Kia Sportage: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Kia Sportage passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 2.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 259,199 individual Kia Sportage tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 79.4% first-time pass rate means roughly 21 in every 100 Kia Sportages 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 Sportage tested had covered 62,835 miles and was built around 2016.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Kia Sportage sits 2.7 points above the national average, ranked 1,464 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. See how it stacks up against the Ford Fiesta.

Looking at a specific Kia Sportage 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 Sportage: £1,050 at UK salvage auction, from 44 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Kia Sportage

1. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 4.2% of tests (1.97x the national rate for this defect)
2. Parking brake inoperative on one side, 1.2% of tests (1.93x the national rate for this defect)
3. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 4.9% of tests (1.55x the national rate for this defect)
4. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 1.8% of tests (1.41x the national rate for this defect)
5. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 0.9% of tests (1.16x the national rate for this defect)
6. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 3.9% of tests
7. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 2% of tests
8. A tyre seriously damaged, 1.9% of tests
9. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 1.6% of tests
10. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 1.5% of tests

From 258,940 DVSA-tracked Kia Sportage tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 7.53% of these flagged Kia Sportage defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Kia Sportage

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 Sportage before it actually fails on it.

1. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 17.7% of tests (1.89x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 4.8% of tests (1.51x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 1.9% of tests (1.41x the national rate for this advisory)
4. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 1.7% of tests (1.26x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 31.5% of tests (1.18x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
6. A tyre seriously damaged, 15% of tests, also fails
7. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 12% of tests
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 11.1% of tests, also fails
9. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 2.4% of tests
10. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 2.4% of tests

From 258,940 DVSA-tracked Kia Sportage tests, 2024.

Kia Sportage pass rate by model year

From its 2005 to its 2022 model year, the Kia Sportage's first-time pass rate has risen 33.8 points, from 57.6% to 91.4%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Kia Sportage year:

• 2005 Kia Sportage - 57.6% first-time pass, 1,126 tests
• 2006 Kia Sportage - 56.8% first-time pass, 1,054 tests
• 2007 Kia Sportage - 55.6% first-time pass, 1,287 tests
• 2008 Kia Sportage - 60.8% first-time pass, 1,443 tests
• 2009 Kia Sportage - 59.4% first-time pass, 2,248 tests
• 2010 Kia Sportage - 62.7% first-time pass, 4,067 tests
• 2011 Kia Sportage - 64.6% first-time pass, 7,469 tests
• 2012 Kia Sportage - 65.4% first-time pass, 12,526 tests
• 2013 Kia Sportage - 66.2% first-time pass, 17,784 tests
• 2014 Kia Sportage - 75.6% first-time pass, 18,988 tests
• 2015 Kia Sportage - 77% first-time pass, 20,848 tests
• 2016 Kia Sportage - 80.7% first-time pass, 36,907 tests
• 2017 Kia Sportage - 83.4% first-time pass, 36,605 tests
• 2018 Kia Sportage - 85.8% first-time pass, 33,785 tests
• 2019 Kia Sportage - 87% first-time pass, 31,855 tests
• 2020 Kia Sportage - 88.3% first-time pass, 11,938 tests
• 2021 Kia Sportage - 89.9% first-time pass, 17,319 tests
• 2022 Kia Sportage - 91.4% first-time pass, 678 tests

Kia Sportage by fuel type

The Kia Sportage's two most-tested fuel types split by 6.9 points: diesel passes first time 76.7% of the time (145,772 tests) against 83.6% for petrol (111,433 tests).

• Diesel Kia Sportage - 76.7% first-time pass, 145,772 tests
• Petrol Kia Sportage - 83.6% first-time pass, 111,433 tests
• Hybrid Kia Sportage - 86.6% first-time pass, 790 tests

Other Kia models

• Kia Picanto - 75.7%
• Kia Ceed - 71.6%
• Kia Rio - 74.3%
• Kia Niro - 90.3%
• Kia Venga - 78.4%
• Kia Sorento - 72.6%
• Kia Soul - 73.7%
• Kia Stonic - 89.9%

Models with a similar pass rate

• MG Gs - 79.5%
• Land Rover Unclassified - 79.5%
• MINI Countryman Cooper - 79.5%
• Vauxhall Combo 2300 Dynamic Td - 79.4%
• BMW Unclassified - 79.4%
• Citroen Berlingo 1000 En-Prse Ptech Ss - 79.4%

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