The results of an experimental programme consisting of a series of model tests on single propped retaining walls are presented and discussed. They have been carried out in the dynamic geotechnical centrifuge of the Cambridge University, to obtain benchmarks to calibrate simplified and advanced methods of analysis of the behaviour of these structures under seismic actions. A total of four centrifuge tests have been performed. The seismic performance of the retaining walls considered in the experimental programme is evaluated by the classical pseudostatic approach, with the active and passive earth pressures computed from measurements of accelerations within the soil mass carried out during the tests. Based on the comparison between the predicted and the observed behaviour, the paper provides some comments on the suitability of the pseudostatic approach, as that suggested by Eurocode 8.