Kia Soul MOT pass rate & common failures
The Kia Soul appears in 140,177 MOT tests spanning model years 2001–2022, and 80.4% of them passed. Small SUVs of a similar age fail at 19.6%, so the Soul sits squarely on the average. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and steering.
Best and worst Soul years
Ranked across Soul years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
Build year matters more than the headline suggests: 2019 cars pass 92.2% of the time while 2009 cars manage 72.6%, a 19.6-point spread.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (7.7%) and brakes (7.0%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are track rod end, position lamp and tread depth — track rod end alone was recorded 9,704 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 7.0% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 32.4% once past 150k — 4.6× the risk.
The electric cars hold up better: 11.0% fail against 20.6% for diesel, a 9.7-point gap across 96,026 tests.
Brakes is the most common advisory, noted on 26.9% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 17.1% of tests failed in 2021 against 21.5% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Soul model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 14,822 | 72.6% | 27.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 19,712 | 73.6% | 26.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 22,559 | 74.1% | 25.9% | Steering |
| 2012 | 10,614 | 75.1% | 24.9% | Steering |
| 2013 | 8,315 | 77.1% | 22.9% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 15,528 | 84.4% | 15.6% | Brakes |
| 2015 | 14,921 | 86.6% | 13.4% | Brakes |
| 2016 | 12,105 | 88.4% | 11.6% | Brakes |
| 2017 | 9,383 | 90.1% | 9.9% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 10,669 | 91.7% | 8.3% | Visibility |
| 2019 | 1,509 | 92.2% | 7.8% | Visibility |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 7.7% | 10,751 |
| 2 | Brakes | 7.0% | 9,881 |
| 3 | Steering | 6.3% | 8,869 |
| 4 | Suspension | 5.5% | 7,743 |
| 5 | Tyres | 5.1% | 7,105 |
| 6 | Visibility | 4.1% | 5,760 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.1% | 1,573 |
| 8 | Emissions & environmental | 1.1% | 1,480 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Track rod end | 9,704 |
| 2 | Position lamp | 4,535 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 3,823 |
| 4 | Wipers | 3,815 |
| 5 | Headlamp aim | 3,691 |
| 6 | Brake pads | 3,502 |
| 7 | Ball joint | 2,936 |
| 8 | Washers | 2,931 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 26.9% | 37,669 |
| 2 | Tyres | 25.4% | 35,563 |
| 3 | Suspension | 11.9% | 16,671 |
| 4 | Other defects | 8.9% | 12,465 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 6.1% | 8,537 |
| 6 | Steering | 5.9% | 8,312 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 19,747 | 7.0% |
| 30-60k | 44,219 | 14.7% |
| 60-90k | 41,573 | 23.0% |
| 90-120k | 23,637 | 27.9% |
| 120-150k | 8,388 | 30.4% |
| 150k+ | 2,574 | 32.4% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 91,064 | 20.6% |
| Petrol | 44,151 | 18.3% |
| Electric | 4,962 | 11.0% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28,014 | 17.1% |
| 2022 | 28,611 | 18.7% |
| 2023 | 28,407 | 19.6% |
| 2024 | 27,886 | 21.0% |
| 2025 | 27,259 | 21.5% |
What to check before buying a Kia Soul
- Lighting & signalling (7.7% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (7.0% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
- Steering (6.3% of tests): Play, leaks or worn track rod ends — affects handling and is a safety item. Typical repair: £150–£500.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Kia Soul?
80.4% of the 140,177 Kia Soul MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 19.6% fail rate, across model years 2001–2022.
What does the Kia Soul most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 7.7% of tests, then brakes (7.0%).
Which Soul years are best and worst for MOT results?
2019 has the best pass rate at 92.2% and 2009 the weakest at 72.6%, from 1,509 and 14,822 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Soul MOT results?
Fail rates run at 7.0% for cars in the 0-30k band and 32.4% for 150k+, a 25.4-point difference.
Is the electric or diesel Soul more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the electric fails 11.0% of the time against 20.6% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 140,177 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.