SEAT Exeo: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The SEAT Exeo fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 6.6 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 4,848 individual SEAT Exeo tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 70.1% first-time pass rate means roughly 30 in every 100 SEAT Exeos presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average SEAT Exeo tested had covered 134,469 miles and was built around 2011.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The SEAT Exeo sits 6.6 points below the national average, ranked 1,755 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific SEAT Exeo rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see recorded closing bids for damaged SEAT Exeos at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a SEAT Exeo

1. A flexible brake hose excessively damaged, deteriorated, chafed, twisted or stretched, 5% of tests (53.87x the national rate for this defect)
2. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 4.5% of tests (6.01x the national rate for this defect)
3. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 6.7% of tests (2.92x the national rate for this defect)
4. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 3.5% of tests (2.74x the national rate for this defect)
5. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 1.7% of tests (2.1x the national rate for this defect)
6. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 2.7% of tests (1.62x the national rate for this defect)
7. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 4.9% of tests (1.54x the national rate for this defect)
8. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 2% of tests (1.52x the national rate for this defect)
9. A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps, 1.3% of tests (1.41x the national rate for this defect)
10. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3.1% of tests (1.39x the national rate for this defect)

From 4,850 DVSA-tracked SEAT Exeo tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.15% of these flagged SEAT Exeo defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a SEAT Exeo

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a SEAT Exeo before it actually fails on it.

1. A flexible brake hose excessively damaged, deteriorated, chafed, twisted or stretched, 11.9% of tests (21.3x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 3.7% of tests (2.75x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 3.4% of tests (2.66x the national rate for this advisory)
4. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 31.9% of tests (2.39x the national rate for this advisory)
5. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 11.2% of tests (2.17x the national rate for this advisory)
6. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 7.3% of tests (1.88x the national rate for this advisory)
7. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 19.5% of tests (1.59x the national rate for this advisory)
8. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 36.5% of tests (1.37x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
9. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.6% of tests (1.28x the national rate for this advisory)
10. A tyre seriously damaged, 10.5% of tests

From 4,850 DVSA-tracked SEAT Exeo tests, 2024.

SEAT Exeo pass rate by model year

From its 2009 to its 2013 model year, the SEAT Exeo's first-time pass rate has risen 2.3 points, from 71.6% to 73.9%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each SEAT Exeo year:

• 2009 SEAT Exeo - 71.6% first-time pass, 654 tests
• 2010 SEAT Exeo - 69.4% first-time pass, 1,303 tests
• 2011 SEAT Exeo - 68.7% first-time pass, 1,460 tests
• 2012 SEAT Exeo - 72.5% first-time pass, 935 tests
• 2013 SEAT Exeo - 73.9% first-time pass, 468 tests

Other SEAT models

• SEAT Ibiza - 71.3%
• SEAT Leon - 79.5%
• SEAT Arona - 86.6%
• SEAT Ateca - 89.7%
• SEAT Alhambra - 77.7%
• SEAT Mii - 82.1%
• SEAT Altea - 65.9%
• SEAT Tarraco - 86.6%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Saab 9-5 - 70.2%
• Peugeot Independence - 70.2%
• Toyota Carina - 70.2%
• Mitsubishi Pajero - 70.1%
• Vauxhall Combo 2300 Edition Td S/S - 70.1%
• Vauxhall Corsa - 70%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate