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Kia Niro, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

138,040 Kia Niros are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 87.7% of initial MOT tests, 15.4 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific Niro? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Kia Niro at the MOT

87.7% of 104,555 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Niro 79th of 575 models. Kia Niros aged 3 to 5 years passed 87.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 6 to 10 years that fell to 85.3%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Kia Niro87.7%
  • All Kia modelsThe Niro is 12.5 pts ahead75.2%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Kia Niro tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years62,901 tests87.6%
  • 6 to 10 years17,187 tests85.3%

Where Niros fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Kia Niro tests in 2025.

  • Tyres41.6%
  • Visibility21.7%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment18.5%
  • Brakes11.1%
  • Suspension2.1%

The items testers recorded most often were wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (17.1%), condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (11.9%) and condition has ply or cords exposed (11.1%).

The MOT page lists every common Niro MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Kia Niro MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Niro's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Tyres

    Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear.41.6% of Niro failure items

  2. Visibility

    Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly.21.7% of Niro failure items

  3. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

    Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.18.5% of Niro failure items

Kia Niros in the UK

138,040 were licensed at the end of June 2026, the 3rd most of any Kia. The number licensed has grown 259% since the end of 2020.

Change since 2020
+259%from 38,499 licensed
Typical year of first use
2022half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2022 or earlier
First registered in 2025
12,839against 23,973 in 2022
Declared off the road
6980.5% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Kia Niros since 2016

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 20161,205
End of 20175,459
End of 201811,716
End of 201920,626
End of 202038,499
End of 202161,883
End of 202285,139
End of 2023102,514
End of 2024120,843
End of 2025133,566
End of June 2026138,040

How old they are

Licensed Kia Niros by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 1,204 were first used before 2017.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
202512,12412,839
202419,42419,743
202318,31118,959
202222,81523,973
202122,89623,778
202017,75318,520
20198,8269,286
20186,1136,410
20174,0854,353

Niro engines and fuel

1.6 litre engines made up 61% of Kia Niro MOT tests in 2025. Hybrid electric accounts for 54% of licensed Niros and battery electric for 35%. Electric examples were 38.6% of tests.

Fuel type, licensed Niros

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Battery electric48,86435%
Plug-in hybrid14,09210%
Hybrid electric75,08454%

Kia Niro recalls

6 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Kia Niro. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Niro is affected.

  1. Mar 2025 R/2025/059

    Kia Niro HCA Fuse Replacement

    Niros built Oct 2015 to Jun 2022 · 51,667 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The printed circuit board (PCB) in the Hydraulic Clutch Actuator (HCA) may become contaminated with fluid. A fluid contaminated PCB may lead to an electrical short circuit which in extreme cases may potentially result in a fire in the engine compartment while driving.
    Remedy
    Check vehicle for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC) if HCA related codes are found replace the HCA the connector and reduced amperage fuse. If no related DTC are recorded fit reduced amperage fuse only.

  2. Aug 2024 R/2024/276

    Kia EV9 and Niro SG2 Gear Drive Unit Recall

    Niros built Nov 2022 to Jul 2023 · 3 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles due to Improper torque applied to the Gear Drive Unit during assembly by the differential gear supplier they may exhibit a grinding noise while driving which can result in a loss of motive power and/or cause the differential to lock up.
    Remedy
    On the affected vehicles the Gear Drive Unit will be replaced.

  3. Apr 2024 R/2024/163

    Kia EV6 and Niro SG2 Driveshaft Recall

    Niros built Jun 2023 to Jul 2023 · 819 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles an improperly treated driveshaft may break under load resulting in the loss of drive
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles the driveshaft will be replaced

  4. Jul 2023 R/2023/211

    A combination of the instrument cluster software and electrical noise while the vehicle is starting may result in cluster booting errors

    Niros built Sep 2022 to Mar 2023 · 6,996 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    The software of the digital instrument cluster of your vehicle must be upgraded.

  5. May 2019 R/2019/167

    A reduction of contact pressure on the main relays causes heat build up in the main power relay assembly

    Niros built Nov 2016 to Sep 2017 · 5,021 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    A reduction of contact pressure on the main relays causes heat build-up in the main Power Relay Assembly (PRA)
    Remedy
    Replace the main relays and inspect the PRA for heat damage. If PRA shows signs of heat damage replace the complete unit

  6. Aug 2018 R/2018/207

    Burrs in the inner hydraulic clutch actuator housing can cause damage to the oil seal

    Niros built Nov 2016 to Sep 2017 · 5,012 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Burrs in the inner hydraulic clutch actuator housing can damage the oil seal causing oil to leak and accumulate in the phase cap. The HEV warning light will be displayed on the dashboard.An electrical short may occur which could result in a fire risk.
    Remedy
    Inspect and repair or replace actuator
How to check a specific Niro for recalls

Niro vs similar cars

Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.

Other Kia models

The most-tested Kia models in 2025, against the Niro's 87.7% MOT pass rate.

All 16 Kia models

Kia Niro FAQs

How many Kia Niros are there in the UK?

138,040 Kia Niros were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 698 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Kia Niro reliable?

MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is an 87.7% first-time pass rate for the Kia Niro across 104,555 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Kia Niro had any recalls?

6 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Kia Niro. The most recent was published in March 2025. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used Kia Niro?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: tyres, visibility and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a Kia Niro's history?

Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.

Already found a Niro?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,389 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Kia history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Kia VIN check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to July 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.