62%
SEAT Exeo pass rate
Used SEAT Exeo buying guide
In 2025, SEAT Exeo cars passed 62% of 4,292 initial MOT tests, 10.3 points below the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific Exeo? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
SEAT Exeo MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
−10.3
percentage points below average
Ranked on pass rate the Exeo sits 471st of 575 models in the data. SEAT as a brand averaged 74%, so this model runs 12 points behind its own brand.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full SEAT Exeo MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Exeo compares with similar cars.
Exeo fuel types
Diesel made up 98.1% of SEAT Exeo MOT tests in 2025, against 39.3% across all models in this data. Almost every used example you look at will be a diesel.
Where the Exeo fails its MOT
Where SEAT Exeo cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.
The specific items testers recorded most often were coil spring fractured or broken (7.8%), malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction (5.4%) and position lamp not working (5.4%). See every common Exeo MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every SEAT Exeo that failed, not a claim that every Exeo has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used Exeo?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.
1
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. 21.5% of Exeo failure items.
2
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 20.3% of Exeo 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. 17.8% of Exeo failure items.
4
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. 12.8% of Exeo failure items.
5
Steering
Feel for play, knocking or stiffness in the steering, and check there is no steering warning light. 10.5% of Exeo failure items.
None of this replaces the car's own record. Run a free MOT history check on the registration to see every test, advisory and recorded mileage for that car.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing SEAT Exeo failures cluster around lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and suspension tells you what to inspect. It tells you nothing about whether the car is safe to buy. An MOT does not show money still owed on the car, a write-off, a theft record or a clocked odometer.
Check the exact Exeo you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the SEAT history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used SEAT models
The most-tested SEAT models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the Exeo.
Used SEAT Exeo FAQs
Is the SEAT Exeo 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 62% first-time pass rate for the SEAT Exeo across 4,292 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
What should I check before buying a used SEAT Exeo?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension and brakes. Then check the individual car's history: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records, stolen markers, mileage and previous keepers. None of these appear in the MOT record or on the V5C.
How do I check a SEAT Exeo'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.
MOT figures are 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.