In 2025, 96,069 Kia Rio cars had a regular MOT in Great Britain. 70% passed first time, compared with 71% for all cars of the same ages, which makes the Rio about average. Adjusted for age, it ranks 149 of the 217 most-tested car models.
That comparison matters: older cars fail more often, so a raw pass rate flatters models that are mostly young. We compare each model against every car on the road at the same age.
Pass rate by age
At 3 years old, 91% of Rios passed first time (all cars that age: 88%). By 20 years, that figure is 49% (all cars: 58%). It starts out ahead of the average car but falls behind from around 12 years, which is worth knowing if you are buying an older one.
Kia Rio All cars of that age
| Age | Tests | Rio passed first time | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years | 3,019 | 91% | 88% | 23,641 |
| 4 years | 2,204 | 86% | 87% | 28,088 |
| 5 years | 3,143 | 85% | 86% | 33,045 |
| 6 years | 4,842 | 84% | 84% | 38,669 |
| 7 years | 5,723 | 85% | 81% | 46,573 |
| 8 years | 8,012 | 81% | 78% | 54,574 |
| 9 years | 8,794 | 76% | 75% | 57,452 |
| 10 years | 11,313 | 74% | 72% | 64,929 |
| 11 years | 10,779 | 66% | 69% | 73,781 |
| 12 years | 9,568 | 62% | 66% | 81,012 |
| 13 years | 8,564 | 60% | 63% | 88,373 |
| 14 years | 6,358 | 55% | 61% | 84,797 |
| 15 years | 5,412 | 55% | 59% | 86,968 |
| 16 years | 4,158 | 54% | 58% | 84,796 |
| 17 years | 1,654 | 52% | 57% | 90,890 |
| 18 years | 925 | 54% | 57% | 90,109 |
| 19 years | 723 | 51% | 57% | 90,023 |
| 20 years | 363 | 49% | 58% | 81,776 |
What fails most on a Kia Rio
The area that lets the Rio down most, relative to other cars, is steering: 4.8% of tests failed on it, 2.2 times the rate for the average car. It does comparatively well on body and structure and emissions and leaks.
Share of Rio tests failing on this area Average car
The six most common failure items
| Failure item | Area | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|
| A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | Suspension | 4.6% |
| A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning | Lights and electrics | 4.1% |
| A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | Suspension | 3.7% |
| Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements | Tyres | 3.5% |
| Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen | Visibility | 3.4% |
| Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen | Visibility | 3.4% |
What to check when buying a used Rio
Based on where the Rio fails more often than other cars, these are the checks worth making before you buy:
- Steering: Feel for play or knocking through the wheel, and check power-steering fluid isn’t leaking. More
- Visibility: Check the windscreen for chips in the driver’s view, the wipers for smearing and the washers for working jets. Repair guide
- Brakes: Look through the wheels for lipped or scored discs, check the handbrake holds on a slope, and feel for pulling or vibration under firm braking. Repair guide
Then check the individual car: its own MOT history will show whether it follows the pattern. A car with repeated advisories in the same weak area is more likely to fail its next test.
Check a specific Rio
Enter the registration to see its full MOT history, mileage record and reliability score, compared with these figures.
Check a RioFrequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a Kia Rio?
In 2025, 70% of Kia Rio cars passed their MOT first time, across 96,069 tests. Cars of the same ages averaged 71%.
What do Kia Rio cars most often fail their MOT on?
The most common failure items were: a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn (4.6% of tests); a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning (4.1% of tests); a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc (3.7% of tests).
Other Kia models
Kia Sportage (75%), Kia Picanto (71%), Kia Ceed (66%), Kia Niro (87%), Kia Venga (71%), Kia Sorento (68%). All Kia models
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 (class 4 normal tests; first-time pass means passed with no faults fixed at the test). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.