Diesel Kia Soul: MOT pass rate

72.4% of diesel Kia Souls pass the MOT first time, measured across 14,417 DVSA tests on that fuel type alone. Average mileage at test was 77,601.

Diesel against the other Kia Soul versions

Why the fuel type changes the number

Diesels carry DPFs, EGR valves and stricter smoke limits, so emissions and exhaust faults account for failures petrol cars never see.

On the Kia Soul specifically, electric is the strongest at 86.5%, and this diesel version sits 1.6 points below the 74% model average.

What it means if you are buying one

The diesel Kia Soul fails more often than the model average, so budget for the items that catch this fuel type and treat a fresh MOT as worth paying for. Buying a damaged one? run it through the analyzer, check the exact car, decode the VIN and check the mileage before you bid.

Mileage is part of the answer

The average diesel Kia Soul had covered 77,601 miles at test, against 66,100 for the petrol and 45,234 for the electric. That is a shade above the middle of the range, still ordinary wear rather than a red flag, but worth checking against the service book for the car's age.

Fuel type and mileage are tangled together: diesels are usually bought by higher-mileage drivers, so some of any gap between fuels is the miles rather than the engine. The per-year figures on the Kia Soul page separate age from fuel if you want to isolate one.

Most common MOT failures on a diesel Kia Soul

1. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 9% of tests (6.94x the national rate for this defect)
2. Parking brake inoperative on one side, 1.6% of tests (2.69x the national rate for this defect)
3. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 3% of tests (2.31x the national rate for this defect)
4. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 2.4% of tests (2.27x the national rate for this defect)
5. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 1.5% of tests (1.92x the national rate for this defect)
6. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 3.6% of tests (1.69x the national rate for this defect)
7. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 3% of tests (1.64x the national rate for this defect)
8. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 2.4% of tests (1.44x the national rate for this defect)
9. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 1.4% of tests (1.39x the national rate for this defect)
10. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3% of tests (1.34x the national rate for this defect)

From 14,467 DVSA-tracked diesel Kia Soul tests, 2024, split out from the Kia Soul's other fuel types. DVSA testers marked 6.09% of these flagged defects as "dangerous", against 5.11% nationally. See which fuel type fails on the most dangerous defects nationally for how that compares across the whole fleet.

Most common MOT advisories on a diesel Kia Soul

Flagged but doesn't fail the car, a different list from the failures above.

1. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 5.8% of tests (4.32x the national rate for this defect), also fails
2. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 13.6% of tests (2.19x the national rate for this defect), also fails
3. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 4.2% of tests (2.11x the national rate for this defect), also fails
4. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 2.5% of tests (1.96x the national rate for this defect)
5. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 2.4% of tests (1.78x the national rate for this defect)
6. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 17.3% of tests (1.41x the national rate for this defect)
7. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 12% of tests (1.29x the national rate for this defect), also fails
8. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 3.7% of tests (1.18x the national rate for this defect), also fails
9. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 27.4% of tests
10. A tyre seriously damaged, 17.7% of tests

From 14,467 DVSA-tracked diesel Kia Soul tests, 2024.

Other Kia Soul fuel types

• Petrol Kia Soul - 75.8%
• Electric Kia Soul - 86.5%

All Kia Soul MOT data · Every model