Pass rate
88.4%
Above average — 1.1 pts behind the 89.5% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 8,860 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £40–£100
2019 SEAT Alhambra MOT pass rate
- 2019
- typical 44,872 mi
Most common fault
Tyres
38.0% of faults · 19.8% nationally
mostly tread below the limit, cuts and sidewall bulges.
Part only £55–£85 for Tread depth below 1.6 mm. What fitting it takes →
1.7 pts up across model years — 7.6% in 2004, 9.3% in 2020.
Which year to buy
- Best 2020 89.4% pass
- Avoid 2003 65.8% pass
Across the 21 years on record, a spread of 23.6 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 87.0%
- Typical mileage
- 45k mi
The 2019 SEAT Alhambra MOT pass rate is 88.4% of its MOT tests — 1.1 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 38.0% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how SEAT Alhambra does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Tyres: 1.9× the national share
Tyres make up 38.0% of everything recorded on the 2019 SEAT Alhambra, against 19.8% nationally — 18.2 points above. Check all four tyres yourself, including the inner shoulders, and look at the date stamp — a tyre can pass on tread and still be six years old.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 19% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a SEAT Alhambra? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2019 SEAT Alhambra compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 89.5%, so this figure is 1.1 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 87.0%. The median 2019 SEAT Alhambra in this dataset had covered 44,872 mi.
95% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Diesel, which passed 88.4% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 88.7% of the time, April–September 88.1%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords", noted on 1.74% of tests.
- 8,860 recorded tests behind this page.
- 88.4% overall pass rate, 87.0% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the SEAT Alhambra, the average is 82.0% — best year 2020 (89.4%), worst 2003 (65.8%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 8,860
- Typical mileage (median)
- 44,872 mi
- Make and model
- SEAT Alhambra
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Tyres
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Alhambra MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 78% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (95% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Alhambra
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 2,378 | 88.8% |
| East of England | 927 | 89.3% |
| North West | 847 | 88.4% |
| South West | 795 | 85.3% |
| West Midlands | 722 | 89.6% |
| Scotland | 657 | 86.6% |
| Yorkshire | 617 | 90.1% |
| London | 590 | 92.0% |
| East Midlands | 545 | 87.3% |
| Wales | 496 | 85.9% |
| North East | 286 | 86.7% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2019 Alhambra
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2019 Alhambra
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the windscreen 1.6% of tests
“windscreen damaged”
Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.
-
Check the suspension joints 1.6% of tests
“pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn”
With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.
-
Check the tyre tread 0.9% of tests
“tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm”
Check all four tyres cold, including the inner shoulder where wear hides — 1.6mm across the central three-quarters is the legal limit, and most testers fail at 1.6mm without argument.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2019 Alhambra through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £40–£100 — and 19% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £40–£100
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 19%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 8,860 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the Alhambra, side by side
21 model years on record, from 2000 to 2020. Across them the pass rate runs from 65.8% to 89.4% — a spread of 23.6 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 73.8% component mounting prescribed…
- 2001 69.5% component mounting prescribed…
- 2002 66.5% component mounting prescribed…
- 2003 65.8% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2004 66.6% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2005 68.2% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2006 67.7% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2007 66.3% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2008 67.7% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2009 66.9% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2010 72.5% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2011 76.6% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2012 76.9% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2013 78.2% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2014 80.3% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2015 82.2% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2016 84.7% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2017 86.3% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2018 87.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 88.4%has a cut in excess of the…
- 2020 89.4% has a cut in excess of the…
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2019 SEAT Alhambra with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2019 cars with a similar record
- DS DS3 88.4%
- Mercedes-Benz E 88.4%
- Renault Koleos 88.4%
- Kia Proceed GT-Line Isg 88.4%
- Volvo V60 88.5%
- Volkswagen Amarok 88.5%
Closest pass rates among 2019 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2019 SEAT Alhambra 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 7,911 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 3,035 | 38.00% | 19.76% | +18.24 |
| Brakes | 1,724 | 21.60% | 20.89% | +0.71 |
| Suspension | 1,144 | 14.30% | 20.98% | −6.68 |
| Non-component advisories | 735 | 9.20% | 4.18% | +5.02 |
| Visibility | 398 | 5.00% | 4.97% | +0.03 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 372 | 4.70% | 12.21% | −7.51 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 212 | 2.70% | 1.76% | +0.94 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 126 | 1.60% | 5.52% | −3.92 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 101 | 1.30% | 0.82% | +0.48 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 64 | 0.80% | 5.57% | −4.77 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 1.7% | £45–95 |
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 1.7% | £45–95 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 1.6% | £80–200 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 1.6% | £40–150 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Major | 0.90% | £45–95 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 0.84% | £8–22 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Major | 0.71% | £18–45 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 0.67% | £3–12 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Major | 0.62% | £8–22 |
| Headlamp aim too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 0.52% | £30–80 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 18.3% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 10.0% | £40–150 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 7.6% | £18–45 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 6.3% | £45–110 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 4.6% | £45–95 |
| Non-component advisories Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | Advisory | 4.1% | £20–80 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 2,297 | 90.9% | 20,108 mi |
| 30-60k | 3,742 | 87.5% | 43,599 mi |
| 60-90k | 1,585 | 86.6% | 72,462 mi |
| 90-120k | 642 | 88.0% | 103,314 mi |
| 120k+ | 592 | 89.2% | 157,390 mi |
Source: 8,860 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2019 Alhambra MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2019 SEAT Alhambra?
88.4% of the 8,860 2019 SEAT Alhambra tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 89.5% for cars first used in 2019. First-attempt pass rate: 87.0%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2019 SEAT Alhambra?
The three most recorded items are has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (1.74%), has ply or cords exposed (1.67%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (1.64%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2019 SEAT Alhambra MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 90.9% of the time, falling to 89.2% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2019 SEAT Alhambra in this dataset had covered 44,872 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2019 SEAT Alhambra?
Diesel: 88.4% pass rate across 8,453 tests. Petrol: 87.7% pass rate across 407 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2019 SEAT Alhambra MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 88.7% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 88.1%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.