Seat Taracco SE Tech TSI EVO SA

What fails its inspection

Great Britain's MOT record for the 2020 1.5 petrol. 21 of 179 tests failed, 12%.

Better than 16% of 2020 cars. The typical one fails 8%, across 906 models with enough tests behind them to say.

The defects inspectors cite

• An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction
• A tyre cords visible or damaged
• A tyre seriously damaged
• Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
• A passenger seat insecure
• A seat belt anchorage loose

Where it stands out against its peers

• Seat belts and airbags: failed more often than 99% of 2020 cars — 33% of its 21 failed tests, where an ordinary 2020 car has 2%.

Same model year only, at least 30 peer cars, zeros included. Every car has a worst part; this shows which, and how far from ordinary it is. A high share means more to check, not a verdict.

NHTSA's investigations are American; no European regulator publishes an equivalent record, so this section has nothing to draw on for a European car. There is no European equivalent of the service-bulletin register either.

Before you buy one

Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.

• Tyres and wheels — 57% of its failures
  • A tyre cords visible or damaged
  • A tyre seriously damaged
  • Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
• Brakes — 14% of its failures
  • Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured
• Seat belts and airbags — 33% of its failures
  • A seat belt anchorage loose
• Visibility — 10% of its failures

When it starts failing

At 40–60k miles this one fails 20% of its inspections, against the 13% an ordinary car of the same age fails.

176 British inspections, grouped by the odometer reading recorded at the test.

Half of these have more than 20k miles on them. That is how far people drive this car, not how long it lasts.

Specification