Kia Carens: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Kia Carens fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 6.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 14,913 individual Kia Carens tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 70% first-time pass rate means roughly 30 in every 100 Kia Carens presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Kia Carens tested had covered 79,654 miles and was built around 2014.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Kia Carens sits 6.7 points below the national average, ranked 1,761 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Kia Carens rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Kia Carens: £275 at UK salvage auction, from 6 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Kia Carens

1. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 3.9% of tests (2.98x the national rate for this defect)
2. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3.6% of tests (2.65x the national rate for this defect)
3. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 5.5% of tests (2.57x the national rate for this defect)
4. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 1.8% of tests (2.25x the national rate for this defect)
5. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 2.7% of tests (2.21x the national rate for this defect)
6. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 2% of tests (2.07x the national rate for this defect)
7. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 3% of tests (1.79x the national rate for this defect)
8. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 1.7% of tests (1.62x the national rate for this defect)
9. A tyre seriously damaged, 4% of tests (1.42x the national rate for this defect)
10. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 6.8% of tests (1.36x the national rate for this defect)

From 14,893 DVSA-tracked Kia Carens tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 7.24% of these flagged Kia Carens defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Kia Carens

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Kia Carens before it actually fails on it.

1. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 4.2% of tests (2.11x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 17.6% of tests (1.88x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution., 1.5% of tests (1.71x the national rate for this advisory)
4. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 5.1% of tests (1.6x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 18.4% of tests (1.5x the national rate for this advisory)
6. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 3.9% of tests (1.45x the national rate for this advisory)
7. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 7% of tests (1.35x the national rate for this advisory)
8. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 34.1% of tests (1.28x the national rate for this advisory)
9. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 16.6% of tests (1.24x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
10. A tyre seriously damaged, 14.9% of tests, also fails

From 14,893 DVSA-tracked Kia Carens tests, 2024.

Kia Carens pass rate by model year

From its 2007 to its 2018 model year, the Kia Carens's first-time pass rate has risen 25.5 points, from 54.6% to 80.1%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Kia Carens year:

• 2006 Kia Carens - 51.2% first-time pass, 246 tests
• 2007 Kia Carens - 54.6% first-time pass, 412 tests
• 2008 Kia Carens - 58.4% first-time pass, 933 tests
• 2009 Kia Carens - 60% first-time pass, 1,059 tests
• 2010 Kia Carens - 65.2% first-time pass, 322 tests
• 2011 Kia Carens - 57.8% first-time pass, 344 tests
• 2013 Kia Carens - 70.6% first-time pass, 1,392 tests
• 2014 Kia Carens - 72.1% first-time pass, 2,168 tests
• 2015 Kia Carens - 73.3% first-time pass, 2,141 tests
• 2016 Kia Carens - 74.7% first-time pass, 1,786 tests
• 2017 Kia Carens - 77.6% first-time pass, 1,868 tests
• 2018 Kia Carens - 80.1% first-time pass, 1,627 tests

Kia Carens by fuel type

The Kia Carens's two most-tested fuel types split by 1.4 points: diesel passes first time 70.9% of the time (11,352 tests) against 69.5% for petrol (3,435 tests).

• Diesel Kia Carens - 70.9% first-time pass, 11,352 tests
• Petrol Kia Carens - 69.5% first-time pass, 3,435 tests

Other Kia models

• Kia Sportage - 79.4%
• Kia Picanto - 75.7%
• Kia Ceed - 71.6%
• Kia Rio - 74.3%
• Kia Niro - 90.3%
• Kia Venga - 78.4%
• Kia Sorento - 72.6%
• Kia Soul - 73.7%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Vauxhall Corsa - 70%
• Peugeot 308 - 70%
• Ford S-Max - 70%
• Fiat 500l - 69.9%
• Hyundai Ix35 - 69.8%
• Chrysler-Jeep Grand Cherokee - 69.8%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate