SEAT Leon Xcellence MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

SEAT Leon Xcellence MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The SEAT Leon Xcellence passed on its first attempt in 88.5%, and its overall record sits +8.6 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the SEAT Leon Xcellence in the 2023–2025 data: 3,337 tests across 4 model years (2019–2022). 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 Leon Xcellence MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the SEAT Leon Xcellence, the Tyres 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 Leon Xcellence's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded SEAT Leon Xcellence DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the SEAT Leon Xcellence, each with how many of the model's 3,337 tests it was noted on.

• "Has ply or cords exposed" (Major) — noted on about 78 SEAT Leon Xcellence tests, 2.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (Major) — noted on about 71 SEAT Leon Xcellence tests, 2.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 49 SEAT Leon Xcellence tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 36 SEAT Leon Xcellence tests, 1.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 28 SEAT Leon Xcellence tests, 0.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak" (Major) — noted on about 26 SEAT Leon Xcellence tests, 0.8% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst SEAT Leon Xcellence Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest SEAT Leon Xcellence model year on record is 2021 (90.3% across 1,907 tests), and the weakest is 2019 (87.6%). The gap between them is 2.7 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 Leon Xcellence Owners

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

• 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.

• the tyre tread — “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.

• 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.

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

Frequently Asked Questions: SEAT Leon Xcellence MOT & Reliability