78.6%
Kia Optima pass rate
Used Kia Optima buying guide
In 2025, Kia Optima cars passed 78.6% of 10,954 initial MOT tests, 6.3 points above the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific Optima? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Kia Optima MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
+6.3
percentage points above average
Ranked on pass rate the Optima sits 220th of 575 models in the data. Kia as a brand averaged 75.2%, so this model runs 3.3 points ahead of its own brand. Kia Optima cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 82.1% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 63.7%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Kia Optima MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Optima compares with similar cars.
Optima fuel types
Diesel made up 91% of Kia Optima MOT tests in 2025, against 39.3% across all models in this data. Almost every used example you look at will be a diesel.
Where the Optima fails its MOT
Where Kia Optima 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 brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (10%), tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (7.4%) and condition has ply or cords exposed (5%). See every common Optima MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Kia Optima that failed, not a claim that every Optima has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used Optima?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.
1
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. 31.9% of Optima failure items.
2
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. 22.3% of Optima 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. 13.3% of Optima failure items.
4
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 10.1% of Optima failure items.
5
Visibility
Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly. 7.5% of Optima 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.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Kia Optima failures cluster around brakes and tyres 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 Optima 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 Optima.
Used Kia Optima FAQs
Is the Kia Optima 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 a 78.6% first-time pass rate for the Kia Optima across 10,954 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Kia Optima cars fail their MOT more often?
Kia Optima cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 82.1% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 63.7%. 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 Optima?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: brakes, tyres 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 Optima'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.