Is the Seat Alhambra reliable?

On MOT evidence the Seat Alhambra is about average. It passes 73.2% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 133 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Seat Alhambra?

The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 30.9% of failed Seat Alhambra tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Seat Alhambra?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 34.0% of all Seat Alhambra tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Seat Alhambra usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 108,038 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Does a Seat Alhambra get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 86.6% of Seat Alhambra tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 51.1%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Seat Alhambra models petrol or diesel?

Of the Seat Alhambra cars tested, 98% are diesel, 2% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Seat Alhambra MOT pass rate & common failures

From 25,949 recorded MOT tests of the Seat Alhambra, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Seat Alhambra passes 73.2% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is about average, ranking it 133 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 25,949 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, which appears in 30.9% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 108,038 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

73.2%national average72.3%unadjusted74.5%range covered94%rank133 of 262

The Alhambra is 0.9 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is about average. The unadjusted figure is 74.5%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Seat Alhambra tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn30.9%
1,719 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
2.A tyre cords visible or damaged22.5%
1,254 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements15.7%
873 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged10.9%
608 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened9.8%
547 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.4%
467 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
7.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc7.2%
398 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
8.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction6.5%
363 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained
9.The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired5.8%
320 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
10.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning5.3%
297 occurrencesLamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Seat Alhambra tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements34.0%
8,810 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn25.9%
6,709 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured13.4%
3,466 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.7%
2,525 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded7.4%
1,926 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
6.A tyre seriously damaged6.4%
1,667 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
7.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened6.4%
1,667 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
8.Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt5.8%
1,505 tests

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs87%

6–8 yrs81%

9–11 yrs75%

12–14 yrs66%

15+ yrs51%

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Alhambra fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 108,038
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel97.6%
Petrol2.4%

Trim names grouped into this model (3)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

ALHAMBRA S TDI
ALHAMBRA TDI
ALHAMBRA TSI

Check a specific Seat Alhambra

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Seat models

Seat Ibiza — 66.6% adjusted
Seat Leon — 75.3% adjusted
Seat Arona — 84.2% unadjusted
Seat Ateca — 87.9% unadjusted
Seat Mii — 74.3% adjusted
Seat Altea — 59.2% unadjusted
All Seat models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

BMW I3 — 84.3% adjusted, ranked 23
Mercedes-Benz S-Class — 84.7% adjusted, ranked 21
Renault Zoe — 65.7% adjusted, ranked 214
Toyota Verso — 72.1% adjusted, ranked 149

Common questions

Is the Seat Alhambra reliable?: On MOT evidence the Seat Alhambra is about average. It passes 73.2% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 133 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Seat Alhambra?: The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 30.9% of failed Seat Alhambra tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Seat Alhambra?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 34.0% of all Seat Alhambra tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Seat Alhambra usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 108,038 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Does a Seat Alhambra get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 86.6% of Seat Alhambra tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 51.1%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Seat Alhambra models petrol or diesel?: Of the Seat Alhambra cars tested, 98% are diesel, 2% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.