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.
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Make-level pass rates cannot reveal the condition or provenance of one car.
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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% |
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
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