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SEAT Altea, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

10,925 SEAT Alteas are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 59.1% of initial MOT tests, 13.2 points below the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific Altea? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

SEAT Altea at the MOT

59.1% of 12,318 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Altea 500th of 575 models. SEAT Alteas aged 6 to 10 years passed 68.9% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 58.4%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • SEAT Altea59.1%
  • All SEAT modelsThe Altea is 14.9 pts behind74%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

SEAT Altea tests in 2025.

  • 6 to 10 years888 tests68.9%
  • 11 years and over11,429 tests58.4%

Where Alteas fail

Share of all failure items recorded on SEAT Altea tests in 2025.

  • Suspension24.1%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment23.6%
  • Brakes16.5%
  • Tyres10%
  • Body, chassis, structure8.6%

The items testers recorded most often were coil spring fractured or broken (6.2%), joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (4.6%) and headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (4%).

The MOT page lists every common Altea MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full SEAT Altea MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Altea's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.24.1% of Altea failure items

  2. 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.23.6% of Altea failure items

  3. Brakes

    Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing.16.5% of Altea failure items

SEAT Alteas in the UK

10,925 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 65% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−65%from 31,443 licensed
Typical year of first use
2010half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2010 or earlier
Declared off the road
2,38018% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed SEAT Alteas since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201431,443
End of 201531,266
End of 201630,617
End of 201729,272
End of 201827,795
End of 201925,813
End of 202023,795
End of 202121,452
End of 202219,178
End of 202316,805
End of 202414,293
End of 202512,025
End of June 202610,925

How old they are

Licensed SEAT Alteas by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year
Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
2015490541
2014792
20131,426
20121,536
20111,186
20101,098
20091,207
20081,295
20071,351
2006699
2005342
2004133

490 Alteas first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 91% of the 541 first registered that year.

Altea engines and fuel

1.6 litre engines made up 44% of SEAT Altea MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.9 litre at 30%. Diesel accounts for 87% of licensed Alteas and petrol for 13%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 12,309 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.6 litre44.3%
  • 1.9 litre29.8%
  • 2.0 litre23.2%
  • 1.4 litre1.3%
  • 1.2 litre1.2%

Fuel type, licensed Alteas

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol1,44213%
Diesel9,48187%
Gas2<0.1%

SEAT Altea recalls

6 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the SEAT Altea. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Altea is affected.

  1. Jul 2025 R/2025/348

    Takata front drivers or passenger airbag replacement

    Alteas built Jun 2009 · 77 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Urgent Safety Warning - Do Not Drive Your Vehicle Issue: The front airbag in your SEAT vehicle contains an ageing inflator propellant that may explode when deployed due to long-term exposure to heat and humidity. Risk: If the airbag inflator explodes metal fragments may be ejected causing life-threatening or fatal injuries to anyone in the vehicle. Immediate Action Required: Stop driving your vehicle immediately. Contact the SEAT Takata Stop Drive helpline at 0113 526 9646 (Monday to Friday 9:00am to 5:00pm) to arrange your recall service. Mobility assistance is available if needed.
    Remedy
    For important safety reasons it is necessary to replace the inflator or driver/passenger seat's airbag module of your vehicle.

  2. Jul 2024 R/2024/285

    Drivers side front airbag

    Alteas built Oct 2012 · 11 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles a deterioration of the driver airbag propellant could occur. In the event of an accident and the activation of the driver airbag fragments of the generator housing could become detached and injure the vehicle occupants.
    Remedy
    The driver side front airbag gas generator must be replaced in all affected vehicles.

  3. Apr 2024 R/2024/160

    Driver's side front airbag

    Alteas built Nov 2009 to Jul 2010 · 24 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles a deterioration of the driver airbag propellant could occur. In the event of an accident and the activation of the driver airbag fragments of the generator housing could become detached and injure the vehicle occupants.
    Remedy
    The driver side front airbag gas generator must be replaced in all affected vehicles.

  4. Mar 2018 R/2018/060

    Starter motor may malfunction and overheat

    Alteas built Mar 2011 to Nov 2011 · 1,943 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On vehicles with diesel engines and stop/start system the starter motor may be permanently activated because the return spring in the solenoid switch is bent or broken. If the permanent current supply to the starter motor is not noticed overheating of the component with local scorching damage and a vehicle fire is possible.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and replace the solenoid switch.

  5. Jul 2017 R/2017/216

    ABS/ESC system may fail

    Alteas built May 2008 to May 2010 · 9,703 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On vehicles with ABS/ESC the earth connection may be interrupted. This may cause failure of the ABS/ESC system.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles install new software.

  6. Dec 2011 R/2011/168

    Fuel may leak

    Alteas built Jan 2009 to Dec 2009 · 65 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On 2.0l Common Rail engines of a limited production period faulty material can cause leaks on the high pressure pipes during the service life of the vehicle.
    Remedy
    Anti-vibration balance weights will be fitted on the high-pressure pipes.
How to check a specific Altea for recalls

Other SEAT models

The most-tested SEAT models in 2025, against the Altea's 59.1% MOT pass rate.

All 11 SEAT models

SEAT Altea FAQs

How many SEAT Alteas are there in the UK?

10,925 SEAT Alteas were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 2,380 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the SEAT Altea 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 a 59.1% first-time pass rate for the SEAT Altea across 12,318 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the SEAT Altea had any recalls?

6 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the SEAT Altea. The most recent was published in July 2025. 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 SEAT Altea?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes. 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 SEAT Altea'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 an Altea?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,382 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the SEAT history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the SEAT 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 July 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.