59,204 tests in 2025
Kia Niro reliability and MOT pass rate
91.1% passed first time. The 8.9% fail rate is 13.7 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 5 years old with 41,104 miles.
Petrol, diesel and hybrid versions. The electric version has its own page: Kia E-Niro.
Pass rate
91.1%
22.6% of all cars failed; 8.9% of these did.
Fixed on the day
3.3%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
41,104 mi
5 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 35,678 | 8.1% |
| 6-9 years | 21,525 | 10.6% |
| 10-13 years | 1 | — |
| 14+ years | 0 | — |
What the Niro fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Tyres2,595 dangerous54.2%
- Visibility2 dangerous20.7%
- Brakes455 dangerous18.9%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment4 dangerous11.5%
- Suspension8 dangerous4.4%
- Noise, emissions and leaks3 dangerous3.1%
- Body, chassis, structure4 dangerous1.7%
- Steering1.6%
Is the Niro getting worse?
The fail rate rose 0.8 points to 9.2% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 24,557 | 4 | 8.4% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 37,760 | — | 8.8% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 42,441 | — | 9.3% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 54,057 | — | 9.2% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Niro at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Niro in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords1,045 tests
- 2Condition: has ply or cords exposed854 tests
- 3Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively801 tests
- 4Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm644 tests
- 5Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements263 tests
- 6Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick208 tests
- 7Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure164 tests
- 8Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure156 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Niro collects 1.98 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm7,303 tests
- 2Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure5,998 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened2,987 tests
- 4Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords1,421 tests
- 5Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt1,352 tests
- 6Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm1,052 tests
- 7Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre1,009 tests
- 8Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick881 tests
Questions
What is the Kia Niro MOT pass rate?
91.1% of the 59,204 Kia Niro first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 8.9% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 3.3% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Kia Niro usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords", recorded on 1,045 failed tests, followed by "Condition: has ply or cords exposed" and "Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively". By section, tyres appears in 54.2% of failures, visibility appears in 20.7% of failures, brakes appears in 18.9% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 8.1%; at 6-9 years it was 10.6%. The median Kia Niro tested in 2025 was 5 years old with 41,104 miles.
Is the Kia Niro getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 0.8 points to 9.2% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every Niro trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
Other Kia models
Checking a particular Niro?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.