MOT cost .
SEAT Ateca
MOT 2024

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SEAT

Ateca

65,497 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Atecas pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 12.0 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.

Pass

89.5%

Pass-after-fix

1.9%

Fail

8.3%

Avg miles

47,305

Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%

Trim variants

SE Technology TSI EVO 88.4% 3,306 SE Technology TSI EVO SA 90.0% 2,341 Xperience TSI EVO S A 92.9% 1,920 FR TSI EVO 90.7% 1,404 FR Sport TSI EVO S A 90.5% 1,382

Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 65,497 tests

Pass rate is broadly flat across the cohorts — new and old Ateca examples track each other at the test bay.

Pre-2018 cohort 24,886

Pass

88.3%

Fail

9.2%

PRS

2.1%

Avg mileage at test

58,633 mi

2018–2020 cohort 37,421

Pass

90.5%

Fail

7.6%

PRS

1.6%

Avg mileage at test

41,360 mi

2021+ cohort 3,190

Pass

87.9%

Fail

9.1%

PRS

2.5%

Avg mileage at test

28,721 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

The picture

SEAT Ateca at 89.4%: near the top of the fleet on a young MQB-based SUV

The SEAT Ateca posts 89.4% first-time pass from 40,296 tests — near the top of the UK fleet at an average presenting mileage of 30,176. Top failures are tyre tread, windscreen chips and brake pads. The Ateca shares its MQB platform with the Volkswagen Tiguan and Skoda Karoq, and at under 31,000 average miles the failure profile is dominated by maintenance items. No mechanical failures appear in the top data at this mileage. At 89.4%, the Ateca is a strong performer. Pre-test: verify tyre tread and brake pad depths.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 18–28

Around the UK fleet average for insurance cost. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.

Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →

18–28

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

  1. 01

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    1,349 occurrences · 2.1% of tests

  2. 02

    a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

    1,016 occurrences · 1.6% of tests

  3. 03

    Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

    920 occurrences · 1.4% of tests

  4. 04

    A tyre seriously damaged

    640 occurrences · 1.0% of tests

  5. 05

    Wiper blade defective

    405 occurrences · 0.6% of tests

  6. 06

    A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

    349 occurrences · 0.5% of tests

  7. 07

    A tyre cords visible or damaged

    309 occurrences · 0.5% of tests

  8. 08

    Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

    276 occurrences · 0.4% of tests

  9. 09

    A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage

    201 occurrences · 0.3% of tests

  10. 10

    Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn

    191 occurrences · 0.3% of tests

Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.

Worst-case fix budget · top 3 failures

£160–£300

If every one of this Ateca's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 2.6-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy SEAT Ateca makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.

Best band to buy

90.5%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 90.5% — a 2.6-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, less than 1.5 mm thick — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band.

Band to be cautious about

87.9%

2021+ registration

On the 2021-on band, the data shows a 87.9% pass rate against a fleet average of 90.5% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, has a cut in excess of the…, and damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view. Average mileage on test for this band is 28,721 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (90.5% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2021+ (87.9% pass). That's a 2.6-point spread across 3,190 older tests and 37,421 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.

Item 01 · Amazon UK

Digital tyre-tread depth gauge

Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.

Search Amazon UK

Item 02 · Amazon UK

Brake pad measurement gauge

Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.

Search Amazon UK

Item 03 · Amazon UK

Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades

Cheap wipers fail the test on smear streaks. Bosch Aerotwins last a winter and clear a screen properly.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Seat Flash Red 12.5ml

Hycote

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Seat Flash Red 12.5ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote Seat Black Magic Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

Hycote

Hycote Seat Black Magic Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote Seat Candy White Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

Hycote

Hycote Seat Candy White Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote Seat Emocion Red Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

Hycote

Hycote Seat Emocion Red Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

Get a quote →

Owner reports · Honest John

What owners actually report.

Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.

What's good

The SEAT Ateca is a well-rounded compact SUV on the MQB platform, offering genuine value against Volkswagen and Skoda equivalents. Reliable, practical and reasonably priced.

Recall history

11 UK recalls on record.

The Ateca has 11 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping an Ateca?

Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.

If you own an Ateca and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.