175,056 tests in 2025
Kia Picanto reliability and MOT pass rate
76.7% passed first time. The 23.3% fail rate is 0.7 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 10 years old with 43,157 miles.
Pass rate
76.7%
22.6% of all cars failed; 23.3% of these did.
Fixed on the day
5.4%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
43,157 mi
10 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 27,413 | 9.3% |
| 6-9 years | 54,640 | 14.7% |
| 10-13 years | 49,308 | 27.3% |
| 14+ years | 43,046 | 38.7% |
What the Picanto 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.
- Brakes5,697 dangerous40.9%
- Suspension416 dangerous29.8%
- Tyres11,247 dangerous26.6%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment354 dangerous24.8%
- Visibility22 dangerous17.8%
- Body, chassis, structure128 dangerous13.1%
- Noise, emissions and leaks28 dangerous12.1%
- Steering76 dangerous6.1%
Is the Picanto getting worse?
The fail rate rose 1.2 points to 23.5% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 173,031 | — | 22.3% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 177,341 | — | 22.8% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 154,685 | — | 24.1% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 172,048 | — | 23.5% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Picanto 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 Picanto in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements6,051 tests
- 2Position lamp: not working4,143 tests
- 3Parking brake performance: inoperative on one side3,578 tests
- 4Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively3,501 tests
- 5Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn3,112 tests
- 6Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm3,109 tests
- 7Service brake performance: excessively binding2,666 tests
- 8Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords2,614 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Picanto collects 2.63 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.
- 1Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure25,303 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm21,491 tests
- 3Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded14,746 tests
- 4Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened12,571 tests
- 5Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick11,008 tests
- 6Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn9,780 tests
- 7Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine6,911 tests
- 8Service brake performance: excessively binding6,672 tests
Questions
What is the Kia Picanto MOT pass rate?
76.7% of the 175,056 Kia Picanto first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 23.3% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 5.4% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Kia Picanto usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements", recorded on 6,051 failed tests, followed by "Position lamp: not working" and "Parking brake performance: inoperative on one side". By section, brakes appears in 40.9% of failures, suspension appears in 29.8% of failures, tyres appears in 26.6% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 9.3%; at 14+ years it was 38.7%. The median Kia Picanto tested in 2025 was 10 years old with 43,157 miles.
Is the Kia Picanto getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 1.2 points to 23.5% 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 Picanto trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 7 safety recalls naming the Kia Picanto: Kia Picanto recalls.
Other Kia models
Checking a particular Picanto?
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.