MOT tests of 2005 SEAT Leon cars
Methodology
View methodology
  • MOT first-time pass rate, 2025 60.4% All 2005 cars 57.7%
  • Typical mileage at the MOT 129,900 miles; all 2005 cars 103,800
  • Left at the end of 2025 2,216 29.3% of the 7,553 at the end of 2014
  • Tests finding a dangerous defect 9.5% All 2005 cars 9.9%
  • Tests with an advisory 70.3% All 2005 cars 70.3%
  • MOT tests in 2025 1,259 normal tests in Great Britain

How do 2005 SEAT Leons do at their MOT?

In 2025, at about 20 years old, 60.4% of 2005 SEAT Leon MOT tests were passed first time, against 57.7% for all cars first registered in 2005. 2005 SEAT Leons did better than average for their age, by 2.7 points. A year earlier the same cars passed 59.8% of the time (all 2005 cars 56.6%).

MOT pass rate by year of first registration: SEAT Leon vs all cars

Each pair of bars is one year of first registration, tested in 2025. Older cars pass less often, so compare each SEAT Leon bar with the all-cars bar beside it.

MOT first-time pass rate in 2025 by year of first registration, SEAT Leon compared with all cars
First registered SEAT LeonAll cars
’03 63.0%58.9%
’04 61.8%57.9%
’05 60.4%57.7%
’06 55.4%56.9%
’07 59.7%57.3%
’08 60.0%57.0%
’09 59.8%58.2%
’10 61.0%59.3%
’11 63.5%61.5%
’12 65.5%63.6%
’13 71.4%66.0%
’14 76.6%69.1%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT failures on the 2005 SEAT Leon

Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt was the most common single reason a 2005 SEAT Leon failed, on 13.7% of about 500 failed tests. By area of the car, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment failed most often (47.0% of failed tests; all 2005 cars 49.6%). 9.5% of tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 9.9% for all cars first registered in 2005. A failed test can have several defects, so shares add up to more than 100%.

Most common reasons for failure

Share of failed tests with each defect. The same fault on any wheel or side counts once.

Most common specific MOT defects on failed 2005 SEAT Leon tests, 2025
Defect Share of failed tests
Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure 13.7%
Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 11.8%
Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 11.2%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks 10.6%
Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres 8.6%
Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes 8.4%
Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension 8.0%
SRS malfunction indicator lamp: warning lamp indicates a fault Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems 7.8%
Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension 6.2%
Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 6.0%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Failure categories: SEAT Leon vs all 2005 cars

The marker shows the share for all cars first registered the same year.

Share of failed 2005 SEAT Leon MOT tests with a defect in each category, with all 2005 cars for comparison
Category Share of failed tests
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 47.0%
Brakes 32.3%
Suspension 30.7%
Body, chassis, structure 29.9%
Noise, emissions and leaks 24.9%
Tyres 16.7%
Steering 16.1%
Visibility 13.5%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT advisories on the 2005 SEAT Leon

An advisory is something the tester noticed that did not fail the test but may need work soon. 70.3% of 2005 SEAT Leon tests had at least one (all 2005 cars 70.3%). These are the things to check on one you are thinking of buying.

Most common advisories

Most common MOT advisories on 2005 SEAT Leon tests, 2025
Advisory Share of tests
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres 19.6%
Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks 14.6%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes 14.5%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes 14.3%
Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension 13.0%
Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure 9.1%
Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres 8.8%
Coil spring: corroded Suspension 8.2%
Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension 6.9%
Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle 6.1%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

What mileage is normal for a 2005 SEAT Leon?

Half of the 2005 SEAT Leons tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 129,900 miles. A quarter had covered fewer than 104,400 and a quarter more than 155,900. For all cars first registered in 2005, the middle figure was 103,800 miles, so 2005 SEAT Leons have been driven 25.1% further than average.

Mileage at the 2025 MOT

Odometer readings at each car’s latest MOT of the year. The bar covers the middle half of cars; the line the middle 80%.

Odometer readings at the 2025 MOT, 2005 SEAT Leon and all 2005 cars, by percentile
10% 25% Median 75% 90% Cars
2005 SEAT Leon 80,100 104,400 129,900 155,900 181,700 1,197
All 2005 cars 53,000 75,300 103,800 136,000 168,500 411,156
miles

Half of the 2005 SEAT Leons tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 129,900 miles.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

How many 2005 SEAT Leons are left?

At the end of 2014, 7,553 2005 SEAT Leons were on the DVLA record in the United Kingdom (these counts start in 2014). By the end of 2025, 2,216 were: 1,041 licensed and 1,175 declared off the road (SORN). That is 29.3% still on the record, against 29.5% for all cars first registered in 2005.

Share still on the record since 2014

Cars licensed or SORN at each year end, as a share of the number at the end of 2014. Cars scrapped or exported leave the record. Late registrations and imports can push the share above 100%.

2005 SEAT Leons on the DVLA record at each year end as a share of the number at the end of 2014, compared with all 2005 cars
Year end 2005 SEAT LeonAll 2005 cars
2014 100.0%100.0%
2015 96.2%95.9%
2016 92.5%91.2%
2017 85.0%83.5%
2018 76.0%74.6%
2019 66.8%65.8%
2020 58.3%58.1%
2021 49.5%50.0%
2022 43.0%44.0%
2023 37.4%38.7%
2024 32.8%33.6%
2025 29.3%29.5%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2025 Updated

Recalls that may affect cars built around 2005

1 of the SEAT Leon’s 22 recalls in DVSA’s records covers cars built during 2005. 1 has no build dates, so could apply to any year.

The 2005 on this page is the year of first registration, not the year the car was built. A car first registered early in 2005 may have been built in 2004, and recalls apply to particular build dates and VINs, so check the recalls either side too.

SEAT Leon recalls whose build dates include 2005
Launched Concern Built Vehicles
5 Apr 2006 Flywheel may fail 1 Feb 2004 to 30 Jun 2005 1,477 (all models)

Every SEAT Leon recall · Check a specific car on GOV.UK · How we match recalls

Recall details come from manufacturers through DVSA. “Vehicles” is the number the manufacturer reported; “all models” means the figure covers everything in the recall. A recall listed here may not apply to a particular car: only the manufacturer or GOV.UK can say for its VIN.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated

Other years of the SEAT Leon

20 years of the SEAT Leon, by year of first registration, have their own page with MOT results, common faults, mileage and how many are left. Against all cars of the same age, the 2014 cars did best at their 2025 MOT (76.6% passed first time) and the 2019 cars worst (77.7%).

SEAT Leons by year of first registration
Year Registered Left Pass rate All cars
2003 1,930 63.0% 58.9%
2004 2,197 61.8% 57.9%
2005 2,216 60.4% 57.7%
2006 2,886 55.4% 56.9%
2007 4,098 59.7% 57.3%
2008 4,217 60.0% 57.0%
2009 4,600 59.8% 58.2%
2010 5,713 61.0% 59.3%
2011 6,898 63.5% 61.5%
2012 9,783 65.5% 63.6%
2013 12,756 71.4% 66.0%
2014 22,020 20,336 76.6% 69.1%
2015 18,958 18,440 78.6% 72.6%
2016 16,675 16,710 79.7% 75.6%
2017 18,717 18,749 78.5% 79.1%
2018 21,536 21,181 78.5% 81.8%
2019 19,736 19,107 77.7% 84.4%
2020 13,739 13,526 83.9% 86.9%
2021 11,273 10,875 87.2% 88.4%
2022 3,579 3,403 88.6% 89.4%

Registered: cars on the DVLA record at the end of the year they were first registered (these counts start in 2014, so older years show a dash). Left: licensed or declared SORN at the end of 2025. Both cover the United Kingdom. Pass rate: first-time passes at normal MOT tests in Great Britain in 2025; all cars: every car first registered the same year.

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
MOT results and mileage Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
Derived statistics UK Motoring
2025 1,259 MOT tests of 2005 SEAT Leon cars 15 September 2026
Cars on the record Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of 2025 2,216 cars still on the record (licensed or SORN) 15 September 2026
  • MOT figures cover normal tests in Great Britain in 2025 of SEAT Leon cars first registered in 2005; retests are excluded. “All cars” means every car we match to a model, first registered in 2005.
  • Year of first registration is DVSA’s first-use date: when the car was first registered, in the UK or abroad.
  • Defects and advisories are DVSA’s descriptions made readable. Where on the car a defect was found (side, front or rear) is ignored, so the same fault on any wheel counts once per test.
  • Mileage is the odometer reading at each car’s latest normal MOT of the year, as recorded by the tester. A few readings are in kilometres or mistyped; percentiles are not thrown by a handful of outliers.
  • Cars on the record come from DfT table VEH0124 and cover the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland; MOT figures cover Great Britain only.
  • 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.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.