2025 MOT results
SEAT Leon common problems
The most common reason a SEAT Leon fails its MOT is a broken coil spring, on 17.1% of its 44,452 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 2 faults stand out: a leaking damper at 9.9% of failures against 3.0% expected; a broken coil spring at 17.1% of failures against 8.4% expected.
- Tests in 2025 183,647 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 24.2% 44,452 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 7.5% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 55.4% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a SEAT Leon MOT
Each bar is the share of failed SEAT Leon 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 | 17.1% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 10.5% |
| Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension | 9.9% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 9.2% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 6.1% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 6.0% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.0% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 5.8% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 5.7% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.0% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.5% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.9% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Broken coil spring
17.1% of failures 8.4% expected 2 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.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
10.5% of failures 8.9% expected somewhat more often
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.
-
Leaking damper
9.9% of failures 3.0% expected 3.3 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.
-
Worn brake pads
9.2% of failures 7.4% expected somewhat more often
Friction material worn under 1.5mm, thinner than the point most manufacturers call the limit.
Look through the wheel spokes at the pad against the disc; wear indicators squeal before they get this far.
-
Washers that do not work
6.1% 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.
-
Tyre worn through to the cords
6.0% of failures 5.2% expected somewhat more often
The tyre is worn or damaged far enough to expose the cords underneath, which is a dangerous defect.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a SEAT Leon, on 37.0% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 28.9%.
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 | 37.0% |
| Tyres | 27.2% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 24.4% |
| Brakes | 21.4% |
| Visibility | 15.5% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 10.7% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 8.3% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 3.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
55.4% of SEAT Leon tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On SEAT Leons, 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 | 19.3% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 17.8% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 10.0% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 9.2% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 8.9% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 3.7% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 3.7% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 3.0% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 2.8% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 2.7% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 2.5% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 2.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a SEAT Leon gets older
A 2022 SEAT Leon failed 11.4% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2006 one failed 44.6%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 SEAT Leon 11.4% failed, from 3,501 tests
- Cut tyre 23.4%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 18.3%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 11.1%
- Leaking damper 8.5%
- Washers that do not work 6.0%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 5.8%
2006 SEAT Leon 44.6% failed, from 2,047 tests
- Split joint boot 19.3%
- Weak handbrake 10.3%
- Broken coil spring 10.1%
- Sidelight out 9.6%
- Brake light out 9.2%
- Engine management light on 9.1%
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 Leon problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a SEAT Leon?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Coil spring: fractured or broken” is the most common: it appears on 17.1% of failed SEAT Leon tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 37.0% of failed tests.
How often does a SEAT Leon fail its MOT?
24.2% of SEAT Leon tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 183,647 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 54 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a SEAT Leon than on other cars?
Yes. “Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak” appears on 9.9% of its failures against 3.0% for cars of the same age, and “Coil spring: fractured or broken” appears on 17.1% of its failures against 8.4% 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 Leon 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 | 183,647 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.