SEAT Arona Reliability: Common Problems and Years to Avoid
What the SEAT Arona fails its MOT on, with rough repair costs, and how each model year's MOT pass rate compares with other cars of the same age. Based on 71,067 MOT tests across 6 model years (DVSA data for tests carried out in 2024, retests included).
Segment: city car | Fuel: Petrol, Diesel
89%
SEAT Arona pass rate
85%
SEAT average
82%
All-model average
The SEAT Arona has an average MOT pass rate of 89%, which is 4 points above the SEAT average and 7 points above the average across all models in our data. Newer SEAT Aronas pass their MOT more often than older ones, by 10 percentage points on average, which is mostly down to age and wear.
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What the SEAT Arona Fails Its MOT On
Of the 7,279 MOT tests on the SEAT Arona that failed at the first attempt in 2025, the share that failed on each part of the test, next to the share for all cars and vans of the same ages. A test that failed on two areas counts in both.
Tyres
29%Cars and vans the same age: 32% · Typical repair £50-£300
Steering
27%Cars and vans the same age: 3.6% (the Arona fails on this more often) · Typical repair £100-£500
Brakes
26%Cars and vans the same age: 19% (the Arona fails on this more often) · Typical repair £80-£450
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors
12%Cars and vans the same age: 18% (the Arona fails on this less often) · Typical repair £10-£350
Lights and electrics
12%Cars and vans the same age: 25% (the Arona fails on this less often) · Typical repair £15-£200
The 3 single faults it failed on most
- Track rod end: ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (21% of failed tests, steering)
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick (15% of failed tests, brakes)
- Tyre tread depth below the 1.6mm limit (8.3% of failed tests, tyres)
Source: CarCostCheck analysis of DVSA anonymised MOT test results and failure items for 2025: first attempt at each MOT, fail and pass-after-repair defects, DVSA's defect categories (names shortened). Repair costs are rough UK ranges, not quotes. Method and national figures: MOT failure reasons 2025.
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SEAT Arona Years to Avoid
Every car in the 2024 MOT data was tested at the same age as the other cars first registered that year, so each Arona year is compared with all cars from the same year. Years with 1,000+ tests that were at least three years old are included.
Failed more often than cars their age
Passed more often than cars their age
No year passed 3 or more points more often than other cars of the same age.
A lower pass rate means that year failed its MOT more often in 2024; it does not mean every car from that year is bad. Old cars still on the road are often the best-kept ones, which can lift the pass rates of the oldest years. How a car has been looked after matters more, so check the MOT history of the car you are looking at.
SEAT Arona Reliability by Year
MOT pass rate for each model year, from DVSA data for tests carried out in 2024 (retests included). Newer cars usually pass more often simply because they are younger. All Cars is the pass rate of every car first registered that year, with the gap in points. Highest and lowest are marked among years with 100+ tests that were at least three years old when tested. Fuel and engine size are a guide only.
SEAT Arona Running Costs
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SEAT Arona FAQ
What are the most common SEAT Arona problems?
In 2025, MOT tests on the SEAT Arona that failed at the first attempt most often failed on tyres (29% of the 7,279 failed tests), steering (27%) and brakes (26%). The single most common fault was "Track rod end: ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (21%). Across 71,067 MOT tests (DVSA MOT data for tests in 2024, retests included), 89% ended in a pass.
Is the SEAT Arona reliable?
The SEAT Arona has an average MOT pass rate of 89%, from 71,067 MOT tests (DVSA MOT data for tests in 2024, retests included). Comparing each model year with all cars first registered the same year, so that age is allowed for, it passed within 2 points of other cars of the same age, so about average for its age.
Which SEAT Arona years should I avoid?
Compared with all cars first registered the same year (DVSA MOT data for tests in 2024, retests included), the 2017 (80% of 1,087 tests passed, against 87% for all 2017 cars) and the 2018 (84% of 20,515 tests passed, against 89% for all 2018 cars) failed their MOT most often for their age. A year's pass rate does not tell you about one car, so check the MOT history of the car you are buying.
How much does it cost to fix common SEAT Arona faults?
As a rough guide, brake work on a SEAT Arona typically costs £80-£450 and suspension repairs £150-£600, while exhaust and emissions fixes can cost £80-£800. Lighting and wiper fixes are usually under £200.
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Other SEAT Models
Common problems pages for other SEAT models