Kia Carens MOT pass rate: 70.0% (13,672 tests, 2025)

The Kia Carens passed 70.0% of its 13,672 MOT tests in 2025 — 7.5 points below the UK average of 77.5%. The median tested example was 10 years old with 81,495 miles on the clock.

70.0%Pass rate (2025)

13,672MOT tests analysed

81,495 miMedian mileage at test

10 yrsMedian age at test

How the Carens compares

Kia Carens

70.0%

UK average (all Class 4 vehicles)

77.5% across 33.1 million tests

Kia average (all models)

79.8%

What fails most on the Kia Carens

Across failed and rectified tests in 2025, these vehicle systems produced the most defects on the Carens:

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Brakes	2,996	28.4%
2	Suspension	2,204	20.9%
3	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	1,945	18.4%
4	Tyres	1,472	14.0%
5	Noise, emissions and leaks	672	6.4%
6	Visibility	581	5.5%

Pre-MOT checklist for Carens owners

Based on the failure profile above, ten minutes with a torch before your test removes the most likely fail items:

Feel for a spongy pedal or pulling to one side; check pad wear through the wheel spokes if visible
Bounce each corner and listen for clonks over speed bumps — suspension is this model’s (and the UK’s) top failure system
Walk round with all lights on: one blown bulb is the most avoidable fail there is
Check tread with the 20p test and inspect sidewalls for cracking — tyres close to the limit are the country’s most common advisory
A blowing exhaust or visible smoke will fail; warm the engine fully before the test

Check the engine before the tester does

A stored fault code with the engine light on is an automatic Major defect. Scan and clear resolved faults before booking.

Topdon OBD2 scannersTopdon diagnostic scanners with full-system readouts
XTOOL diagnostic toolsXTOOL code readers for petrol and diesel cars
Autel UK testersAutel professional-grade diagnostic testers

Carens pass rate by registration year

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage
2008	2,834	58.0%	-7.1 pts	99,054
2009	3,180	60.5%	-5.9 pts	97,195
2013	4,077	70.3%	-3.0 pts	89,936
2014	6,436	72.3%	-3.5 pts	82,266
2015	6,331	73.5%	-5.2 pts	74,558
2016	5,307	75.4%	-6.0 pts	65,923
2017	5,498	78.1%	-5.9 pts	57,452
2018	4,819	80.6%	-5.8 pts	48,098

Check a specific Carens before you buy

Pass rates describe the model; they can’t tell you about the one car you’re looking at. Run its plate through our free MOT history check to see its personal record of failures, advisories and mileage readings.

Other Kia models

SPORTAGE78.9% pass rate · 253,493 tests Picanto76.2% pass rate · 180,724 tests Ceed72.5% pass rate · 111,091 tests Rio75.4% pass rate · 95,713 tests Niro90.5% pass rate · 54,779 tests Venga77.7% pass rate · 46,179 tests Sorento73.0% pass rate · 30,615 tests Soul73.2% pass rate · 21,811 tests

FAQs

What is the MOT pass rate for a Kia Carens?

In 2025, 70.0% of 13,672 first MOT tests on the Kia Carens were passes (UK average: 77.5%). Data: DVSA anonymised MOT results.

What does the Carens fail its MOT on most?

The biggest defect group is brakes (28.4% of its recorded defects), followed by suspension.

Is the Kia Carens reliable?

MOT pass rate is one lens on durability: at 70.0% it performs below the national average at a median age of 10 years and 81,495 miles. Always check the individual car's history too.

Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 extract (Class 4 initial tests only; retests excluded). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures rounded to one decimal place.