2012 Kia Ceed MOT pass rate: 63.4% (34,506 tests)

2012-registered Kia Ceeds passed 63.4% of 34,506 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — 7.8 points worse than same-age cars (71.2%). This is one of the lower-scoring Ceed years after correcting for vehicle age — inspect the individual car carefully.

63.4%Pass rate, 2012 cars

92.2Age-adjusted index (100 = average)

34,506Tests analysed

94,535 miMedian mileage at test

67.2% / 62.3%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2012 Ceed getting worse?

Pass rate of 2012-registered cars across recent test years:

Test year	Pass rate
2023	64.7% -7.7 vs same-age
2024	62.5% -8.4 vs same-age
2025	62.9% -7.4 vs same-age

The raw rate normally falls as cars age. The “vs same-age” figure compares this cohort with all UK cars registered in the same year, so normal ageing is not mistaken for a bad model year.

What fails on a 2012 Ceed

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	7,945	22.6%
2	Brakes	7,825	22.2%
3	Suspension	7,749	22.0%
4	Tyres	3,942	11.2%
5	Steering	3,543	10.1%
6	Visibility	2,142	6.1%

All Ceed years compared

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage
2007	7,186	58.6%	-6.5 pts	105,120
2008	13,460	59.4%	-5.7 pts	103,705
2009	20,736	61.5%	-4.9 pts	97,088
2010	23,622	61.0%	-6.4 pts	97,875
2011	21,119	60.5%	-8.7 pts	98,622
2012 (this page)	34,506	63.4%	-7.8 pts	94,535
2013	32,552	66.9%	-6.4 pts	89,248
2014	32,885	70.6%	-5.2 pts	77,637
2015	33,279	77.6%	-1.1 pts	70,845
2016	28,590	80.8%	-0.6 pts	64,172
2017	25,347	83.1%	-0.9 pts	57,138
2018	27,482	85.3%	-1.0 pts	47,536
2019	22,554	86.7%	-1.7 pts	40,654
2020	5,401	88.5%	-1.4 pts	29,464
2021	3,734	87.7%	-2.7 pts	29,360
2022	3,900	89.9%	-1.3 pts	27,617

Weighing up which year to buy? See the full ranking: Kia Ceed years to avoid.

Buying a 2012 Ceed? Two checks first

Free MOT history checkThe exact car’s failures, advisories and mileage trail — sellers can’t edit it
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

FAQs

Is a 2012 Kia Ceed reliable?

2012-registered examples passed 63.4% of their MOT tests (34,506 tests, 2023–2025), -7.8 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 14 years old with a median 94,535 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2012 Ceed?

The median tested example shows 94,535 miles. Anything far beyond that isn't automatically bad — a motorway-mile car with consistent service records often beats a low-mileage school-run car — but price accordingly and scrutinise the mileage trail for gaps or drops.

Should I buy the petrol or diesel 2012 Ceed?

In this cohort petrols pass 67.2% of tests against 62.3% for diesels. Mileage and use can explain part of that gap, so treat it as a reason to inspect DPF and emissions history, not a fuel-type verdict.

Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023–2025 extracts (96 million Class 4 initial tests; retests excluded). Only vehicles old enough for a routine first MOT are included. Age-adjusted figures compare the model-year cohort with all vehicles of the same registration year tested in the same calendar year. Contains public sector information licensed under OGL v3.0.