278,828 tests in 2025
Kia Sportage reliability and MOT pass rate
80.6% passed first time. The 19.4% fail rate is 3.2 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 8 years old with 58,921 miles.
Pass rate
80.6%
22.6% of all cars failed; 19.4% of these did.
Fixed on the day
3.7%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
58,921 mi
8 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 68,781 | 10.3% |
| 6-9 years | 129,074 | 17.2% |
| 10-13 years | 64,067 | 29.6% |
| 14+ years | 15,254 | 37.5% |
What the Sportage 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.
- Brakes13,024 dangerous39.6%
- Tyres15,640 dangerous28.6%
- Suspension745 dangerous25.7%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment69 dangerous15.9%
- Visibility25 dangerous14.9%
- Steering292 dangerous10.8%
- Noise, emissions and leaks22 dangerous9.1%
- Body, chassis, structure181 dangerous4.1%
Is the Sportage getting worse?
The fail rate rose 3.4 points to 20.6% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 238,243 | — | 17.2% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 249,819 | — | 18.5% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 231,245 | — | 20.2% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 250,720 | — | 20.6% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Sportage 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 Sportage in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick8,389 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm7,935 tests
- 3Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements4,385 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn4,238 tests
- 5Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play4,039 tests
- 6Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively3,989 tests
- 7Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords3,400 tests
- 8Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn3,182 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Sportage collects 2.46 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 1.6mm47,420 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick35,544 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened22,648 tests
- 4Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure22,600 tests
- 5Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn16,973 tests
- 6Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt11,016 tests
- 7Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn9,446 tests
- 8Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre6,860 tests
Questions
What is the Kia Sportage MOT pass rate?
80.6% of the 278,828 Kia Sportage first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 19.4% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 3.7% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Kia Sportage usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick", recorded on 8,389 failed tests, followed by "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" and "Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements". By section, brakes appears in 39.6% of failures, tyres appears in 28.6% of failures, suspension appears in 25.7% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 10.3%; at 14+ years it was 37.5%. The median Kia Sportage tested in 2025 was 8 years old with 58,921 miles.
Is the Kia Sportage getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 3.4 points to 20.6% 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 Sportage 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 11 safety recalls naming the Kia Sportage: Kia Sportage recalls.
Other Kia models
Checking a particular Sportage?
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.