Make overview
Kia MOT pass rates by model
Data updated
Quick answer
Kia cars pass 75.2% of MOT tests across 1,029,192 recorded tests, against a national average of 72.3%. Of the 20 Kia models with MOT data, the Niro has the highest age-adjusted pass rate at 85.8% and the Carens the lowest at 62.7%. The item recorded most often on a failed Kia is tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements.
- Tests analysed
- 1,029,192
- Adjusted pass rate
- 70.8%
- Models with data
- 20
Adjusted for age and mileage
Kia models ranked by pass rate
| Model | Adjusted pass rate | National rank | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kia Niro | 85.8% | 15 of 262 | 104,555 |
| Kia Sorento | 72.2% | 146 of 262 | 36,320 |
| Kia Sportage | 71.7% | 153 of 262 | 301,416 |
| Kia Soul | 71.1% | 159 of 262 | 24,753 |
| Kia Rio | 69.0% | 181 of 262 | 99,478 |
| Kia Ceed | 68.9% | 182 of 262 | 122,542 |
| Kia Proceed | 68.1% | 194 of 262 | 7,335 |
| Kia Picanto | 65.5% | 217 of 262 | 190,232 |
| Kia Venga | 64.3% | 227 of 262 | 46,382 |
| Kia Carens | 62.7% | 241 of 262 | 13,720 |
Unadjusted, not ranked
Other Kia models with MOT data
These models have at least 500 recorded tests, but their tested examples do not span enough ages and mileages to rank fairly. Their failure and advisory patterns are still drawn from real tests.
| Model | Unadjusted pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Kia Stonic | 87.8% | 32,758 |
| Kia Xceed 3 | 88.4% | 11,009 |
| Kia Optima | 78.5% | 10,954 |
| Kia Xceed 2 | 86.8% | 7,061 |
| Kia EV6 | 90.1% | 6,515 |
| Kia Xceed | 87.3% | 5,087 |
| Kia Sedona | 55.2% | 4,106 |
| Kia Xceed 4 | 89.3% | 2,244 |
| Kia Stinger | 88.4% | 2,189 |
| Kia Cerato | 51.3% | 536 |
Across the range
What Kia cars fail on most
Share of failed Kia tests recording each item, summed across every model above.
- 1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements15.0%
- 2.a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm12.2%
- 3.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen9.7%
- 4.A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play9.6%
- 5.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement9.0%
- 6.A tyre seriously damaged8.2%
Common questions
- What is the MOT pass rate for Kia?
- Across 1,029,192 recorded MOT tests, 75.2% of Kia tests ended in a pass, against a national average of 72.3%. Adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, the figure is 70.8%. A make-level figure blends very different cars, so the individual model pages are the more useful comparison.
- Which Kia is the most reliable on MOT evidence?
- Of the Kia models with enough data to compare fairly, the Niro has the highest age-and-mileage-adjusted pass rate at 85.8%, ranking 15 of 262 models nationally. This reflects how often cars meet the MOT standard, not how often they break down.
- What do Kia cars most often fail their MOT on?
- The most commonly recorded failure item across Kia tests is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", appearing in 15.0% of failed tests. One failed test can list several items, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
- Why do some Kia models not have a pass rate ranking?
- A model is only ranked when its tested examples cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages for a fair comparison. 10 of the 20 Kia models here qualify. For the rest we publish the unadjusted rate and the failure patterns, but not a rank, because comparing unadjusted rates mostly sorts cars by how new they are.
How to read these figures
Why the adjusted rate is the fair one
An unadjusted pass rate is strongly driven by the age and mileage of the cars being tested, not by how well they were built. A model bought mainly as a lightly used second car will look better than an identical car sold to high-mileage drivers. Adjusting for age and mileage compares each model against cars that have lived a similar life.
For a specific car, its own record beats any model average — check that vehicle’s MOT history and read what testers actually recorded against it.
Check any vehicle's MOT history
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