Seat Ibiza
From 318,988 MOT tests. Average for its class.
Common MOT failure categories
Pass rate by registration year
Newer Ibizas fare better: 2022 models pass at 95.2% vs 61.8% for 2003.
Pass rate by fuel type
What goes wrong?
The most common MOT failure reasons are a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements and a tyre seriously damaged. The top issue, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, caused 14,116 failures in 2024. Checking tread depth (1.6mm legal minimum, 3mm recommended) before your test can save an unnecessary fail. You can check prices at Black Circles if you need replacements. If you need repairs before retesting, sites like BookMyGarage let you compare local prices.
| a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | 14,116 |
| tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements | 9,103 |
| a tyre seriously damaged | 6,667 |
| steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 6,276 |
| the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | 6,079 |
| windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen | 5,972 |
| a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 5,461 |
| a shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage | 5,031 |
| parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 4,348 |
| a spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened | 4,261 |
How serious are these failures?
Not all MOT failures are equal. 51.1% of failures are serious: 37.3% are safety issues (brakes, steering, tyre damage) and 13.8% could actually leave you stranded. That's close to the 44.4% average across all models. When it does fail, the average repair bill is around £119.
The warranty question
A 3-year-old Ibiza passes its MOT 88.7% of the time. By 7 years old that drops to 75.9%, a 12.8 percentage point fall, right as the manufacturer warranty runs out. At 10 years it's down to 70.8%. With an average repair bill of £119 when things go wrong, an extended warranty can make sense on a Ibiza that's past its third birthday.
Fuel type matters
Petrol versions pass at 75.3% while Diesel versions pass at 68.9%, a 6 percentage point gap.
Seat Ibiza on UK roads
The fleet is growing: 10,150 newly registered in the past year with 9,181 leaving, a net gain of 969. Currently at its highest numbers ever.
Quarterly breakdown
| Quarter | On road | SORN | New | Gone | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Q3 | 204,523 | 14,017 | +2,946 | -2,769 | +177 |
| 2025 Q2 | 204,541 | 13,822 | +2,256 | -2,221 | +35 |
| 2025 Q1 | 204,717 | 13,611 | +2,812 | -2,324 | +488 |
| 2024 Q4 | 204,597 | 13,243 | +2,136 | -1,867 | +269 |
| 2024 Q3 | 204,570 | 13,001 | +3,348 | -2,489 | +859 |
| 2024 Q2 | 203,866 | 12,846 | +3,054 | -1,834 | +1,220 |
| 2024 Q1 | 202,778 | 12,714 | +2,568 | -2,442 | +126 |
| 2023 Q4 | 203,051 | 12,315 | +2,093 | -1,478 | +615 |
20 variants on the road
| Variant | Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ibiza Fr Tsi | Petrol | 27,415 | 20% |
| Ibiza Toca | Petrol | 23,126 | 17% |
| Ibiza Se Technology Tsi | Petrol | 9,797 | 7% |
| Ibiza Fr Technology Tsi | Petrol | 9,527 | 7% |
| Ibiza Se | Petrol | 8,842 | 6% |
| Ibiza Se Technology Mpi | Petrol | 6,783 | 5% |
| Ibiza Fr Sport Tsi | Petrol | 6,577 | 5% |
| Ibiza Se Copa | Petrol | 5,707 | 4% |
| Ibiza I-Tech Tsi | Petrol | 5,313 | 4% |
| Ibiza Sport 84 | Diesel | 4,622 | 3% |
| Ibiza Xcellence Tsi | Petrol | 3,719 | 3% |
| Ibiza Fr Tsi S-A | Petrol | 3,601 | 3% |
| Ibiza Fr Cr Tdi | Diesel | 3,195 | 2% |
| Ibiza S Ac | Petrol | 3,091 | 2% |
| Ibiza Se Tsi | Petrol | 3,015 | 2% |
| Ibiza Connect Tsi | Petrol | 2,838 | 2% |
| Ibiza Se Mpi | Petrol | 2,792 | 2% |
| Ibiza Xcellence Ecotsi S-A | Petrol | 2,573 | 2% |
| Ibiza Sol | Petrol | 2,548 | 2% |
| Ibiza Fr Ecotsi | Petrol | 2,487 | 2% |
Source: DfT vehicle licensing statistics, 2025 Q3. Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.
By registration year
| Year | Pass rate | Top failures |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 95.2% | a tyre seriously damaged, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2021 | 89.7% | a tyre seriously damaged, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2020 | 88.7% | tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, a tyre seriously damaged |
| 2019 | 88.4% | tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, a tyre seriously damaged |
22 earlier years
| 2018 | 81.1% | steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2017 | 78% | steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 2016 | 75.9% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2015 | 73.3% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2014 | 71.9% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2013 | 70.8% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2012 | 70.8% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage |
| 2011 | 69.6% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2010 | 68.1% | a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 2009 | 66.6% | a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 2008 | 64% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2007 | 61.4% | the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning |
| 2006 | 62.1% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements |
| 2005 | 62.9% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2004 | 64.2% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2003 | 61.8% | a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 2002 | 63.9% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2001 | 67.7% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 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 repaired |
| 2000 | 63.6% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen |
| 1999 | 65.9% | emissions levels exceed default limits, emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits |
| 1998 | 68.9% | a rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources, 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 repaired |
| 1997 | 73.8% | 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 repaired, wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen |
Typical mileage
Half of all Ibizas tested had between 68,333 and 125,424 miles on the clock. A significant number are high-mileage vehicles.
At 90,236 median miles, the Ibiza has 0.028 failures per 10,000 miles driven.
Other Seat models
| Seat Leon | 80.8% |
| Seat Ateca | 89.9% |
| Seat Arona | 87.2% |
| Seat Alhambra | 78.8% |
| Seat Mii | 80.5% |
Common questions
What is the Seat Ibiza MOT pass rate?
The Seat Ibiza has a 74.7% MOT pass rate based on 318,988 real MOT tests. This is around the national average.
What are common MOT failures on a Seat Ibiza?
The most common MOT failure on the Seat Ibiza is a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, which caused 14,116 failures. Other common issues include tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements.
How many Seat Ibizas are on UK roads?
There are 204,523 Seat Ibizas currently licensed on UK roads, with 14,017 on SORN.
What is the typical mileage of a Seat Ibiza at MOT?
The median mileage at MOT for a Seat Ibiza is 90,236 miles. The middle 50% of vehicles tested have between 68,333 and 125,424 miles.
Buying a used Ibiza?
Start with the free tools. Look up the specific vehicle's MOT history on GOV.UK The mileage at each test will show if it's been wound back, and the advisory history tells you what's wearing. Cross-reference that against the typical failures above to see if anything looks unusual for this model.
The free data won't tell you about outstanding finance, theft markers, or write-off history. For that, you need a vehicle history check This is especially important on a private sale where you have fewer legal protections.
With a 74.7% pass rate and an average repair bill of £119 when things go wrong, budget accordingly.
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MOT data from DVSA anonymised test results, 2024 test year. Fleet data from DfT vehicle licensing statistics. Crown copyright, OGL v3.0. MOT pass rates are statistical summaries of test outcomes, not assessments of individual vehicle safety or condition. Always inspect a vehicle and check its full MOT history before purchasing. See terms of use.