Kia Xceed MOT failure rate and common faults
24,591 Kia Xceed cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 12.3% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 12.8% of the time, which makes the Kia Xceed 4% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
12.3%
failed first time
24,591 MOT tests in 2025
-4%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 12.8%
110 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
60.1
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 57.6
What fails on a Kia Xceed 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 Xceed MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 44.3 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 29.0 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 14.6 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 13.1 |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn | Suspension | 10.0 |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 5.9 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 5.8 |
| Headlamp aim: too high | Lights and electrics | 4.5 |
| Headlamp aim: too low | Lights and electrics | 4.2 |
| Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn | Brakes | 3.9 |
Kia Xceed 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 | 9,485 | 10.9% | 11.4% | 27,400 |
| 2021 | 6,996 | 13.2% | 12.8% | 34,000 |
| 2020 | 7,170 | 13.3% | 14.1% | 39,100 |
| 2019 | 940 | 12.0% | 16.5% | 40,800 |
Advisories to look for in a Kia Xceed'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 Xceed, 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 edge269.0
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement140.1
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened127.6
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing82.6
- Brake pads: wearing thin72.5
- Brake discs: worn, but not excessively53.4
Checking a used Kia Xceed before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Kia Xceed fails more often than average on windscreen, wipers and mirrors. Start there.
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.
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 Xceed cars tested: Petrol 83%, Hybrid 13%, Diesel 4%. Average age at test 4.0 years, average recorded mileage 33,200.
Kia Xceed MOT questions
What is the Kia Xceed MOT failure rate?
12.3% of Kia Xceed cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 24,591 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 12.8% of the time, so the Kia Xceed was 4% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Kia Xceed MOT?
Tyres caused the most failure items, at 61 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively", recorded 44.3 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Kia Xceed year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2020 registrations did best: 13.3% failed against an average of 14.1% 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 Xceed will pass?
No. These are averages across every Kia Xceed 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 Sportage23.0% failed
- Kia Picanto28.5% failed
- Kia Ceed31.9% failed
- Kia Niro12.6% failed
- Kia Rio29.7% failed
- Kia Venga29.0% failed
Ranked close to the Kia Xceed
- Audi A1rank 107
- Range Rover Velarrank 108
- SEAT Alhambrarank 109
- Honda Civicrank 111
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 Xceed 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.