Kia Sorento: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Kia Sorento fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 4.1 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 33,349 individual Kia Sorento tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 72.6% first-time pass rate means roughly 27 in every 100 Kia Sorentos 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 Sorento tested had covered 84,179 miles and was built around 2013.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Kia Sorento sits 4.1 points below the national average, ranked 1,692 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 Sorento 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 Sorento: £350 at UK salvage auction, from 9 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Kia Sorento

1. Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point, 1.4% of tests (6.12x the national rate for this defect)
2. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 4.4% of tests (3.35x the national rate for this defect)
3. Parking brake inoperative on one side, 1.7% of tests (2.79x the national rate for this defect)
4. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 2.9% of tests (2.23x the national rate for this defect)
5. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 2.3% of tests (2.16x the national rate for this defect)
6. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 9.9% of tests (1.96x the national rate for this defect)
7. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 3.9% of tests (1.83x the national rate for this defect)
8. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 1.7% of tests (1.8x the national rate for this defect)
9. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 3.6% of tests
10. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.3% of tests

From 33,321 DVSA-tracked Kia Sorento tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.58% of these flagged Kia Sorento defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Kia Sorento

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 Sorento before it actually fails on it.

1. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 3.7% of tests (2.74x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 3.1% of tests (2.48x the national rate for this advisory)
3. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 13% of tests (2.1x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 16.9% of tests (1.81x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 20.1% of tests (1.5x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
6. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 7% of tests (1.34x the national rate for this advisory)
7. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 1.9% of tests (1.28x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
8. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 33.3% of tests (1.25x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
9. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 5.8% of tests (1.22x the national rate for this advisory)
10. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 6.6% of tests (1.19x the national rate for this advisory)

From 33,321 DVSA-tracked Kia Sorento tests, 2024.

Kia Sorento pass rate by model year

From its 2004 to its 2020 model year, the Kia Sorento's first-time pass rate has risen 33.7 points, from 55.6% to 89.3%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Kia Sorento year:

• 2004 Kia Sorento - 55.6% first-time pass, 531 tests
• 2005 Kia Sorento - 58.1% first-time pass, 913 tests
• 2006 Kia Sorento - 57.5% first-time pass, 1,718 tests
• 2007 Kia Sorento - 60.3% first-time pass, 1,182 tests
• 2008 Kia Sorento - 59.8% first-time pass, 905 tests
• 2009 Kia Sorento - 62.4% first-time pass, 1,241 tests
• 2010 Kia Sorento - 62.6% first-time pass, 1,783 tests
• 2011 Kia Sorento - 64.2% first-time pass, 1,600 tests
• 2012 Kia Sorento - 65% first-time pass, 1,884 tests
• 2013 Kia Sorento - 66.8% first-time pass, 2,114 tests
• 2014 Kia Sorento - 71.7% first-time pass, 2,887 tests
• 2015 Kia Sorento - 77.8% first-time pass, 3,988 tests
• 2016 Kia Sorento - 80.2% first-time pass, 3,136 tests
• 2017 Kia Sorento - 84% first-time pass, 3,104 tests
• 2018 Kia Sorento - 85.9% first-time pass, 2,741 tests
• 2019 Kia Sorento - 87.9% first-time pass, 2,770 tests
• 2020 Kia Sorento - 89.3% first-time pass, 450 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 Soul - 73.7%
• Kia Stonic - 89.9%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Mercedes-Benz Vito - 72.7%
• Volkswagen Touran - 72.7%
• Peugeot 205 - 72.7%
• DS Ds4 - 72.6%
• Toyota Landcruiser Amazon - 72.6%
• Hyundai I800 - 72.5%

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