3,433 tests in 2025
Kia Soul Electric reliability and MOT pass rate
89.3% passed first time. The 10.7% fail rate is 11.9 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 4 years old with 32,855 miles.
Electric versions only, by DVSA’s fuel record for each test. Petrol, diesel and hybrid versions are on the Kia Soul page.
Pass rate
89.3%
22.6% of all cars failed; 10.7% of these did.
Fixed on the day
2.5%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
32,855 mi
4 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 2,611 | 9.2% |
| 6-9 years | 714 | 15.5% |
| 10-13 years | 106 | — |
| 14+ years | 0 | — |
What the Soul Electric 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.
- Tyres151 dangerous56.4%
- Visibility21.4%
- Brakes20 dangerous13.6%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment11.4%
- Suspension5 dangerous8.4%
- Steering6.2%
- Body, chassis, structure0.8%
- Identification of the vehicle0.3%
Is the Soul Electric getting worse?
The fail rate rose 4.6 points to 10.2% from 2023 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year. Ageing alone would predict about 1 point, so it is getting worse faster than age explains.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 906 | 3 | 5.6% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 1,559 | 3 | 8.4% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 1,743 | 4 | 10.2% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Soul Electric 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 Electric 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 cords93 tests
- 2Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively65 tests
- 3Condition: has ply or cords exposed60 tests
- 4Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm38 tests
- 5Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn18 tests
- 6Steering rack: gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt17 tests
- 7Headlamp: not working on dipped beam15 tests
- 8Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick12 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Soul Electric collects 2.01 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 1.6mm560 tests
- 2Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure317 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened186 tests
- 4Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords91 tests
- 5Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm79 tests
- 6Service brake performance: excessively binding64 tests
- 7Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt57 tests
- 8Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre48 tests
Questions
What is the Kia Soul Electric MOT pass rate?
89.3% of the 3,433 Kia Soul Electric first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 10.7% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 2.5% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Kia Soul Electric 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 93 failed tests, followed by "Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively" and "Condition: has ply or cords exposed". By section, tyres appears in 56.4% of failures, visibility appears in 21.4% of failures, brakes appears in 13.6% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 9.2%; at 6-9 years it was 15.5%. The median Kia Soul Electric tested in 2025 was 4 years old with 32,855 miles.
Is the Kia Soul Electric getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 4.6 points to 10.2% from 2023 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year. Ageing alone would predict about 1 point, so it is getting worse faster than age explains.
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 Electric 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 Soul Electric?
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.