Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

SEAT Arona 2019: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 83 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2019 SEAT Arona were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Track rod end (front).

Summary

A 2019 SEAT Arona passed first time about 2 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2018 and 2020 model years.

At a glance

How 14,176 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
83 in every 100
Did not pass first time
17 in every 1002,373 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
6 yearsabout 39,148 miles
First tests counted
14,176

What failed most often

  1. Track rod end (front)15 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Tyre condition (rear)14 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Brake pads (front)12 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2019 SEAT Arona vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Steering

One fault: track rod end (front), 6.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 2,373 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Track rod end (front)

Failed on 351 first tests6.7 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play is Major, and one worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment is graded Dangerous. A dust cover that is damaged but still keeps dirt out is Minor, and one missing or no longer keeping dirt out is Major. Testers must tell wear from a joint's built-in clearance or spring loading.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Brakes

One fault and one wear pattern. The strongest is the brake discs (rear): 3.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake discs (rear)

Failed on 119 first tests3.6 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A brake disc or drum must be significantly worn before it is rejected, and being worn below the manufacturer's recommended limits is not a reason in itself. Significantly and obviously worn is Major, as is contamination with oil or grease. A disc or drum that is fractured, insecure, seriously weakened or missing is graded Dangerous.

Brake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 65 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A wheel with no recorded braking effort on the roller test is graded Dangerous. Inadequate effort, a brake grabbing severely, abnormal lag and excessive fluctuation in effort are each Major. So is significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied, which indicates a binding brake.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Seat belts and restraints

One fault: seat belt condition (rear), 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Seat belt condition (rear)

Failed on 56 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Any sign of overstretching is a deficiency, and so is a cut anywhere on a child seat belt. On other belts the size of a cut decides it, with a stricter limit at the webbing edge than away from it. Webbing significantly stretched or weakened has rows in both Major and Dangerous grades.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Suspension

One fault: coil spring (rear), 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Coil spring (rear)

Failed on 123 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
83in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
3in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
14in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 83.3% of 14,176 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 85.5%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 3 fixed and the 14 not fixed make the 17 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol11,92337,502 miles8483
Diesel2,25348,927 miles8183

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

406080100201720182019202020212022Older carsNewer cars
406080100201720182019202020212022Older carsNewer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 86 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
201772 in every 100604
201876 in every 10011,632
2019 This car83 in every 10014,176
202087 in every 10010,191
202188 in every 10011,345
202289 in every 1006,334

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2019 Arona.

Of 2019 Arona vehicles with under 26,000 miles, 90 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 55,000 miles or more, 79 in every 100 did.

Under 26,0002,778 tests
90
26,000–35,0002,867 tests
85
35,000–44,000 Typical car3,014 tests
83
44,000–55,0002,735 tests
79
55,000 and over2,782 tests
79

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol37,502 miles8483
Diesel48,927 miles8183

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 48,927 against 37,502). At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.

What to check at your mileage

How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.

Under 26,00035,000–44,00055,000 and over
Track rod end (front)1.32.33.3
Tyre condition (rear)1.72.42.7
Brake pads (front)0.42.32.2
Tyre tread depth (front)0.11.72.7
Coil spring (rear)0.21.01.0

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

58in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

15in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

6in every 100

of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

A 2019 SEAT Arona passed first time about 2 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2018 and 2020 model years. In 2025, 83.3% of 14,176 first MOTs on the 2019 SEAT Arona passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 85.5%. Among 2,373 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Track rod end (front) appears more often than on similar cars (14.8% of those tests; 351 observed failures; about 6.7× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2019 SEAT Arona at the first attempt were Track rod end (front) (14.8%), Tyre condition (rear) (14.0%) and Brake pads (front) (12.0%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Track rod end (front) (14.8% of those tests; 351 observed failures; about 6.7× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Track rod end (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (14.8% of those tests; 351 observed failures; about 6.7× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2019 SEAT Arona include Track rod end (front), Brake performance (roller test, rear), Seat belt condition (rear). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2019 SEAT Arona (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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