Used car guide · 2020–2026

Cupra Formentor common problems and MOT failures

What goes wrong on a used Cupra Formentor, year by year: known faults from UK buying guides, the parts flagged at MOT more than on other cars (from 22,330 MOTs done during 2023–2025), and what to check before you buy one.

22,330MOTs done in 2023–2025, all years of this model
59,842on the UK register
2021best year at its MOT

Pick the year

Most years have their own guide. The year is when the car was first registered (it’s on the logbook, or check the reg below).

2026202520242023202220212020

What usually goes wrong with a Cupra Formentor?

We haven’t found widely reported faults for the Cupra Formentor in the UK buying guides we use yet. That doesn’t mean it has none, so check the car carefully and look at the MOT weak spots below.

Common Cupra Formentor MOT failures to check

Parts flagged at MOT well above the usual rate for cars the same age. From the DVSA’s results for every MOT done in Great Britain during 2023–2025.

  • Shock absorbers

    up to 7.6× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2021 and 2022.

    Rough price £200–£300 (pair, average rear to front) ClickMechanic

    At the viewing: Push down hard on each corner. It should bounce once and settle. Look for oil on the shock absorber body.

Cupra Formentor MOT pass rate by year

Of the years since 2005 with plenty of MOT tests, the 2021 Cupra Formentor did best (89% passed first time, 2 points above all 2021 cars) and the 2022 did worst (90%, 1 point above all 2022 cars). Older cars fail more, so compare each year with all cars registered the same year.

YearPass first timeAll cars that yearMOT tests
202394%92% +2390 (small sample)
202290%89% +18,856
202189%87% +212,779
202091%87% +4305 (small sample)

Questions to ask the seller before buying a Cupra Formentor

Ask before you travel to see it. A seller who knows the car will have answers, and receipts.

  1. Any recent work on the shock absorbers? (Flagged at MOT 7.6× as often on the Cupra Formentor as on other cars the same age.)
  2. Can I see the service history and receipts for any big jobs?

Looking at a Cupra Formentor?

Check the actual car: its own MOT history, whether it already shows these weak spots and what to ask the seller. Free, no sign-up.

Where this comes from: MOT figures are the DVSA’s anonymised results for every MOT test done in Great Britain during 2023–2025, grouped by the year each car was first registered. How many are on the road is from the Department for Transport’s vehicle licensing statistics. Known faults are from UK buying guides, in our own words, with links. How we score