Pass rate
75.7%
Around average — 3.5 pts ahead of the 72.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 337 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £45–£133
2004 SEAT Toledo MOT pass rate
- 2004
- typical 128,756 mi
Most common fault
Brakes
26.5% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2019 87.6% pass
- Avoid 2005 68.3% pass
Across the 17 years on record, a spread of 19.3 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 69.9%
- Typical mileage
- 129k mi
The 2004 SEAT Toledo MOT pass rate is 75.7% of its MOT tests — 3.5 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 26.5% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how SEAT Toledo does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Brakes: 1.3× the national share
Brakes make up 26.5% of everything recorded on the 2004 SEAT Toledo, against 20.9% nationally — 5.6 points above. Have the discs and pads measured rather than glanced at, and ask whether the handbrake holds on a slope.
- Beats its own age and mileage. Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 72.2% and this one manages 75.7% — 3.5 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 24% 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 Toledo? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2004 SEAT Toledo compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.2%, so this figure is 3.5 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 69.9%. The median 2004 SEAT Toledo in this dataset had covered 128,756 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Diesel — 70% of tests, with a 77.6% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 80.2% of the time, April–September 70.3%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated", noted on 10.39% of tests.
- 337 recorded tests behind this page.
- 75.7% overall pass rate, 69.9% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the SEAT Toledo, the average is 79.2% — best year 2019 (87.6%), worst 2005 (68.3%).
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
- 337
- Typical mileage (median)
- 128,756 mi
- Make and model
- SEAT Toledo
- 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 Toledo MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 52% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (70% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Toledo
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 58 | 75.9% |
| South West | 54 | 75.9% |
| East of England | 54 | 75.9% |
| West Midlands | 48 | 68.8% |
| North West | 40 | 75.0% |
| East Midlands | 23 | 82.6% |
| Scotland | 22 | 86.4% |
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 2004 Toledo
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 2004 Toledo
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 6.2% 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 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 5.6% of tests
“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.
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 2004 Toledo through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £45–£133 — and 24% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £45–£133
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 24%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 337 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 Toledo, side by side
17 model years on record, from 2000 to 2019. Across them the pass rate runs from 68.3% to 87.6% — a spread of 19.3 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 73.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2001 73.8% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2002 70.0% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2003 74.7% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2004 75.7%joints constant velocity boot…
- 2005 68.3% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2006 69.6% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2007 68.3% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2008 68.5% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2012 76.0% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2013 76.9% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2014 80.2% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2015 79.4% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2016 80.7% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2017 82.1% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2018 84.1% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2019 87.6% 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 2004 SEAT Toledo 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 2004 cars with a similar record
- BMW 525 75.7%
- Nissan Elgrand 75.7%
- BMW 120 75.7%
- Mercedes-Benz Slk 75.8%
- Toyota Hiace 75.6%
- Land Rover Discovery 75.5%
Closest pass rates among 2004 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 2004 SEAT Toledo 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 1,053 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 282 | 26.50% | 20.89% | +5.61 |
| Suspension | 212 | 19.90% | 20.98% | −1.08 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 135 | 12.70% | 12.21% | +0.49 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 110 | 10.30% | 5.57% | +4.73 |
| Tyres | 90 | 8.50% | 19.76% | −11.26 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 71 | 6.70% | 5.52% | +1.18 |
| Steering | 53 | 5.00% | 2.57% | +2.43 |
| Visibility | 44 | 4.10% | 4.97% | −0.87 |
| Non-component advisories | 35 | 3.30% | 4.18% | −0.88 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 21 | 2.00% | 1.76% | +0.24 |
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 | 10.4% | £80–250 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 6.2% | £80–200 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 5.9% | £5–20 |
| Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt Steering | Minor | 5.6% | £18–45 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 3.9% | £45–110 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.3% | £80–250 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 3.0% | £25–65 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 3.0% | £40–150 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.7% | £3–12 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.7% | £5–25 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 19.3% | £80–180 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 17.8% | £45–110 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 14.5% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 14.2% | £40–150 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 10.1% | £200–700 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 9.2% | £25–65 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-60k | 5 | 60.0% | 47,730 mi |
| 60-90k | 40 | 82.5% | 75,861 mi |
| 90-120k | 80 | 71.3% | 104,883 mi |
| 120k+ | 212 | 76.4% | 163,368 mi |
Source: 337 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.
2004 Toledo MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2004 SEAT Toledo?
75.7% of the 337 2004 SEAT Toledo tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.2% for cars first used in 2004. First-attempt pass rate: 69.9%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2004 SEAT Toledo?
The three most recorded items are joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (10.39%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (6.23%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (5.93%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2004 SEAT Toledo MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 60.0% of the time, falling to 76.4% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2004 SEAT Toledo in this dataset had covered 128,756 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2004 SEAT Toledo?
Diesel: 77.6% pass rate across 237 tests. Petrol: 71.0% pass rate across 100 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2004 SEAT Toledo MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 80.2% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 70.3%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.