MOT pass rates / Kia
Kia MOT pass rates and common failures
Kia cars passed 73.1% of their MOTs first time in 2024, across 783,014 class-4 initial tests and 33 model groups. That is above the 71.2% UK average, and ranks Kia 27th of 59 makes in the dataset.
Pass rates track age more strongly than badge: an older Kia is compared here against older cars of every other make, so read the age table below before drawing conclusions about the brand.
Checking a Kia?
Make-level pass rates cannot reveal the condition or provenance of one car.
Check its registration free for the actual MOT, tax and mileage record. Before buying, the optional £9.99 full history check adds outstanding-finance, stolen and insurance write-off checks.
What Kia cars fail on
The items most often behind a first-test failure across Kia model groups, as a share of Kia tests. DVSA publishes each model group's six most common categories, so this ranks the biggest published causes rather than every possible one.
- Brake Performance — 4.6% of Kia tests. The brakes underperformed on the rolling road. Expect brake work rather than an adjustment.
- Condition — 3.6% of Kia 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 Kia tests. Worn arms or bushes. A common age-related repair that affects handling and tyre wear.
- Mechanical Brake Components — 2.9% of Kia tests. Worn discs, pads or callipers. Routine wear, but it should be priced into the deal.
- Position Lamps — 2% of Kia tests. A side or tail light out. Usually a bulb.
- Wipers — 1.9% of Kia tests. Worn wiper blades. Minutes to fix, and a fair hint that servicing was skipped.
- Steering Linkage Components — 1.8% of Kia tests. Worn track rod ends or joints. Affects steering and tyre wear, and is a normal age-related repair.
- Tread Depth — 1.3% of Kia tests. Tyres below the 1.6mm legal limit. Budget for tyres, and treat it as a sign of how the car was maintained.
Kia MOT pass rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Initial pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3–5 years | 187,414 | 85.8% |
| 6–9 years | 293,276 | 79.1% |
| 10–14 years | 239,110 | 61.4% |
| 15–30 years | 63,094 | 51.8% |
Kia models by MOT pass rate
| Model | Tests | Initial pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| Sportage | 226,614 | 75.9% |
| Picanto | 154,481 | 71.1% |
| Ceed | 99,714 | 65.8% |
| RIO | 89,350 | 68.1% |
| Venga | 39,489 | 71.7% |
| Niro | 31,417 | 87% |
| Sorento | 29,024 | 69.2% |
| Soul | 20,826 | 69.1% |
| Stonic | 15,129 | 86.6% |
| Carens | 13,277 | 63.5% |
| Optima | 10,063 | 78.9% |
| Niro 4 + EV | 6,462 | 89.2% |
| Niro 4 EV | 5,144 | 86.9% |
| Niro 3 EV | 5,009 | 87.6% |
| Sedona | 4,487 | 54.2% |
| Xceed 3 ISG | 3,833 | 86% |
| Sportage 2 CRDI ISG MHEV | 3,639 | 83.3% |
| Xceed 2 ISG | 3,304 | 85.2% |
| Sportage 2 CRDI ISG MHEV S-A | 2,161 | 83.9% |
| Ceed Gt-line ISG | 2,000 | 84.3% |
| Stinger | 1,992 | 87.1% |
| Soul First Edition EV | 1,879 | 88.7% |
| Sportage Gt-line CRDI ISG MHEV | 1,657 | 84.4% |
| Niro 2 PHEV S-A | 1,527 | 90.2% |
| Niro 2 EV | 1,335 | 91.6% |
| Sportage Platinum Edition ISG | 1,285 | 86.9% |
| Stonic 2 | 1,215 | 89.3% |
| Proceed | 1,199 | 55% |
| Proceed Gt-line ISG | 1,179 | 85.2% |
| Xceed Edition ISG | 1,168 | 85.5% |
| Ceed 2 NAV ISG | 1,083 | 84.7% |
| Xceed 3 ISG S-A | 1,060 | 88.9% |
| Picanto X-line S Auto | 1,012 | 88.1% |
How many Kia vehicles are left?
At the end of 2026 Q1, DfT recorded 1,319,369 licensed and 38,109 SORN Kia vehicles across 27 published model groups.
Licensed and SORN counts for every Kia model
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.
Common questions
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 across all published models.
Which Kia has the best MOT pass rate?
Of the Kia model groups with a substantial sample, the Niro 4 + EV has the highest initial pass rate at 89.2% across 6,462 tests. Pass rates track vehicle age closely, so newer model groups tend to sit higher.
Does a good Kia pass rate mean the car I am looking at is fine?
No. A model-level rate describes a population, not one vehicle. Enter the registration for that car's own MOT, tax and mileage record, and check for outstanding finance, write-off and stolen markers before you buy.
Methodology and limitations
MOT outcomes describe testable items at the time of inspection. They are not a measure of overall mechanical reliability.
Scope: Class 4 normal initial MOT tests completed in 2024. Models require at least 1,000 qualifying tests. Duplicate source rows are removed using official DVSA test IDs.
Source: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency anonymised MOT tests and results, 2024, published 2025-05-23 under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Check the actual car
Enter the registration for that Kia's own free MOT, tax and mileage record. Before money changes hands, the £9.99 full history check adds outstanding finance, insurance write-off and stolen checks.