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Used comparison · 2025 DVSA data

Volkswagen T-ROC vs SEAT Arona

Same group, different size and price, aimed at overlapping buyers.

Across 145,862 initial MOT tests in 2025, the Volkswagen T-ROC passed 92.71% against 86.16% for the SEAT Arona. That is a wide gap by the standards of this data, and worth weighing.

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Head to head on the MOT record

Measure Volkswagen T-ROC SEAT Arona
First-time MOT pass rate 92.71% 86.16%
Tests in 2025 91,226 54,636
Average mileage at test 38,284 37,595
Average age at test 4.9 years 5.3 years
Most common fuel Petrol Petrol
Diesel share of tests 13.84% 9.42%

The UK average across all cars in this data is 77.3%. The Volkswagen T-ROC sits above it by 15.4 points, and the SEAT Arona sits above it by 8.9 points.

Which one holds up better as it ages

This is the part that matters when you are buying used. A headline pass rate mixes three-year-old cars in with fifteen-year-old ones. Split by age, you can see what each model actually does over time.

Age at test Volkswagen T-ROC SEAT Arona
3 to 5 years 93.21% 89.87%
6 to 10 years 91.86% 82.41%
11 years and over Too few tests Too few tests

There are not enough tests in every bracket to compare the two fairly across all ages.

What each one fails on

These are the areas testers recorded most often across every failed 2025 test for each model. Read them as a viewing checklist for that model, not as a fault list for any particular car.

Volkswagen T-ROC

  • Tyres 47.78%
  • Brakes 21.86%
  • Visibility 8%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 5.98%
  • Suspension 4.53%

Share of all recorded failure items.

Full Volkswagen T-ROC failure detail

SEAT Arona

  • Brakes 27.82%
  • Tyres 27.26%
  • Steering 19.43%
  • Visibility 6.36%
  • Suspension 6.2%

Share of all recorded failure items.

Full SEAT Arona failure detail

The Volkswagen T-ROC fails most often on tyres, the SEAT Arona on brakes. Two different things to check on a viewing, and two different conversations to have with the seller.

The specific items testers wrote down

One level deeper than the category. These are the individual defects recorded most often on each model.

Volkswagen T-ROC

  • Condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords
  • Tread depth tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm
  • Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick

SEAT Arona

  • Track rod end ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt
  • Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick
  • Condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords

What this comparison cannot tell you

Everything above describes two models across the whole UK fleet. It says nothing about the one car in the advert you are looking at. Two T-ROCs of the same year and mileage can be worth thousands apart because of things that never appear in MOT data:

  • Outstanding finance. If a lender still has an agreement recorded against the car, that claim does not disappear because you paid the seller.
  • Insurance write-off history. A Cat S or Cat N marker is permanent, changes what the car is worth, and does not appear on the V5C.
  • Stolen markers. A car recorded as stolen can be seized even from a buyer who bought it honestly.
  • Mileage history. The readings taken at every MOT are the clearest way to spot a clocked odometer.
  • Previous keepers. An unusual number of keepers for the age of the car is worth asking about.

A Carpeep car history check reports all of those against the registration, plus tax status, import and export markers, scrapped status and the recorded vehicle identity, in one £15 report.

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Volkswagen T-ROC vs SEAT Arona FAQs

Is the Volkswagen T-ROC or the SEAT Arona more likely to pass its MOT?

The Volkswagen T-ROC passed 92.71% of its initial MOT tests in the DVSA 2025 data against 86.16% for the SEAT Arona, a gap of 6.6 percentage points. That is a fleet-wide average, not a prediction about the specific car you are looking at.

Does a higher MOT pass rate mean a more reliable car?

No. An MOT records whether a vehicle met the roadworthiness standard on the day it was tested. It does not test the engine, clutch or gearbox, and it does not measure how often a car breaks down. Pass rates are useful for comparing how two models are holding up across the whole UK fleet, and nothing more than that.

Which is cheaper to keep on the road, the Volkswagen T-ROC or the SEAT Arona?

This data does not price servicing or repairs, so it cannot answer that directly. What it does show is what each model most often fails on, which is a fair guide to where the money goes. The Volkswagen T-ROC fails most often on tyres. The SEAT Arona fails most often on brakes.

How do I check the actual Volkswagen T-ROC I have found?

Enter its registration. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, insurance write-off markers, stolen markers, the mileage recorded at every MOT, previous keepers, tax and MOT status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report. None of that appears in model-level MOT statistics.

MOT figures aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.