68.2%
Kia Ceed
Kia Ceed MOT pass rate and common problems
The Kia Ceed passed 68.2% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 4.1 percentage points below the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the Ceed compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
75.2%
Kia average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The Ceed runs 7.1 points behind the Kia average. It is 14th of the 16 Kia models in the data. The average Ceed arrived at its test 10.1 years old with 79,079 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
Ceed MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Kia Ceed cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 83.8% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 54.9%, a drop of 28.8 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 17,620 | 83.8% | 11.5 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 47,891 | 74.5% | 2.2 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 51,702 | 54.9% | 17.4 pts below |
That is a steep decline with age, so the headline rate flatters older examples. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where Ceed failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Kia Ceed cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes together account for 45.9% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common Ceed MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Kia Ceed cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 40.4% of everything testers recorded against failed Kia Ceed cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a Ceed
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working, stop lamp not working and headlamp not working on dipped beam. 12.6% of failure items.
2
Suspension
Recorded most often: pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn and ball joint excessively worn. 7.7% of failure items.
3
Brakes
Recorded most often: brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick and rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements. 6.9% of failure items.
4
Tyres
Recorded most often: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm. 5% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific Ceed has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Kia Ceed buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Kia Ceed MOT FAQs
What is the Kia Ceed MOT pass rate?
68.2% of Kia Ceed cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 122,568 tests. That is 4.1 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 380th of 575 models.
What does a Kia Ceed most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Kia Ceed cars failing their 2025 MOT was tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, on 5% of failure items. Next were position lamp not working (4.9%) and track rod end ball joint has excessive play (4.8%).
Which area causes the most Kia Ceed MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 26.2%, followed by brakes at 19.8%.
Do older Kia Ceed cars fail their MOT more often?
Kia Ceed cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 83.8% of MOT tests in 2025, against 54.9% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every Kia Ceed has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Kia Ceed that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Kia Ceed's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.