Kia Sportage MOT failure rate and common faults
299,477 Kia Sportage cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 23.0% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 22.4% of the time, which makes the Kia Sportage 3% more likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
23.0%
failed first time
299,477 MOT tests in 2025
+3%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 22.4%
137 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
111.0
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 87.7
What fails on a Kia Sportage MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Kia Sportage MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 41.3 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 36.6 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 26.8 |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn | Suspension | 20.2 |
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play | Steering | 15.9 |
| Parking brake efficiency: efficiency below requirements | Brakes | 15.6 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 14.9 |
| Headlamp aim: too high | Lights and electrics | 14.6 |
| Ball joint excessively worn | Suspension | 12.7 |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 11.9 |
Kia Sportage MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 29,329 | 11.3% | 11.4% | 27,000 |
| 2021 | 26,902 | 14.6% | 12.8% | 34,300 |
| 2020 | 18,906 | 16.3% | 14.1% | 39,600 |
| 2019 | 32,947 | 16.6% | 16.5% | 47,200 |
| 2018 | 33,663 | 17.8% | 19.1% | 56,600 |
| 2017 | 36,400 | 21.1% | 21.8% | 66,700 |
| 2016 | 36,577 | 24.6% | 25.1% | 74,400 |
| 2015 | 20,621 | 29.1% | 28.1% | 80,700 |
| 2014 | 18,651 | 31.5% | 31.4% | 88,900 |
| 2013 | 17,246 | 38.9% | 34.3% | 96,100 |
| 2012 | 12,071 | 40.3% | 36.6% | 104,000 |
| 2011 | 7,085 | 40.9% | 38.8% | 110,500 |
| 2010 | 3,624 | 43.3% | 40.7% | 105,800 |
| 2009 | 1,821 | 44.7% | 41.8% | 104,000 |
| 2008 | 1,104 | 45.0% | 42.9% | 106,900 |
| 2007 | 913 | 49.3% | 42.7% | 108,000 |
| 2006 | 791 | 49.3% | 43.0% | 112,300 |
| 2005 | 826 | 50.2% | 42.4% | 111,700 |
Advisories to look for in a Kia Sportage's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Kia Sportage, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge298.8
- Brake pads: wearing thin160.3
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing124.5
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened110.8
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement90.6
- Brake discs: worn, but not excessively45.5
Checking a used Kia Sportage before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Kia Sportage fails more often than average on brakes, windscreen, wipers and mirrors and steering. Start there.
Brakes
Look through the wheel spokes at the discs for a deep lip or scoring, check the handbrake holds the car on a slope, and feel for a pull to one side when braking hard.
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors
Look for chips or cracks in the driver's line of sight, and test the wipers and washers. Windscreen damage in the swept area is an MOT failure.
Steering
With the engine running, rock the wheel gently: there should be almost no free play. Listen for knocks on full lock and look for power steering fluid leaks.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Fuel mix of the Kia Sportage cars tested: Diesel 48%, Petrol 42%, Hybrid 10%. Average age at test 7.9 years, average recorded mileage 63,700.
Kia Sportage MOT questions
What is the Kia Sportage MOT failure rate?
23.0% of Kia Sportage cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 299,477 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 22.4% of the time, so the Kia Sportage was 3% more likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Kia Sportage MOT?
Brakes caused the most failure items, at 130 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm", recorded 41.3 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Kia Sportage year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2018 registrations did best: 17.8% failed against an average of 19.1% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Kia Sportage will pass?
No. These are averages across every Kia Sportage tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other Kia models
- Kia Picanto28.5% failed
- Kia Ceed31.9% failed
- Kia Niro12.6% failed
- Kia Rio29.7% failed
- Kia Venga29.0% failed
- Kia Sorento28.5% failed
Ranked close to the Kia Sportage
- Skoda Rapidrank 134
- Ford Karank 135
- Nissan Noterank 136
- Ford Focusrank 138
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Kia Sportage cars of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.