Kia Soul, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
23,754 Kia Souls are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 70.5% of initial MOT tests, 1.8 points below the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific Soul? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Kia Soul at the MOT
70.5% of 24,757 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Soul 345th of 575 models. Kia Souls aged 3 to 5 years passed 87.9% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 58%.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Pass rate by age at test
Kia Soul tests in 2025.
Where Souls fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Kia Soul tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were track rod end ball joint has excessive play (9.4%), position lamp not working (5.9%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4.5%).
The MOT page lists every common Soul MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The Soul's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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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.23.6% of Soul failure items
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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.20.2% of Soul failure items
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Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.15.3% of Soul failure items
Kia Souls in the UK
23,754 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 50% since the end of 2014, although it peaked at 25,697 at the end of 2022.
- Change since 2014
- +50%from 15,873 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2014half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2014 or earlier
- First registered in 2025
- 1against 2,736 in 2015
- Declared off the road
- 8643.5% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed Kia Souls since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 15,873 |
| End of 2015 | 18,378 |
| End of 2016 | 20,338 |
| End of 2017 | 22,006 |
| End of 2018 | 23,600 |
| End of 2019 | 23,686 |
| End of 2020 | 24,258 |
| End of 2021 | 25,261 |
| End of 2022 | 25,697 |
| End of 2023 | 25,530 |
| End of 2024 | 25,022 |
| End of 2025 | 24,286 |
| End of June 2026 | 23,754 |
How old they are
Licensed Kia Souls by year of first use.
- Licensed at the end of 2025
- First registered that year
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 | First registered that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 245 | 251 |
| 2023 | 352 | 361 |
| 2022 | 816 | 848 |
| 2021 | 1,097 | 1,138 |
| 2020 | 849 | 885 |
| 2019 | 332 | 354 |
| 2018 | 1,923 | 2,043 |
| 2017 | 1,634 | 1,771 |
| 2016 | 2,042 | 2,254 |
| 2015 | 2,466 | 2,736 |
| 2014 | 2,535 | |
| 2013 | 1,217 | |
| 2012 | 1,475 | |
| 2011 | 2,955 | |
| 2010 | 2,529 | |
| 2009 | 1,756 |
2,466 Souls first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 90% of the 2,736 first registered that year.
Soul engines and fuel
1.6 litre engines made up 85% of Kia Soul MOT tests in 2025. Diesel accounts for 55% of licensed Souls and petrol for 27%. Electric examples were 15.2% of tests.
Fuel type, licensed Souls
DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.
| Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 6,515 | 27% |
| Diesel | 13,060 | 55% |
| Battery electric | 4,177 | 18% |
| Gas | 2 | <0.1% |
Kia Soul recalls
13 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Kia Soul. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Soul is affected.
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Dec 2024 R/2024/465
Kia HECU Fuse Replacement
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- The HECU hydraulic electronic control unit of affected vehicles equipped with Anti-lock Brake Systems ABS and Electronic Stability Control ESC could leak internally and cause an electrical short over time. In extreme cases the HECU could overheat with a possible risk of an under bonnet fire.
- Remedy
- The recall will replace the fuses in the junction box with a lower rated version.
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May 2024 R/2024/218
Kia Soul SK3 Curtain Airbag Recall
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On affected vehicles unintended deployment of the curtain air bags may occur due to a welding issue within the hybrid inflator.
- Remedy
- On the affected vehicles carry out inspection of curtain air bags and replace if necessary
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Feb 2024 R/2024/030
The park mechanism within the Gear Drive Unit (GDU) might fail to engage when Park is selected
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Upgrade the Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) for automatic activation when the gear shift lever is moved to the Park position. This will prevent unintended vehicle movement or rolling away when parked in case of transmission pawl failure.
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Feb 2024 R/2024/010
Kia Soul PS EV Battery Management System Upgrade
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On affected vehicles the battery management system may not detect a battery cell abnormality within the high-voltage battery pack
- Remedy
- On affected vehicles the battery management system software will be updated and if necessary the battery management system and associated wiring will be replaced to allow this update to be carried out. After update is completed If a warning is then activated the High Voltage battery will also need to be replaced.
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May 2023 R/2023/121
A potential coolant leak in the Electric Power Control Unit (EPCU) could cause a loss of power whilst driving
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Inspect the EPCU and if a coolant leak is detected replace the unit.
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Apr 2022 R/2022/083
In the event of a frontal collision the front impact sensors could become disconnected and the air bags may not activate as expected
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Update the software in the Air Bag Control (ACU) the improved collision algorithm will ensure that airbags deploy properly in the event of a collision.
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Apr 2022 R/2022/082
Damage can occur in the air bag control unit
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Damage can occur within the vehicles Air Bag Control unit causing the warning light to be displayed and the Air Bag system deactivated.
- Remedy
- Inspect the vehicles if the Air Bag warning light is already illuminated replace the control unit. If it is not update the software in the unit.
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Jan 2021 R/2020/374
The vehicle's integrated electronic brake motor control software logic can automatically disable motor operation upon detection of an abnormal sensor signal
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- The vehicle's Integrated Electronic Brake (IEB) motor control software logic can automatically disable motor operation upon detection of an abnormal sensor signal.
- Remedy
- Update the software controlling the IEB.
Other Kia models
The most-tested Kia models in 2025, against the Soul's 70.5% MOT pass rate.
Kia Soul FAQs
How many Kia Souls are there in the UK?
23,754 Kia Souls were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 864 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the Kia Soul 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 70.5% first-time pass rate for the Kia Soul across 24,757 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Kia Soul had any recalls?
13 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Kia Soul. The most recent was published in December 2024. 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 Soul?
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 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 Soul'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 Soul?
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.