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Škoda Karoq, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

101,660 Škoda Karoqs are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 89% of initial MOT tests, 16.7 points above the 72.3% UK average.

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

Škoda Karoq at the MOT

89% of 61,412 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Karoq 51st of 575 models. Škoda Karoqs aged 3 to 5 years passed 88.5% of MOT tests in 2025; examples aged 6 to 10 years held almost level at 88.2%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Škoda Karoq89%
  • All Škoda modelsThe Karoq is 12.6 pts ahead76.4%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Škoda Karoq tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years35,657 tests88.5%
  • 6 to 10 years17,872 tests88.2%

Where Karoqs fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Škoda Karoq tests in 2025.

  • Tyres33.9%
  • Suspension18.4%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment16.4%
  • Brakes15.9%
  • Visibility7.3%

The items testers recorded most often were condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (13.8%), shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak (11.2%) and brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (10.3%).

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

Full Škoda Karoq MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Karoq'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.33.9% of Karoq failure items

  2. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.18.4% of Karoq 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.16.4% of Karoq failure items

Škoda Karoqs in the UK

101,660 were licensed at the end of June 2026, the 3rd most of any Škoda. The number licensed has grown 255% since the end of 2019.

Change since 2019
+255%from 28,634 licensed
Typical year of first use
2021half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2021 or earlier
First registered in 2025
10,189against 14,880 in 2019
Declared off the road
3880.4% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Škoda Karoqs since 2017

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201788
End of 201813,954
End of 201928,634
End of 202040,487
End of 202151,279
End of 202260,488
End of 202373,064
End of 202486,937
End of 202596,748
End of June 2026101,660

How old they are

Licensed Škoda Karoqs by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 85 were first used before 2018.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
20259,60810,189
202414,10014,552
202313,17813,510
20228,3878,773
202111,01611,337
202012,26412,696
201914,33714,880
201813,75614,494

Karoq engines and fuel

1.5 litre engines made up 61% of Škoda Karoq MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.0 litre at 15%. Petrol accounts for 84% of licensed Karoqs and diesel for 16%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 61,411 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.5 litre61.1%
  • 1.0 litre15%
  • 2.0 litre14.1%
  • 1.6 litre9.8%

Fuel type, licensed Karoqs

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol85,33484%
Diesel16,32616%

Škoda Karoq recalls

6 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Škoda Karoq. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Karoq is affected.

  1. Sep 2019 R/2019/303

    Too little torque may be provided by the engine at low engine speeds

    Karoqs built Oct 2018 to Jun 2019 · 1,231 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    On the affected vehicles the software of the engine control unit must be updated.

  2. Jul 2019 R/2019/214

    Possible crack on the frame of the left front seat

    Karoqs built Feb 2019 · 238 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    There is a possibility that due to a fault in the production process there is a crack on the frame of the left front seat.
    Remedy
    Check and replace the seat frame if a crack is found.

  3. Mar 2019 R/2019/079

    Possible discrepancy in the manufacturing process of the centre rear seat head restraint

    Karoqs built Apr 2018 to Jun 2018 · 1,627 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The centre rear head restraint may not be to specification.
    Remedy
    Check the head restraint and replace if necessary.

  4. Dec 2018 R/2018/357

    A welded connection of the rear seat bench may not have been correctly performed

    Karoqs built May 2018 to Aug 2018 · 189 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The rear back rest head restraint mounting is not correctly welded.
    Remedy
    Check and replace rear back rest frame if required.

  5. Nov 2018 R/2018/329

    The electro-mechanical parking brake may be released inappropriately when disengaging the clutch pedal

    Karoqs built Jul 2017 to Aug 2018 · 1,179 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The electro-mechanical park brake may be released inappropriately when disengaging the clutch pedal.
    Remedy
    The software for the brake control will be updated.

  6. Jan 2018 R/2018/016

    A-pillar passenger protection trims may peel off in sub-zero temperatures

    Karoqs built Oct 2017 to Dec 2017 · 125 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    A-pillar trims are fitted to the vehicle affected with a fleece on their inner side which may peel off during temperatures below zero. This fleece should prevent the broken off parts of the A-pillar trim from entering the vehicles interior during a head airbag activation. If the fleece has peeled off the broken parts of the trim could penetrate into the interior potentially injuring the occupants.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and fit new front A-pillar trims.
How to check a specific Karoq for recalls

Karoq vs similar cars

Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.

Other Škoda models

The most-tested Škoda models in 2025, against the Karoq's 89% MOT pass rate.

All 12 Škoda models

Škoda Karoq FAQs

How many Škoda Karoqs are there in the UK?

101,660 Škoda Karoqs were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 388 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Škoda Karoq 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 89% first-time pass rate for the Škoda Karoq across 61,412 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Škoda Karoq had any recalls?

6 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Škoda Karoq. The most recent was published in September 2019. 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 Škoda Karoq?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: tyres, suspension 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 Škoda Karoq'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 Karoq?

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

Across the 1,390 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Škoda history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Skoda 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.