How reliable is the Seat Exeo compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Seat Exeo, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 62.0% across 4,292 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.

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

The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 23.9% of failed Seat Exeo 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 Exeo?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 36.0% of all Seat Exeo tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 139,404 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.

Are most Seat Exeo models petrol or diesel?

Of the Seat Exeo 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 Exeo MOT pass rate & common failures

From 4,292 recorded MOT tests of the Seat Exeo, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 4,292 MOT tests, 62.0% of Seat Exeo tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Seat Exeo fleet does not yet cover a wide enough spread of ages and distances to compare it fairly against other models. Its most commonly recorded failure is spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, which appears in 23.9% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 139,404 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

62.0%unadjusted, not comparable4,292 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the Exeo. The examples tested do not cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages to compare it fairly, and an unadjusted pass rate mostly sorts models by how recently they were bought rather than how well they were built. The failure and advisory patterns below come from the same 4,292 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

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

1.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened23.9%
328 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
2.A flexible brake hose excessively damaged, deteriorated, chafed, twisted or stretched15.6%
214 occurrencesBrake hose deteriorated, damaged or chafing explained
3.Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc15.0%
206 occurrencesSteering rack gaiter split, damaged or missing explained
4.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements12.8%
176 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
5.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning11.8%
162 occurrencesLamp not working explained
6.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction9.6%
131 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained
7.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn9.2%
126 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
8.A tyre cords visible or damaged8.5%
117 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
9.A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play7.4%
102 occurrencesBall joint worn explained
10.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.6%
90 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Seat Exeo 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 requirements36.0%
1,547 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn22.3%
959 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured20.0%
857 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded10.6%
457 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
5.A flexible brake hose excessively damaged, deteriorated, chafed, twisted or stretched9.8%
419 testsBrake hose deteriorated, damaged or chafing explained
6.Play in steering rack inner joint(s)9.1%
392 tests
7.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn8.7%
373 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
8.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage6.8%
290 testsShock absorber defective explained

What gets tested

The Exeo fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 139,404
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel98.1%
Petrol1.9%

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.

EXEO SE TECH CR
EXEO ST
EXEO TDI

Check a specific Seat Exeo

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 Alhambra — 73.2% adjusted
Seat Mii — 74.3% adjusted
All Seat models

Common questions

How reliable is the Seat Exeo compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Seat Exeo, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 62.0% across 4,292 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Seat Exeo?: The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 23.9% of failed Seat Exeo 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 Exeo?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 36.0% of all Seat Exeo tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Seat Exeo usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 139,404 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.
Are most Seat Exeo models petrol or diesel?: Of the Seat Exeo 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. No adjusted rate is shown because this model's tested examples do not cover enough of the national age and mileage range for standardisation to mean anything.

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.