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

2,133 Kia Stingers are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 88.2% of initial MOT tests, 15.9 points above the 72.3% UK average.

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

Kia Stinger at the MOT

88.2% of 2,236 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Stinger 66th of 575 models. Kia Stingers aged 3 to 5 years passed 87.2% of MOT tests in 2025; examples aged 6 to 10 years did better, at 88.4%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Kia Stinger88.2%
  • All Kia modelsThe Stinger is 13 pts ahead75.2%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Kia Stinger tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years976 tests87.2%
  • 6 to 10 years1,142 tests88.4%

Where Stingers fail

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

  • Tyres40%
  • Brakes23.3%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment13.5%
  • Visibility11%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks6.6%

The items testers recorded most often were tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (14.5%), brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (12.5%) and condition has ply or cords exposed (8.3%).

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

Full Kia Stinger MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Stinger'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.40% of Stinger failure items

  2. 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.23.3% of Stinger 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.13.5% of Stinger failure items

Kia Stingers in the UK

2,133 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 180% since the end of 2018, although it peaked at 2,203 at the end of 2022.

Change since 2018
+180%from 763 licensed
First registered in 2025
2against 991 in 2019
Declared off the road
381.8% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Kia Stingers since 2017

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2017138
End of 2018763
End of 20191,610
End of 20201,843
End of 20212,096
End of 20222,203
End of 20232,200
End of 20242,157
End of 20252,158
End of June 20262,133

Stinger engines and fuel

3.3 litre engines made up 52% of Kia Stinger MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.0 litre at 27%. Petrol accounts for 80% of licensed Stingers and diesel for 20%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 2,236 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 3.3 litre52%
  • 2.0 litre27.3%
  • 2.2 litre20.7%

Fuel type, licensed Stingers

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol1,69780%
Diesel43620%

Kia Stinger recalls

4 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Kia Stinger. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Stinger is affected.

  1. Aug 2024 R/2024/304

    Kia Stinger Oil Feed Pipe Leak

    Stingers built Nov 2016 to Mar 2023 · 1,057 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles due to exposure to radiant heat from the exhaust manifold the turbocharger oil feed pipe and hose assembly may deteriorate over time this could cause an oil leak.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles the turbocharger oil feed pipe and hose assembly will be replaced.

  2. Jun 2024 R/2024/253

    Kia Stinger High Pressure Fuel Pump Recall

    Stingers built Dec 2016 to Apr 2023 · 634 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles misalignment of the fuel control valve plunger in the high pressure fuel pump can result in uneven wear. This may potentially result in loss of motive power and in some cases the check engine light may illuminate.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles the control software will be updated the high pressure fuel pump will be checked and if necessary replaced.

  3. May 2021 R/2021/155

    The electrical circuit within the HECU may experience a short circuit condition

    Stingers built Dec 2016 to Mar 2019 · 283 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The electrical circuit within the HECU may experience a short circuit condition that results in excessive current.
    Remedy
    Replace the multi fuse assembly with a lower amperage version & replace the junction box cover.

  4. Nov 2020 R/2020/363

    The vehicle may experience a loss of power due to insufficient fuel supply to the engine

    Stingers built May 2020 to Jul 2020 · 1 vehicle across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicle a blocked fuel pump nozzle may lead to a loss of power.
    Remedy
    Inspect the nozzle and replace if burs are detected.
How to check a specific Stinger for recalls

Other Kia models

The most-tested Kia models in 2025, against the Stinger's 88.2% MOT pass rate.

All 16 Kia models

Kia Stinger FAQs

How many Kia Stingers are there in the UK?

2,133 Kia Stingers were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 38 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Kia Stinger 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 88.2% first-time pass rate for the Kia Stinger across 2,236 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Kia Stinger had any recalls?

4 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Kia Stinger. The most recent was published in August 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 Stinger?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: tyres, brakes 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 Stinger'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 Stinger?

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

Across the 1,548 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 October 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.