All generations and engines together · 166,423 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 67k
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 71,185 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
The 7-speed DQ200 DSG can judder pulling away from a stop, or hang onto a gear too long before dropping into the next one. Owners report it mostly between 30,000 and 60,000 miles; a dealer software update sorts some cars, others end up needing a new clutch pack or a full mechatronic unit. Manual Leons are unaffected.
Early 1.2 TSI engines, roughly 2010 to 2012 build, ran a chain and tensioner design that VW Group revised several times over the years. Owners describe a rattly, thrashing noise on cold start that can persist for months before the chain lets go and takes valves and pistons with it. Post-2012 cars with the later parts seem to hold up better, and no formal recall for it turned up in the sources checked, so treat it as one to listen for rather than something covered under warranty.
A long-running complaint across all three generations: creaks, knocks and clonks from the front end, usually put down to anti-roll bar drop links, control arm bushes and ball joints wearing out from around 60,000 miles. The measured MOT data for this segment backs this up directly, suspension is this model's actual signature failure in test records, so what owners are hearing from underneath the car matches what's failing on the ramp.
On the TDI diesels the EGR valve gums up with soot and sticks, bringing on rough idle, limp mode or a check-engine light, worse on cars that mostly do short runs. Reported mainly on 1.6 and 2.0 TDI units from around 60,000 miles onward. Cleaning or replacing the valve is usually a few hundred pounds rather than a four-figure job. Doesn't apply to petrol Leons.
On the 1.4 and 1.6 16v petrol engines from the first two generations, ignition coil packs and spark plugs wear and cause misfires, felt as a rough idle, jerky acceleration or a flashing engine light under load. It's a well-known fault across the wider VW Group range, not unique to SEAT, and mileage at which it shows up varies a lot. Replacing a set of coils and plugs is a modest job at an independent garage, usually well under £300.
On the third and fourth generation cars, some owners report the touchscreen infotainment freezing, rebooting, or dropping the CarPlay or Android Auto connection, along with the odd dashboard warning light that clears itself. It rarely leaves anyone stranded and dealers often can't reproduce it on demand, so owners are split on whether it's a genuine fault or just fiddly software that some units are more prone to than others.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (Family hatchbacks), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.
Head to head with the other popular cars in its class on reliability and common faults.