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

Name: Kia Carens MOT statistics 2025
Creator: OBDCode UK
License: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Last updated 24 August 2026 · OBDCode UK editorial

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

Engine management light on?

An illuminated engine management light is a Major MOT defect. Read the code, repair the cause, then confirm the light stays off — clearing a code alone is not a repair.

Understand the engine management light and MOT rules →

Carens pass rate by registration year

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

Same-vehicle follow-up

The defect groups above are a single-year count. The prognosis registry follows the same vehicle_id into the next MOT year. The extracts do not record the repair, a turbo part number, or a gearbox type.

Brakes: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold
Suspension: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold
Tyres: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold
Noise, emissions and leaks: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold

On this model, these certificate lines have a published follow-up (cohort at least 200 cars):

Linkage ball joints ball joint has slight play — 230 cars · 8.3% failed the same item the next year
Brake pads wearing thin — 1,281 cars · 8.1% failed the same item the next year
Rigid brake pipes corroded, covered in grease or other material — 308 cars · 6.8% failed the same item the next year
Pins and bushes pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement — 465 cars · 6.0% failed the same item the next year
Shock absorbers has light misting of oil — 217 cars · 6.0% failed the same item the next year

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.

Before you agree to the work

A fault or an advisory is a quote waiting to happen. These pages set out what a garage has to tell you, what a comparable written quote should include, and what you can do if the bill is not what you agreed.

Estimates, quotes and extra work — what a price has to cover, and when a garage may charge more than it first said.
What a diagnostic test costs — what the fee should include, and when it should come off the repair.
Tools — when to buy and when to skip — how to choose a diagnostic tool, and when a garage visit is cheaper than owning one.
Choosing a garage you can check — what to verify before you hand over the keys.
Your rights after a car repair — what to do when the work is not right, and how to put it in writing.

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.