SEAT Exeo MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

SEAT Exeo MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The SEAT Exeo passed on its first attempt in 70.3%, and its overall record sits −4.4 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the SEAT Exeo in the 2023–2025 data: 18,198 tests across 5 model years (2009–2013). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common SEAT Exeo MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the SEAT Exeo, the Steering section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the SEAT Exeo's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded SEAT Exeo DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the SEAT Exeo, each with how many of the model's 18,198 tests it was noted on.

• "Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt" (Minor) — noted on about 958 SEAT Exeo tests, 5.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 925 SEAT Exeo tests, 5.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 912 SEAT Exeo tests, 5.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 795 SEAT Exeo tests, 4.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction" (Major) — noted on about 543 SEAT Exeo tests, 3.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Flexible brake hoses excessively deteriorated" (Major) — noted on about 433 SEAT Exeo tests, 2.4% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst SEAT Exeo Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest SEAT Exeo model year on record is 2013 (78.3% across 1,790 tests), and the weakest is 2011 (75.8%). The gap between them is 2.5 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for SEAT Exeo Owners

These checks follow this SEAT Exeo's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a SEAT Exeo.

• the suspension joints — “track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated,”

  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.

• the coil springs — “coil spring fractured or broken”

  Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.

• the windscreen — “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.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the SEAT Exeo. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the SEAT Exeo is most common

Across every Exeo model year on record (2009–2013): 6,953 SEAT Exeo cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 18,198 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 218 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.

The twenty areas with the most SEAT Exeo cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →

Frequently Asked Questions: SEAT Exeo MOT & Reliability