19,524 tests in 2025
Kia Soul reliability and MOT pass rate
72.7% passed first time. The 27.3% fail rate is 4.7 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 12 years old with 73,085 miles.
Petrol, diesel and hybrid versions. The electric version has its own page: Kia Soul Electric.
Pass rate
72.7%
22.6% of all cars failed; 27.3% of these did.
Fixed on the day
5.2%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
73,085 mi
12 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 1 | — |
| 6-9 years | 4,918 | 14% |
| 10-13 years | 7,322 | 26.7% |
| 14+ years | 7,283 | 36.9% |
What the Soul 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.
- Brakes843 dangerous37.5%
- Suspension66 dangerous32.1%
- Steering122 dangerous29.4%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment37 dangerous25.9%
- Tyres1,194 dangerous22.8%
- Visibility2 dangerous13.6%
- Body, chassis, structure26 dangerous6.6%
- Noise, emissions and leaks6 dangerous6.2%
Is the Soul getting worse?
The fail rate rose 4.1 points to 26.8% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (5.2 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 23,530 | 9 | 22.7% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 23,161 | 10 | 24% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 19,481 | 11 | 26.4% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 20,348 | 11 | 26.8% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Soul 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 Soul in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play1,271 tests
- 2Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements561 tests
- 3Position lamp: not working531 tests
- 4Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn505 tests
- 5Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm459 tests
- 6Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick458 tests
- 7Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords302 tests
- 8Coil spring: fractured or broken298 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Soul collects 2.76 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 1.6mm3,181 tests
- 2Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened2,398 tests
- 3Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure2,208 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick1,858 tests
- 5Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded1,644 tests
- 6Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine947 tests
- 7Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play905 tests
- 8Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened788 tests
Questions
What is the Kia Soul MOT pass rate?
72.7% of the 19,524 Kia Soul first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 27.3% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 5.2% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Kia Soul usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play", recorded on 1,271 failed tests, followed by "Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements" and "Position lamp: not working". By section, brakes appears in 37.5% of failures, suspension appears in 32.1% of failures, steering appears in 29.4% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 0%; at 14+ years it was 36.9%. The median Kia Soul tested in 2025 was 12 years old with 73,085 miles.
Is the Kia Soul getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 4.1 points to 26.8% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (5.2 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
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 Soul 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 6 safety recalls naming the Kia Soul: Kia Soul recalls.
Other Kia models
Checking a particular Soul?
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.