SEAT Arosa 1999: MOT failure rate for its age

42.4% of 460 MOT tests of the SEAT Arosa first registered in 1999 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 92.8 (95% CI 79.8–105.9; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 1999 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age. This is a rough estimate from a smaller sample.

SEAT Arosa built in 1999 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	42.4	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	460
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 79.8–105.9)	92.8	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	460
Rank among this model's 7 build years	3	of 7	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	460
Tested in 2024	13	tests	median 66,208 miles	2024	13

Built 1999 against SEAT Arosa normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 20: 43.9% vs 46%; age 21: 40.4% vs 45.2%; age 22: 39.4% vs n/a%. Axis from 0% to 50%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 1999 SEAT Arosa by registration · All SEAT Arosa MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 1999 SEAT Arosa fail at each age?

Cars built in 1999 were tested at ages 20 to 22 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

SEAT Arosa built 1999: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
Age	Tests	Failed, %	95% interval	Normal for this model at that age, %	Index (100 = normal)
20	262 (rough estimate)	43.9	38–49.9	46	95.3
21	198 (rough estimate)	40.4	33.8–47.4	45.2	89.4
22	155 (rough estimate)	39.4	32–47.2	not available	not available

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 615 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 1999 SEAT Arosa?

The most common failure group on cars built in 1999 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 28.3 items per 100 first tests, against 34.7 across all build years of the SEAT Arosa. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 1999 were tested at ages 20 to 22.

Failure items per 100 first tests, SEAT Arosa built 1999 against the SEAT Arosa in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 1999, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	28.3	34.7	238
Suspension	17.7	25.4	149
Brakes	17.7	21	149
Noise, emissions and leaks	14.5	13.5	122
Visibility	11.8	15.1	99

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 841 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 1999 compare with the years around it?

Among the 7 published build years of the SEAT Arosa, 1999 ranks 3 (1 = fails least for its age). 2000: index 88.3.

SEAT Arosa build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
1999	92.8	79.8–105.9	no different (rough estimate)	460
2000	88.3	79.2–97.4	better (rough estimate)	888
2001	98.1	91.4–104.8	no different (rough estimate)	1,855
2002	99.2	94.3–104.0	no different (rough estimate)	3,569
2003	98.8	94.6–103.0	no different	4,648
2004	97.7	93.9–101.6	no different	5,481
2005	88.6	73.3–103.9	no different (rough estimate)	322

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 17,223 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). SEAT Arosa 1999 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/seat-arosa/1999/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

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