Pass rate
75.0%
Around average — 1.0 pts ahead of the 74.0% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 18,193 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £38–£111
2009 SEAT Leon MOT pass rate
- 2009
- typical 116,389 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
30.3% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2021 90.0% pass
- Avoid 2006 72.1% pass
Across the 23 years on record, a spread of 17.9 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 68.0%
- Typical mileage
- 116k mi
The 2009 SEAT Leon MOT pass rate is 75.0% of its MOT tests — 1.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 30.3% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how SEAT Leon does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Suspension: 1.4× the national share
Suspension accounts for 30.3% of everything recorded on the 2009 SEAT Leon, against 21.0% nationally — 9.3 points above. Ask for the front and rear suspension to be checked on a ramp before you buy — worn bushes and broken springs are cheap to look at and expensive to discover at test time.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 20% 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 Leon? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2009 SEAT Leon compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 74.0%, so this figure is 1.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 68.0%. The median 2009 SEAT Leon in this dataset had covered 116,389 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Diesel — 65% of tests, with a 74.4% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 75.1% of the time, April–September 74.7%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated", noted on 7.76% of tests.
- 18,193 recorded tests behind this page.
- 75.0% overall pass rate, 68.0% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the SEAT Leon, the average is 83.1% — best year 2021 (90.0%), worst 2006 (72.1%).
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
- 18,193
- Typical mileage (median)
- 116,389 mi
- Make and model
- SEAT Leon
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Body Panel Repair
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the Leon MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 66% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (65% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Leon
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| Yorkshire | 2,669 | 76.7% |
| South East | 2,403 | 75.8% |
| West Midlands | 2,393 | 79.8% |
| South West | 2,275 | 69.3% |
| North West | 1,866 | 74.8% |
| East of England | 1,541 | 76.5% |
| East Midlands | 1,451 | 75.4% |
| Wales | 1,307 | 71.4% |
| Scotland | 1,169 | 69.7% |
| North East | 863 | 74.7% |
| London | 256 | 85.9% |
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 2009 Leon
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 2009 Leon
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 lights 5.9% of tests
“registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”
Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.
-
Check the suspension joints 5.5% of tests
“ball joint dust cover severely 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.
-
Check the coil springs 4.9% of tests
“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.
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 2009 Leon through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £38–£111 — and 20% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £38–£111
- Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
- £5–£20
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 20%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 18,193 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 Leon, side by side
23 model years on record, from 2000 to 2022. Across them the pass rate runs from 72.1% to 90.0% — a spread of 17.9 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 73.2% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2001 75.5% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2002 75.4% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2003 75.8% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2004 75.2% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2005 74.9% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2006 72.1% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2007 74.1% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2008 74.2% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2009 75.0%joints constant velocity boot…
- 2010 75.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 76.5% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2012 78.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2013 81.8% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2014 84.5% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2015 85.3% shock absorbers has a serious…
- 2016 86.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2017 86.4% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2018 86.5% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2019 86.4% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2020 88.9% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2021 90.0% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2022 89.8% 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 2009 SEAT Leon 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 2009 cars with a similar record
- Ford Kuga 74.9%
- Mercedes-Benz A-Class 75.1%
- Volkswagen Tiguan 75.1%
- Volkswagen Scirocco 74.9%
- Mercedes-Benz Vito 74.9%
- Skoda Yeti 75.1%
Closest pass rates among 2009 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 2009 SEAT Leon 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 49,867 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 15,334 | 30.30% | 20.98% | +9.32 |
| Brakes | 8,273 | 16.40% | 20.89% | −4.49 |
| Tyres | 7,195 | 14.20% | 19.76% | −5.56 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5,574 | 11.00% | 12.21% | −1.21 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 4,890 | 9.70% | 5.57% | +4.13 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 3,462 | 6.90% | 5.52% | +1.38 |
| Visibility | 1,990 | 3.90% | 4.97% | −1.07 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 1,200 | 2.40% | 1.76% | +0.64 |
| Non-component advisories | 1,119 | 2.20% | 4.18% | −1.98 |
| Steering | 830 | 1.60% | 2.57% | −0.97 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 7.8% | £80–250 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 5.9% | £5–20 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 5.5% | £18–45 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 4.9% | £25–65 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.5% | £80–250 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 3.5% | £80–200 |
| Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | Major | 3.0% | £18–45 |
| Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt Steering | Minor | 2.6% | £18–45 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.4% | £5–25 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | Major | 2.3% | £18–45 |
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 | 21.1% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 12.7% | £45–110 |
| Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 10.9% | £180–450 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 10.0% | £200–700 |
| Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension | Advisory | 9.5% | £30–75 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 9.0% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 64 | 84.4% | 23,090 mi |
| 30-60k | 814 | 78.6% | 49,103 mi |
| 60-90k | 3,148 | 76.0% | 77,483 mi |
| 90-120k | 5,816 | 74.5% | 105,534 mi |
| 120k+ | 8,328 | 74.5% | 148,662 mi |
Source: 18,193 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.
2009 Leon MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2009 SEAT Leon?
75.0% of the 18,193 2009 SEAT Leon tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 74.0% for cars first used in 2009. First-attempt pass rate: 68.0%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2009 SEAT Leon?
The three most recorded items are joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (7.76%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (5.88%), ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (5.50%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2009 SEAT Leon MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 84.4% of the time, falling to 74.5% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2009 SEAT Leon in this dataset had covered 116,389 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2009 SEAT Leon?
Diesel: 74.4% pass rate across 11,844 tests. Petrol: 75.9% pass rate across 6,346 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2009 SEAT Leon MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 75.1% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 74.7%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.