Kia Optima: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Kia Optima passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 11,356 individual Kia Optima tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

First-time pass rate81.7%
UK national average76.7%
Difference+5 points
Tests analysed11,356
Average mileage at test77,060 miles
Average year of manufacture2017
Reliability rank1,390 of 2,005 models

What this means if you are buying one

A 81.7% first-time pass rate means roughly 18 in every 100 Kia Optimas 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 Optima tested had covered 77,060 miles and was built around 2017.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Kia Optima bought as a 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 Optima 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 what damaged Kia Optimas actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Kia Optima

  1. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 3% of tests (1.95x the national rate for this defect)
  2. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 1% of tests (1.35x the national rate for this defect)
  3. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 1.5% of tests (1.21x the national rate for this defect)
  4. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 2.6% of tests
  5. A tyre seriously damaged, 1.9% of tests
  6. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 1.3% of tests
  7. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 1% of tests
  8. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 1% of tests
  9. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 0.8% of tests
  10. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 0.7% of tests

From 17,937 DVSA-tracked Kia Optima tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 8.31% of these flagged Kia Optima defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Kia Optima pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Kia Optima year:

Kia Optima by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

Other Kia models

Models with a similar pass rate

If this car is a salvage or write-off

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate