UK vehicle statistics / KIA
How many KIA cars are left?
At the end of 2026 Q1, DfT recorded 1,319,369 licensed and 38,109 SORN KIA vehicles in the UK, across 27 published model groups. That means 1 in 36 surviving KIA is currently off the road.
Looking at a KIA?
Population figures describe a model group, not the car in front of you.
Check its registration free for the official tax, MOT and mileage record. Before buying, the optional £9.99 full history check adds outstanding-finance, stolen and insurance write-off checks.
Is the KIA fleet shrinking?
Adding up every published KIA model group: 1,319,369 are licensed as of 2026 Q1 — the highest count in the published series, so the KIA range is still arriving on UK roads rather than leaving them. That is up 43% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 38,109 are declared SORN — 1 in 36 of the 1,357,478 still on the DVLA record is off the road, laid up, part-restored or waiting to be sold.
KIA MOT pass rate
In 2024, 73.1% of 783,014 KIA MOTs passed first time — above the 71.2% UK average.
The items most often behind a first-test failure across published KIA model groups:
- Brake Performance — 4.6% of tests. The brakes underperformed on the rolling road. Expect brake work rather than an adjustment.
- Condition — 3.6% of tests. Corrosion, damage or wear on a tested component. Worth seeing in person, as the cost ranges from trivial to structural.
- Suspension Arms — 3.1% of tests. Worn arms or bushes. A common age-related repair that affects handling and tyre wear.
- Mechanical Brake Components — 2.9% of tests. Worn discs, pads or callipers. Routine wear, but it should be priced into the deal.
See every model on the KIA MOT pass rate page.
Before you buy
- Brake Performance — 4.6% of tests in 2024. The brakes underperformed on the rolling road. Expect brake work rather than an adjustment.
- Condition — 3.6% of tests in 2024. Corrosion, damage or wear on a tested component. Worth seeing in person, as the cost ranges from trivial to structural.
- Suspension Arms — 3.1% of tests in 2024. Worn arms or bushes. A common age-related repair that affects handling and tyre wear.
- Mechanical Brake Components — 2.9% of tests in 2024. Worn discs, pads or callipers. Routine wear, but it should be priced into the deal.
- Check the actual KIA — These figures describe the model group. Enter the registration for that vehicle's free MOT, tax and mileage record before you pay a deposit.
Rarest KIA models
The published KIA model groups with the smallest surviving populations.
- Shuma — 15 licensed, 186 SORN
- Pride — 11 licensed, 208 SORN
- K4 — 641 licensed, 2 SORN
- Magentis — 340 licensed, 412 SORN
- Cerato — 396 licensed, 386 SORN
Every KIA model
| Model | Licensed | SORN |
|---|---|---|
| Sportage | 432,443 | 7,995 |
| Picanto | 221,758 | 6,515 |
| Niro | 136,293 | 681 |
| Ceed | 125,667 | 4,318 |
| RIO | 97,333 | 4,452 |
| Stonic | 57,669 | 267 |
| Venga | 45,401 | 834 |
| Sorento | 40,529 | 4,477 |
| Xceed | 41,629 | 228 |
| Soul | 24,034 | 850 |
| EV6 | 19,568 | 161 |
| PRO Ceed | 17,398 | 506 |
| EV3 AIR | 15,529 | 125 |
| Carens | 12,500 | 1,876 |
| Optima | 10,474 | 424 |
| Sedona | 3,333 | 3,093 |
| EV9 | 5,419 | 37 |
| EV4 | 2,913 | 21 |
| Proceed | 2,168 | 2 |
| EV5 | 2,148 | 0 |
| Stringer | 2,089 | 45 |
| PV5 | 1,671 | 8 |
| Cerato | 396 | 386 |
| Magentis | 340 | 412 |
| K4 | 641 | 2 |
| Pride | 11 | 208 |
| Shuma | 15 | 186 |
How to read these numbers
Licensed means taxed and legal to use on the road at the end of the quarter. SORN means the keeper has declared it off the road — it still exists, but it is not in use. A model group's total is the best available proxy for how many survive, and a shrinking one means fewer donor cars, fewer specialists and slower parts supply.
Common questions
How many KIA cars are left in the UK?
1,319,369 KIA vehicles were licensed and 38,109 were SORN at the end of 2026 Q1, across 27 published model groups, according to DfT and DVLA statistics.
Which KIA is rarest?
Of the published KIA model groups, the Shuma has the smallest surviving population at 15 licensed and 186 SORN.
Is the KIA fleet shrinking?
1,319,369 are licensed as of 2026 Q1 — the highest count in the published series, so the KIA range is still arriving on UK roads rather than leaving them. That is up 43% in the five years since 2021 Q1. A further 38,109 are declared SORN — 1 in 36 of the 1,357,478 still on the DVLA record is off the road, laid up, part-restored or waiting to be sold.
What is the KIA MOT pass rate?
73.1% of 783,014 class-4 initial MOT tests on KIA cars passed first time in 2024 — above the 71.2% UK average.
What do KIA cars fail the MOT on?
Across published KIA model groups, the most common initial failure categories in 2024 are brake performance (4.6% of tests), condition (3.6% of tests), suspension arms (3.1% of tests). DVSA publishes each model group's six most common categories, so this ranks the biggest published causes.
Does a KIA population figure describe the car I am looking at?
No. It describes the model group. Enter the registration for that car's own free MOT, tax and mileage record.
Source and limitations
Source: Department for Transport and DVLA, df_VEH0120_UK. Released 2026-07-15 under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
DVLA make and model fields are administrative data and can contain omissions or inconsistencies. These statistics describe model groups, not an individual registration.
Confidential cells marked [c] represent between 1 and 4 vehicles and are treated as zero in aggregates, so totals can be slightly understated.