Does the Seat Altea fail the MOT on noise, emissions and leaks more than it should?
The Seat Altea records 7.29 noise, emissions and leaks failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 5.49 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+1.80, 95% interval +1.65 to +1.96). It ranks 97 of 678 models on noise, emissions and leaks (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on noise, emissions and leaks · check a Seat Altea by registration
What exactly fails on noise, emissions and leaks?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Seat Altea is “Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction”, recorded 2,240 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction | 2,240 | 1.87 |
| Smoke opacity levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limit | 1,785 | 1.49 |
| Emissions levels exceed default limits | 897 | 0.75 |
| Emissions test unable to be completed | 857 | 0.72 |
| Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer | 836 | 0.70 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 119,853 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Seat Altea gets a noise, emissions and leaks advisory, how often does it fail next time?
8.9% of Seat Altea MOTs with a noise, emissions and leaks advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 5,861 miles later (4,213 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,213 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Seat Altea 2004 · Seat Altea 2005 · Seat Altea 2006 · Seat Altea 2007 · Seat Altea 2008 · Seat Altea 2009 · Seat Altea 2010 · Seat Altea 2011 · Seat Altea 2012 · Seat Altea 2013 · Seat Altea 2014 · Seat Altea 2015 · Seat Altea in Finland · Seat Altea in the Netherlands · Seat Altea by postcode area · Seat Altea body, chassis and structure failures · Seat Altea brakes failures · Seat Altea vehicle identification failures · Seat Altea lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Seat Altea road wheels failures · Seat Altea seat belts and airbags failures · Seat Altea steering failures · Seat Altea suspension failures · Seat Altea tyres failures · Seat Altea visibility failures