71.4%
Kia Picanto pass rate
Used Kia Picanto buying guide
In 2025, Kia Picanto cars passed 71.4% of 190,252 initial MOT tests, 0.9 points below the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific Picanto? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Kia Picanto MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
−0.9
percentage points below average
Ranked on pass rate the Picanto sits 325th of 575 models in the data. Kia as a brand averaged 75.2%, so this model runs 3.8 points behind its own brand. Kia Picanto cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 85.8% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 57.7%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Kia Picanto MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Picanto compares with similar cars.
Picanto fuel types
Petrol was the most common fuel among Kia Picanto cars tested in 2025. Diesel made up just 0% of tests.
Where the Picanto fails its MOT
Where Kia Picanto 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 position lamp not working (5.8%), wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (5.7%) and rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (5.1%). See every common Picanto MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Kia Picanto that failed, not a claim that every Picanto has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used Picanto?
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. 26.3% of Picanto failure items.
2
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. 19% of Picanto failure items.
3
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 14.3% of Picanto failure items.
4
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. 13.4% of Picanto 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. 11.1% of Picanto 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.
Picanto vs similar cars
Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Kia Picanto failures cluster around brakes and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 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 Picanto 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 Picanto.
Used Kia Picanto FAQs
Is the Kia Picanto 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 71.4% first-time pass rate for the Kia Picanto across 190,252 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Kia Picanto cars fail their MOT more often?
Kia Picanto cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 85.8% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 57.7%. 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 Picanto?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: brakes, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and suspension. 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 Picanto'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.