Used Seat Tarraco 2018-2024 reliability
Category: Large SUV
The Seat Tarraco is good to drive, smart inside and well-equipped. A poor reliability record lets it down, though.
What should I look for in a used Seat Tarraco estate?
This is a large SUV that will have been used in urban areas so it’s worth checking the bodywork and the wheels carefully for any damage. Check all the electrics work inside.
What are the most common problems with a used Seat Tarraco estate?
There have been the following recall notices so far. Check with your dealer that any remedial work has been done. They are:
The specified wall thickness of the fuel tank can in some places fall below the threshold.
There is a possibility that due to a manufacturing error there is a crack on the frame of the left front seat.
Too little torque may be provided by some of the engines at low engine speeds.
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.
Is a used Seat Tarraco estate reliable?
The Tarraco finished in last place out of nine cars in the seven-seater class in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey. It scored 85.3%. It did a bit better in the 2025 survey, though, finishing in 12th place out of 14 cars but scoring a slightly worse 84.9%. Check out all the results of the What Car? reliability survey.
Reliability rating 84.9%
What went wrong? Engine 19%, non-engine electrics 19%, sat-nav/ infotainment 19%, air-con 13%, bodywork 6%, interior trim 6%
The Seat Tarraco is closely related to the Skoda Kodiaq, but it doesn’t share that model’s dependability. Owners told us a hefty 44% of their Tarracos went wrong, with faults in a broad spectrum of areas. Still, 76% of those issues were resolved in a day or less, and 69% of the remedial work was done for free. Of the owners who had to pay for the repairs, none had to find more than £200.
Seat Tarraco: the owner’s view “My car’s windscreen wipers seem to have a mind of their own and the engine stop-start system works only intermittently.”
Seats as a whole have a good record for reliability, with the brand finishing in 18th place out of 30 manufacturers in our reliability survey. The brand scored a reasonable 92.0% overall, but finished below Dacia, Ford and Skoda, but above Audi and Mercedes. Check out the full list here.
