Cupra Leon, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
18,275 Cupra Leons are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 84.7% of initial MOT tests, 12.4 points above the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific Leon? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Cupra Leon at the MOT
84.7% of 1,623 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Leon 122nd of 575 models.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Where Leons fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Cupra Leon tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (15.7%), condition has ply or cords exposed (14%) and condition has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure (8.8%).
The MOT page lists every common Leon MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The Leon's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
-
Tyres
Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear.57.2% of Leon failure items
-
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.10.7% of Leon failure items
-
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.8.1% of Leon failure items
Cupra Leons in the UK
18,275 were licensed at the end of June 2026, the 3rd most of any Cupra. The number licensed has grown 252% since the end of 2023.
- Change since 2023
- +252%from 5,185 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2024half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2024 or earlier
- First registered in 2025
- 5,315against 5,614 in 2024
- Declared off the road
- 1300.7% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed Cupra Leons since 2020
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2020 | 52 |
| End of 2021 | 884 |
| End of 2022 | 1,501 |
| End of 2023 | 5,185 |
| End of 2024 | 10,514 |
| End of 2025 | 15,681 |
| End of June 2026 | 18,275 |
How old they are
Licensed Cupra Leons by year of first use.
- Licensed at the end of 2025
- First registered that year
A further 51 were first used before 2021.
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 | First registered that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5,021 | 5,315 |
| 2024 | 5,343 | 5,614 |
| 2023 | 3,847 | 3,911 |
| 2022 | 620 | 658 |
| 2021 | 798 | 854 |
Leon engines and fuel
2.0 litre engines made up 56% of Cupra Leon MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.4 litre at 42%. Petrol accounts for 38% of licensed Leons and hybrid electric for 34%.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 1,623 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Fuel type, licensed Leons
DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.
| Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 6,880 | 38% |
| Plug-in hybrid | 5,152 | 28% |
| Hybrid electric | 6,243 | 34% |
Cupra Leon recalls
1 DVSA safety recall launched from 1992 to October 2026 names the Cupra Leon. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Leon is affected.
-
Jan 2024 R/2024/026
On certain vehicles with electromechanical brake servo and DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) of a limited production period there is a possibility that a heat protection mat was incorrectly fitted. In individual cases the brake fluid reservoir can melt and cause a brake fluid leak into the engine compartment
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- A check of the installation of the heat protection mat on affected vehicles will be conducted. If necessary the correct heat shield condition will be restored and an additional heat shield installed.
Other Cupra models
The most-tested Cupra models in 2025, against the Leon's 84.7% MOT pass rate.
Cupra Leon FAQs
How many Cupra Leons are there in the UK?
18,275 Cupra Leons were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 130 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the Cupra Leon reliable?
MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is an 84.7% first-time pass rate for the Cupra Leon across 1,623 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Cupra Leon had any recalls?
1 DVSA safety recall launched from 1992 to October 2026 names the Cupra Leon. The most recent was published in January 2024. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.
What should I check before buying a used Cupra Leon?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: tyres, suspension and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.
How do I check a Cupra Leon's history?
Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.
Already found a Leon?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Cupra history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Cupra VIN check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.