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

193,680 SEAT Leons are licensed in the UK, the 48th most common model on the road. In 2025 they passed 75.8% of initial MOT tests, 3.5 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.

SEAT Leon at the MOT

75.8% of 183,714 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Leon 257th of 575 models. SEAT Leons aged 3 to 5 years passed 83.3% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 65.8%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • SEAT Leon75.8%
  • All SEAT modelsThe Leon is 1.8 pts ahead74%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

SEAT Leon tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years37,714 tests83.3%
  • 6 to 10 years88,681 tests78.4%
  • 11 years and over54,540 tests65.8%

Where Leons fail

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

  • Suspension25.2%
  • Tyres17.7%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment17.4%
  • Brakes15.6%
  • Visibility8.6%

The items testers recorded most often were coil spring fractured or broken (9.3%), tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (6.7%) and shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak (6.1%).

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

Full SEAT Leon MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Leon'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.25.2% of Leon failure items

  2. 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.17.7% of Leon failure items

  3. 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.17.4% of Leon failure items

SEAT Leons in the UK

193,680 were licensed at the end of June 2026, the 2nd most of any SEAT. The number licensed has grown 31% since the end of 2014, although it peaked at 218,968 at the end of 2021.

Change since 2014
+31%from 148,229 licensed
Typical year of first use
2016half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2016 or earlier
First registered in 2025
2,775against 22,548 in 2018
Declared off the road
16,0677.7% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed SEAT Leons since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2014148,229
End of 2015161,806
End of 2016173,294
End of 2017184,658
End of 2018198,540
End of 2019210,309
End of 2020213,836
End of 2021218,968
End of 2022215,482
End of 2023209,219
End of 2024203,158
End of 2025197,224
End of June 2026193,680

How old they are

Licensed SEAT Leons by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 3,180 were first used before 2006.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
20252,6162,775
20242,5692,704
20231,8351,981
20223,3853,690
202110,83411,517
202013,43514,299
201918,95020,365
201820,98122,548
201718,50720,173
201616,43118,224
201518,12420,404
201419,836
201312,373
20129,090
20116,241
20104,953
20093,837
20083,223
20072,721
20061,684

18,124 Leons first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 89% of the 20,404 first registered that year.

Leon engines and fuel

2.0 litre engines made up 26% of SEAT Leon MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.6 litre at 19%. Petrol accounts for 56% of licensed Leons and diesel for 40%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 183,704 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.0 litre25.8%
  • 1.6 litre19.1%
  • 1.4 litre18.6%
  • 1.5 litre15.6%
  • 1.2 litre10.8%

Fuel type, licensed Leons

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol107,49756%
Diesel77,31940%
Plug-in hybrid4,1902%
Hybrid electric4,6662%
Gas8<0.1%

SEAT Leon recalls

22 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the SEAT Leon. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Leon is affected.

  1. Jul 2025 R/2025/348

    Takata front drivers or passenger airbag replacement

    Leons built Dec 2009 to Apr 2016 · 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

    Leons built Nov 2011 to Apr 2013 · 1,813 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

    Leons built Nov 2008 to Jul 2012 · 20,412 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. Oct 2023 R/2023/294

    In certain vehicles within a range of specified VINs it has been detected that an engine support that did not receive the correct heat treatment may have been fitted

    Leons built Jul 2023 to Aug 2023 · 43 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    The fitted engine support must be inspected and if found to be affected the engine support must be replaced.

  5. Sep 2023 R/2023/273

    Front driver airbag replacement

    Leons built Mar 2012 to Apr 2017 · 52,322 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    In vehicles produced in a specific period with airbags from manufacturer Takata in the event of an accident with airbag activation the driver airbag gas generator housing may explode.
    Remedy
    Inspect the driver's airbag and replace it if necessary.

  6. Jun 2022 R/2022/185

    The wiring harness of the airbag control unit may possibly have been caught by the clutch pedal during installation

    Leons built Apr 2020 to Jun 2021 · 10,145 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    There is a possibility that the wiring harness of the airbag control unit was caught by the clutch pedal during installation.
    Remedy
    The correct position of the airbag control unit wiring harness must be checked and if required secured in the correct position. Repair any existing damage as necessary.

  7. Apr 2022 R/2022/088

    In some vehiclesthe fuse in the high-voltage system has been produced in part with an insufficient amount of extinguishing sand

    Leons built Dec 2020 to Oct 2021 · 2,347 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    In some vehicles the fuse in the high-voltage system has been produced in part with an insufficient amount of extinguishing sand.
    Remedy
    An insulating mat must be placed above the switching unit for the high-voltage battery in all of the affected vehicles.

  8. Mar 2022 R/2022/076

    Engine design covers could detach from their fixing

    Leons built Oct 2020 to Feb 2022 · 2,309 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    In some vehicles within the range of specified VINs it is possible that they have engine design covers installed that could detach from their fixing depending on use (very sporty driving or poor road conditions) and the operating time.
    Remedy
    The engine design cover must be removed on all affected vehicles.
How to check a specific Leon for recalls

Leon vs similar cars

Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.

Other SEAT models

The most-tested SEAT models in 2025, against the Leon's 75.8% MOT pass rate.

All 11 SEAT models

SEAT Leon FAQs

How many SEAT Leons are there in the UK?

193,680 SEAT Leons were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 16,067 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the SEAT 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 a 75.8% first-time pass rate for the SEAT Leon across 183,714 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the SEAT Leon had any recalls?

22 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the SEAT Leon. 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 Leon?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, tyres 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 SEAT 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 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 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.