87.7%
Kia Niro pass rate
Used Kia Niro buying guide
In 2025, Kia Niro cars passed 87.7% of 104,555 initial MOT tests, 15.4 points above the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific Niro? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Kia Niro MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
+15.4
percentage points above average
Ranked on pass rate the Niro sits 79th of 575 models in the data. Kia as a brand averaged 75.2%, so this model runs 12.5 points ahead of its own brand. Kia Niro cars 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%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Kia Niro MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Niro compares with similar cars.
Niro fuel types
Hybrid electric was the most common fuel among Kia Niro cars tested in 2025. None of the tested examples were diesel.
Where the Niro fails its MOT
Where Kia Niro cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.
The specific 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%). See every common Niro MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Kia Niro that failed, not a claim that every Niro has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used Niro?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at 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.
4
Brakes
Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing. 11.1% of Niro failure items.
5
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 2.1% of Niro failure items.
None of this replaces the car's own record. Run a free MOT history check on the registration to see every test, advisory and recorded mileage for that car.
Niro vs similar cars
Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Kia Niro failures cluster around tyres and visibility tells you what to inspect. It tells you nothing about whether the car is safe to buy. An MOT does not show money still owed on the car, a write-off, a theft record or a clocked odometer.
Check the exact Niro you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Kia history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used Kia models
The most-tested Kia models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the Niro.
Used Kia Niro FAQs
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.
Do older Kia Niro cars fail their MOT more often?
Kia Niro cars 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%. On an older example, the car's own MOT history tells you more than the model average.
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 history: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records, stolen markers, mileage and previous keepers. None of these appear in the MOT record or on the V5C.
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.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.