Kia XCeed MOT pass rate & common failures
54,881 MOT tests on the Kia XCeed (2019–2024) give it a 91.5% pass rate. Against small SUVs of a similar age (7.5% fail rate), the XCeed comes out 1.0pp worse. Its most common failure areas are visibility, tyres and brakes.
Best and worst XCeed years
Ranked across XCeed 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
The strongest year on this record is 2023 (95.3% pass rate); the weakest is 2020 (90.8%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — visibility (4.5%) and tyres (4.4%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are wipers, tread depth and brake pads — wipers alone was recorded 2,618 times.
Mileage matters less than usual here: the XCeed fails 6.8% of the time in the 0-30k band and 10.3% at 120-150k, a spread of only 3.4 points.
Fuel type barely separates them — hybrid fails 8.0% of the time against 9.0% for diesel.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 21.2% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 5.5% of tests failed in 2022 against 8.6% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every XCeed model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 3,981 | 92.2% | 7.8% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 23,739 | 90.8% | 9.2% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 15,236 | 91.4% | 8.6% | Visibility |
| 2022 | 10,739 | 92.6% | 7.4% | Visibility |
| 2023 | 1,032 | 95.3% | 4.8% | Tyres |
| 2024 | 154 | 96.8% | 3.3% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Visibility | 4.5% | 2,492 |
| 2 | Tyres | 4.4% | 2,407 |
| 3 | Brakes | 1.4% | 779 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 1.1% | 578 |
| 5 | Suspension | 0.7% | 366 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.4% | 190 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.3% | 167 |
| 8 | Road wheels | 0.1% | 48 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 2,618 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 1,752 |
| 3 | Brake pads | 549 |
| 4 | Headlamp aim | 509 |
| 5 | Washers | 502 |
| 6 | Pins and bushes | 480 |
| 7 | Brake discs | 247 |
| 8 | Door condition | 153 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 21.2% | 11,647 |
| 2 | Brakes | 13.7% | 7,489 |
| 3 | Suspension | 7.6% | 4,153 |
| 4 | Other defects | 6.9% | 3,782 |
| 5 | Visibility | 2.9% | 1,609 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.8% | 416 |
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 | 31,729 | 6.8% |
| 30-60k | 20,663 | 10.6% |
| 60-90k | 2,142 | 11.7% |
| 90-120k | 297 | 13.5% |
| 120-150k | 39 | 10.3% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 44,371 | 8.5% |
| Hybrid | 6,890 | 8.0% |
| Diesel | 3,620 | 9.0% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,303 | 5.5% |
| 2023 | 9,075 | 7.7% |
| 2024 | 17,033 | 9.0% |
| 2025 | 27,461 | 8.6% |
What to check before buying a Kia XCeed
- Visibility (4.5% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£150.
- Tyres (4.4% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
- Brakes (1.4% 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.
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 XCeed?
91.5% of the 54,881 Kia XCeed MOT tests in this dataset passed, an 8.5% fail rate, across model years 2019–2024.
What does the Kia XCeed most often fail its MOT on?
Visibility, recorded in 4.5% of tests, then tyres (4.4%).
Which XCeed years are best and worst for MOT results?
2023 has the best pass rate at 95.3% and 2020 the weakest at 90.8%, from 1,032 and 23,739 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect XCeed MOT results?
Fail rates run at 6.8% for cars in the 0-30k band and 10.3% for 120-150k, a 3.4-point difference.
Is the hybrid or diesel XCeed more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 8.0% of the time against 9.0% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 54,881 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.