SEAT Ibiza: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The SEAT Ibiza fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 5.4 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 193,366 individual SEAT Ibiza tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 71.3% first-time pass rate means roughly 29 in every 100 SEAT Ibizas 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 Ibiza tested had covered 69,453 miles and was built around 2014.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a SEAT Ibiza bought as a 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. See how it stacks up against the Ford Fiesta.

Looking at a specific SEAT Ibiza 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 what damaged SEAT Ibizas actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a SEAT Ibiza

1. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.4% of tests (4.43x the national rate for this defect)
2. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 2% of tests (2.9x the national rate for this defect)
3. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 1.6% of tests (2.15x the national rate for this defect)
4. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 1.6% of tests (2.04x the national rate for this defect)
5. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 2.4% of tests (1.95x the national rate for this defect)
6. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 1.7% of tests (1.77x the national rate for this defect)
7. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.2% of tests (1.64x the national rate for this defect)
8. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 3.6% of tests (1.57x the national rate for this defect)
9. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 5.7% of tests (1.53x the national rate for this defect)
10. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 2.4% of tests (1.38x the national rate for this defect)

From 294,702 DVSA-tracked SEAT Ibiza tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.58% of these flagged SEAT Ibiza defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

SEAT Ibiza pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each SEAT Ibiza year:

• 2002 SEAT Ibiza - 63.5% first-time pass, 299 tests
• 2003 SEAT Ibiza - 59.1% first-time pass, 890 tests
• 2004 SEAT Ibiza - 59.8% first-time pass, 1,177 tests
• 2005 SEAT Ibiza - 59.7% first-time pass, 1,455 tests
• 2006 SEAT Ibiza - 60.9% first-time pass, 2,734 tests
• 2007 SEAT Ibiza - 58.1% first-time pass, 3,872 tests
• 2008 SEAT Ibiza - 57.6% first-time pass, 5,419 tests
• 2009 SEAT Ibiza - 61.1% first-time pass, 8,852 tests
• 2010 SEAT Ibiza - 64% first-time pass, 10,524 tests
• 2011 SEAT Ibiza - 64.5% first-time pass, 13,859 tests
• 2012 SEAT Ibiza - 67% first-time pass, 13,475 tests
• 2013 SEAT Ibiza - 67.7% first-time pass, 16,364 tests
• 2014 SEAT Ibiza - 69.6% first-time pass, 19,497 tests
• 2015 SEAT Ibiza - 71.6% first-time pass, 18,012 tests
• 2016 SEAT Ibiza - 72.5% first-time pass, 18,340 tests
• 2017 SEAT Ibiza - 74.5% first-time pass, 15,918 tests
• 2018 SEAT Ibiza - 78.8% first-time pass, 13,000 tests
• 2019 SEAT Ibiza - 88.7% first-time pass, 11,683 tests
• 2020 SEAT Ibiza - 89.2% first-time pass, 7,671 tests
• 2021 SEAT Ibiza - 90.5% first-time pass, 8,589 tests
• 2022 SEAT Ibiza - 94.4% first-time pass, 249 tests

SEAT Ibiza by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Petrol SEAT Ibiza - 72.5% first-time pass, 174,081 tests
• Diesel SEAT Ibiza - 64% first-time pass, 18,246 tests

Other SEAT models

• 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%
• SEAT Toledo - 73.9%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Toyota Rav-4 - 71.4%
• Peugeot Rcz - 71.4%
• Audi 80 - 71.4%
• Hyundai Santa Fe - 71.3%
• Audi Cabriolet - 71.2%
• Ssangyong Korando - 71%

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

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate