Seat Ateca common problems by mileage
What UK MOT testers flag on the Seat Ateca at each age and mileage, compared with all cars.
In 40,070 UK MOT tests of the Seat Ateca in 2023, the problem that most sets it apart from other cars is shock absorbers (light misting of oil): recorded on 6.4% of tests of 2019–2021 cars at 20k–40k mi (32k–64k km), 5.8× the rate for all cars of that age and mileage. Other stand-out issues: pins and bushes (pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement) (4.7×); tyres (slightly damaged/cracking or perishing) (2×); brake pads (wearing thin) (1.7×). The most common reasons a Seat Ateca fails its MOT are tyres (tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm); brake pads (less than 1.5 mm thick).
Last updated: · Source: DVSA anonymised MOT data 2023
What stands out on the Seat Ateca
Parts that MOT testers flag clearly more often on the Seat Ateca than on all cars of the same age at the same mileage (at least 1.5× the rate and 3% of tests).
| Issue | Type | First used | Mileage | Share of tests | All cars this age | Ratio | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil | Advisory | 2019–2021 | 20k–40k mi (32k–64k km) | 6.4% | 1.1% | 5.8× | 10,726 |
| Pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement | Advisory | 2019–2021 | 60k–80k mi (97k–129k km) | 4.7% | 1% | 4.7× | 490 |
| Tyres (condition): slightly damaged/cracking or perishing | Advisory | 2020–2022 | 0k–20k mi (0k–32k km) | 7% | 3.5% | 2× | 3,421 |
| Brake pads: wearing thin | Advisory | 2016–2018 | 40k–60k mi (64k–97k km) | 19% | 11% | 1.7× | 8,275 |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened | Advisory | 2015–2017 | 40k–60k mi (64k–97k km) | 14% | 8.6% | 1.7× | 4,946 |
| Tyres (tread depth): worn close to legal limit/worn on edge | Advisory | 2020–2022 | 0k–20k mi (0k–32k km) | 11% | 6.4% | 1.7× | 3,421 |
Seat Ateca by mileage (2018–2020 cars)
The most-tested first-use years. For each mileage band: how many MOT tests, the most common item, and the item that stands out most against other cars.
| Mileage | Tests | Most common | Stands out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0k–20k mi (0k–32k km) | 5,624 | Tyres (tread depth): worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (10%) | Tyres (tread depth): worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (10%, 1.6×) |
| 20k–40k mi (32k–64k km) | 14,591 | Tyres (tread depth): worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (13%) | Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil (5.6%, 5.1×) |
| 40k–60k mi (64k–97k km) | 6,026 | Brake pads: wearing thin (19%) | Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil (6.9%, 3.8×) |
| 60k–80k mi (97k–129k km) | 1,337 | Tyres (tread depth): worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (17%) | Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil (6.6%, 2.9×) |
Seat Ateca by first-use year
| First used | Tests | Biggest stand-out issue |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1,891 | Brake pads: wearing thin at 40k–60k mi (64k–97k km) (1.7×) |
| 2017 | 9,680 | Brake pads: wearing thin at 40k–60k mi (64k–97k km) (1.7×) |
| 2018 | 9,029 | Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil at 20k–40k mi (32k–64k km) (4.2×) |
| 2019 | 11,001 | Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil at 20k–40k mi (32k–64k km) (5.1×) |
| 2020 | 8,001 | Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil at 40k–60k mi (64k–97k km) (6.1×) |
| 2021 | 412 | Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil at 40k–60k mi (64k–97k km) (6.7×) |
How these numbers are made
From the DVSA anonymised MOT data for 2023: every normal MOT test of a car in Great Britain, with its mileage and every advisory and failure item. For each first-use year (pooled with the years either side) and 20,000-mile band we count the share of tests where a part was recorded, and compare it with the same share for every car of that age at that mileage. A cell is shown only with 300 or more tests. Advisories are tester notes, not failures. Figures describe UK-market cars; engines and equipment can differ in other countries.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (DVSA anonymised MOT data, 2023).
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the Seat Ateca?
In 40,070 UK MOT tests of the Seat Ateca in 2023, the problem that most sets it apart from other cars is shock absorbers (light misting of oil): recorded on 6.4% of tests of 2019–2021 cars at 20k–40k mi (32k–64k km), 5.8× the rate for all cars of that age and mileage. Other stand-out issues: pins and bushes (pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement) (4.7×); tyres (slightly damaged/cracking or perishing) (2×); brake pads (wearing thin) (1.7×). The most common reasons a Seat Ateca fails its MOT are tyres (tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm); brake pads (less than 1.5 mm thick).
Why do Seat Atecas fail the MOT?
Across 40,070 MOT tests in 2023, the most common failure items on the Seat Ateca were tyres (tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm) (2.4% of tests); brake pads (less than 1.5 mm thick) (2.8% of tests).
At what mileage do Seat Ateca problems start?
The clearest Seat Ateca-specific issue, shock absorbers (light misting of oil), peaks against other cars at 20k–40k mi (32k–64k km) on 2019–2021 cars (6.4% of tests vs 1.1% for all cars that age).
Where does this Seat Ateca data come from?
From the UK government's anonymised MOT test data (DVSA, 2023, Open Government Licence v3.0): 40,070 tests of the Seat Ateca. VinSnap shows the same numbers for your own car's age and mileage in the app.