SEAT Arosa 2003: MOT failure rate for its age

45.4% of 4,648 MOT tests of the SEAT Arosa first registered in 2003 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 98.8 (95% CI 94.6–103.0; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2003 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age.

SEAT Arosa built in 2003 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	45.4	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	4648
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 94.6–103.0)	98.8	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	4648
Rank among this model's 7 build years	6	of 7	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	4648
Tested in 2024	467	tests	median 76,816 miles	2024	467

Built 2003 against SEAT Arosa normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 16: 48.7% vs 51.4%; age 17: 44.5% vs 46.2%; age 18: 45.7% vs 45%; age 19: 44.3% vs 43.3%; age 20: 42% vs 41.2%; age 21: 44.3% vs 43.3%. Axis from 0% to 60%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2003 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 2003 SEAT Arosa fail at each age?

Cars built in 2003 were tested at ages 16 to 21 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 2003: 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)
16	1,191	48.7	45.9–51.5	51.4	94.7
17	925	44.5	41.4–47.8	46.2	96.4
18	809	45.7	42.3–49.2	45	101.7
19	670	44.3	40.6–48.1	43.3	102.4
20	586	42	38–46	41.2	102
21	467 (rough estimate)	44.3	39.9–48.9	43.3	102.4

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,648 (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 2003 SEAT Arosa?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2003 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 36.3 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 2003 were tested at ages 16 to 21.

Failure items per 100 first tests, SEAT Arosa built 2003 against the SEAT Arosa in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 2003, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	36.3	34.7	1,688
Suspension	28.3	25.4	1,316
Brakes	20.4	21	949
Body, chassis, structure	17.7	18.6	825
Visibility	15.2	15.1	707

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,648 (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 2003 compare with the years around it?

Among the 7 published build years of the SEAT Arosa, 2003 ranks 6 (1 = fails least for its age). 2002: index 99.2. 2004: index 97.7.

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 2003 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/2003/

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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