Kia Niro: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Kia Niro passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 13.6 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 48,721 individual Kia Niro tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

First-time pass rate90.3%
UK national average76.7%
Difference+13.6 points
Tests analysed48,721
Average mileage at test47,586 miles
Average year of manufacture2019
Reliability rank643 of 2,005 models

What this means if you are buying one

A 90.3% first-time pass rate means roughly 10 in every 100 Kia Niros presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average Kia Niro tested had covered 47,586 miles and was built around 2019.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Kia Niro sits 13.6 points above the national average, ranked 643 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

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 Niro 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 recorded closing bids for damaged Kia Niros at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Kia Niro

  1. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 2.5% of tests (1.46x the national rate for this defect)
  2. Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 0.3% of tests (1.19x the national rate for this defect)
  3. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.7% of tests
  4. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 2.1% of tests
  5. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 1.8% of tests
  6. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 0.5% of tests
  7. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 0.4% of tests
  8. A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 0.4% of tests
  9. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 0.4% of tests
  10. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 0.3% of tests

From 48,666 DVSA-tracked Kia Niro tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 8.26% of these flagged Kia Niro defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Kia Niro

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 Niro before it actually fails on it.

  1. A tyre seriously damaged, 19.7% of tests (1.28x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
  2. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 22.8% of tests, also fails
  3. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 6.2% of tests
  4. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 1.5% of tests, also fails
  5. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 0.8% of tests
  6. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 0.7% of tests
  7. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 0.7% of tests
  8. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 0.6% of tests
  9. Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution., 0.3% of tests
  10. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 0.2% of tests

From 48,666 DVSA-tracked Kia Niro tests, 2024.

Kia Niro pass rate by model year

From its 2016 to its 2022 model year, the Kia Niro's first-time pass rate has risen 5.8 points, from 87.6% to 93.4%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Kia Niro year:

Kia Niro by fuel type

The Kia Niro's two most-tested fuel types split by 1.8 points: hybrid passes first time 90.7% of the time (47,100 tests) against 88.9% for electric (1,390 tests).

Other Kia models

Models with a similar pass rate

If this car is a salvage or write-off

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Run a site about the Kia Niro? Embed the real DVSA pass-rate badge free, linked back to this page.

Kia Niro MOT pass rate badge: 90.3%

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Kia Niro most common MOT failure: A tyre cords visible or damaged (2.5% of tests)

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/kia-niro"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/failure/kia-niro.svg" width="340" height="106" alt="Kia Niro most common MOT failure: A tyre cords visible or damaged (2.5% of tests) - Salvage Prophet"></a>

All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate