KIA Soul MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the KIA Soul took 24,078 MOT tests in Britain and passed 71% of them first time, close to the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.
- MOT tests in 2023
- 24,078
- First-time pass rate
- 71%
- All cars
- 71%
What the Soul fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Lights and electrics9.2% (all cars 11.3%)
- Brakes8.5% (all cars 6.8%)
- Steering7.9% (all cars 1.8%)
- Suspension6.4% (all cars 9.0%)
- Tyres6.0% (all cars 6.4%)
- Visibility5.1% (all cars 4.8%)
- Body and structure1.4% (all cars 3.5%)
- Exhaust and emissions1.2% (all cars 3.1%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play 6.8%
- Position lamp: not working 3.2%
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 2.6%
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 2.5%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 2.2%
- Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements 1.9%
- Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint excessively worn 1.7%
- Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid 1.6%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 17.2%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 10.2%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 9.8%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 9.3%
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 6.7%
- Track rod end: ball joint has slight play 4.3%
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 3.1%
- Service brake performance: binding but not excessively 3.0%
Pass rate by year of registration
Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.
| First registered | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 2,272 | 55% |
| 2010 | 3,021 | 58% |
| 2011 | 3,449 | 59% |
| 2012 | 1,642 | 62% |
| 2013 | 1,307 | 64% |
| 2014 | 2,666 | 77% |
| 2015 | 2,626 | 82% |
| 2016 | 2,152 | 84% |
| 2017 | 1,708 | 84% |
| 2018 | 1,977 | 86% |
| 2019 | 346 | 87% |
| 2020 | 869 | 93% |
Typical mileage by age
Average odometer reading at the MOT, by the car's age in years at the test.
| Age at test | Average mileage |
|---|---|
| 3 years | 23,094 miles |
| 4 years | 23,535 miles |
| 5 years | 30,512 miles |
| 6 years | 38,107 miles |
| 7 years | 46,154 miles |
| 8 years | 54,173 miles |
| 9 years | 60,977 miles |
| 10 years | 65,435 miles |
| 11 years | 72,230 miles |
| 12 years | 83,504 miles |
| 13 years | 88,608 miles |
| 14 years | 94,885 miles |
Check a particular Soul
Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.
Other KIA models
- KIA Sportage
- KIA Picanto
- KIA Ceed
- KIA RIO
- KIA Niro
- KIA Venga
- KIA Sorento
- KIA Stonic
- KIA Carens
- KIA Optima
- KIA Sedona
- KIA Proceed
- KIA Xceed 3 ISG
- KIA Xceed 2 ISG
- KIA Stinger
Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.