Is the Kia Rio reliable?

On MOT evidence the Kia Rio is below average. It passes 69.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 181 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Kia Rio?

The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 13.3% of failed Kia Rio tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Kia Rio?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 23.9% of all Kia Rio tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Kia Rio usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 65,354 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Does a Kia Rio get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 88.0% of Kia Rio tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 53.9%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Kia Rio models petrol or diesel?

Of the Kia Rio cars tested, 79% are petrol, 18% are diesel, 3% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Kia Rio MOT pass rate & common failures

From 99,478 recorded MOT tests of the Kia Rio, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Kia Rio passes 69.0% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is below average, ranking it 181 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 99,478 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, which appears in 13.3% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 65,354 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

69.0%national average72.3%unadjusted70.3%range covered100%rank181 of 262

The Rio is 3.3 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is below average. The unadjusted figure is 70.3%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Kia Rio tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements13.3%
3,174 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play12.5%
2,974 occurrencesBall joint worn explained
3.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning11.4%
2,712 occurrencesLamp not working explained
4.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen9.9%
2,356 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.5%
2,276 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
6.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn9.4%
2,239 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
7.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc8.7%
2,073 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
8.A tyre seriously damaged6.3%
1,509 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
9.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement6.2%
1,491 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
10.Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen5.7%
1,351 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Kia Rio tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements23.9%
23,823 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged15.8%
15,761 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured14.2%
14,091 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.2%
9,122 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn7.5%
7,509 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded6.5%
6,492 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
7.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded6.5%
6,437 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
8.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn4.2%
4,225 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs88%

6–8 yrs83%

9–11 yrs72%

12–14 yrs59%

15+ yrs54%

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Rio fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 65,354
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol78.9%
Diesel18.3%
Hybrid2.9%

Trim names grouped into this model (11)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

RIO 1
RIO 2
RIO 2 5DOOR
RIO 2 S-A
RIO 3 ISG
RIO 3 MHEV
RIO 3 MHEV S-A
RIO BLACK
RIO GT-LINE S MHEV
RIO GT-LINE S MHEV S-A
RIO T-GDI

Check a specific Kia Rio

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Kia models

Kia Sportage — 71.7% adjusted
Kia Picanto — 65.5% adjusted
Kia Ceed — 68.9% adjusted
Kia Niro — 85.8% adjusted
Kia Venga — 64.3% adjusted
Kia Sorento — 72.2% adjusted
All Kia models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Volvo V40 — 67.4% adjusted, ranked 203
Mini Countryman — 79.9% adjusted, ranked 56
Hyundai I30 — 68.7% adjusted, ranked 185
Vauxhall Combo — 63.5% adjusted, ranked 236

Common questions

Is the Kia Rio reliable?: On MOT evidence the Kia Rio is below average. It passes 69.0% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 181 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Kia Rio?: The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 13.3% of failed Kia Rio tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Kia Rio?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 23.9% of all Kia Rio tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Kia Rio usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 65,354 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Does a Kia Rio get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 88.0% of Kia Rio tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 53.9%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Kia Rio models petrol or diesel?: Of the Kia Rio cars tested, 79% are petrol, 18% are diesel, 3% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.