2021 Kia Sportage: MOT pass rate and reliability

89.9% of 2021 Kia Sportages pass the MOT first time, measured across 17,319 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 25,278 miles.

How the 2021 compares

  • Against all Kia Sportages (79.7%, 258,014 tests): +10.2 points
  • Against all 2021 cars (90%): -0.1 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Kia Sportage model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2021 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Kia Sportage:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
2005 57.6% 1,126 111,042
2006 56.8% 1,054 112,823
2007 55.6% 1,287 108,378
2008 60.8% 1,443 106,626
2009 59.4% 2,248 102,462
2010 62.7% 4,067 103,189
2011 64.6% 7,469 106,363
2012 65.4% 12,526 99,131
2013 66.2% 17,784 91,207
2014 75.6% 18,988 83,411
2015 77% 20,848 74,633
2016 80.7% 36,907 67,479
2017 83.4% 36,605 59,469
2018 85.8% 33,785 48,964
2019 87% 31,855 39,445
2020 88.3% 11,938 30,531
2021 89.9% 17,319 25,278
2022 91.4% 678 25,307

What this means if you are buying a 2021 Sportage

The 2021 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 10.2 points more often than the Kia Sportage average. That is a point in its favour, though condition and service history still matter more than the model year. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.

What a 5-year-old car fails on

A 2021 car is 5 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:

  • Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
  • Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
  • Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
  • Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
  • Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
  • Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested

That is low mileage, which usually means light urban use. Short journeys are harder on batteries, brakes and exhausts than motorway miles, so do not assume low miles means low wear. On a 2021 Kia Sportage the average at test was 25,278 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.

The strongest year for this model is 2022 at 91.4%, and the weakest in our data is 2007 at 55.6%. That 35.8 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2021 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Kia Sportage MOT data · Every model