42,718 tests in 2025
Kia Venga reliability and MOT pass rate
77.7% passed first time. The 22.3% fail rate is 0.3 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 10 years old with 53,586 miles.
Pass rate
77.7%
22.6% of all cars failed; 22.3% of these did.
Fixed on the day
6.7%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
53,586 mi
10 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 0 | — |
| 6-9 years | 16,325 | 10.8% |
| 10-13 years | 20,151 | 26.9% |
| 14+ years | 6,242 | 37.4% |
What the Venga 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.
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment85 dangerous34.9%
- Steering215 dangerous31.1%
- Suspension71 dangerous30.3%
- Brakes1,380 dangerous26.3%
- Tyres1,955 dangerous20.2%
- Visibility2 dangerous14.3%
- Body, chassis, structure35 dangerous6.3%
- Noise, emissions and leaks7 dangerous5.8%
Is the Venga getting worse?
The fail rate rose 4.7 points to 22.3% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 7.7 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 48,118 | 7 | 17.6% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 47,790 | 8 | 20.1% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 40,093 | 9 | 21.7% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 42,709 | 10 | 22.3% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Venga 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 Venga in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play2,556 tests
- 2Position lamp: not working1,337 tests
- 3Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt985 tests
- 4Stop lamp: not working897 tests
- 5Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick871 tests
- 6Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm623 tests
- 7Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements513 tests
- 8Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid495 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Venga 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.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm6,244 tests
- 2Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure5,404 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened5,275 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick3,628 tests
- 5Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play1,849 tests
- 6Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened1,653 tests
- 7Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded1,651 tests
- 8Sub-frame: corroded and seriously weakened1,514 tests
Questions
What is the Kia Venga MOT pass rate?
77.7% of the 42,718 Kia Venga first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 22.3% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 6.7% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Kia Venga usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play", recorded on 2,556 failed tests, followed by "Position lamp: not working" and "Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt". By section, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 34.9% of failures, steering appears in 31.1% of failures, suspension appears in 30.3% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was n/a%; at 14+ years it was 37.4%. The median Kia Venga tested in 2025 was 10 years old with 53,586 miles.
Is the Kia Venga getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 4.7 points to 22.3% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 7.7 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
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 Venga 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 Venga?
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.