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

Fuel Pass rate Tests
Diesel 72.4% 14,417
Petrol 75.8% 7,253
Electric 86.5% 896
All Kia Soul74%22,567

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. 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.

Other Kia Soul fuel types

All Kia Soul MOT data · Every model