2016 Kia Soul MOT pass rate: 84.8% (6,303 tests)

2016-registered Kia Souls passed 84.8% of 6,303 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — 3.4 points better than all UK cars registered in 2016 (81.3%).
84.8%Pass rate, 2016 cars
103.4Age-adjusted index (100 = average)
6,303Tests analysed
49,195 miMedian mileage at test
84.6% / 84.8%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2016 Soul getting worse?

Pass rate of 2016-registered cars across recent test years:

Test yearPass rate
202387.2%
+4.0 vs same-age
202485.0%
+3.8 vs same-age
202582.0%
+2.4 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 2016 Soul

#SystemDefects recordedShare
1Brakes76944.1%
2Tyres43124.7%
3Visibility1719.8%
4Suspension1599.1%
5Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment1367.8%
6Noise, emissions and leaks271.5%

All Soul years compared

Registration yearTestsPass rateVs same-ageMedian mileage
2009 6,221 61.5% -4.9 pts 95,958
2010 8,538 63.8% -3.5 pts 91,070
2011 9,831 64.2% -4.9 pts 85,877
2012 4,752 65.4% -5.8 pts 74,989
2013 3,845 68.2% -5.1 pts 67,196
2014 7,775 79.1% +3.3 pts 63,228
2015 7,683 82.7% +4.0 pts 57,752
2016 (this page) 6,303 84.8% +3.4 pts 49,195
2017 4,990 87.7% +3.7 pts 40,628
2018 5,786 89.7% +3.3 pts 33,945
Buying a 2016 Soul? Two checks first

FAQs

Is a 2016 Kia Soul reliable?

2016-registered examples passed 84.8% of their MOT tests (6,303 tests, 2023–2025), +3.4 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 10 years old with a median 49,195 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2016 Soul?

The median tested example shows 49,195 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.

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.