Kia Carens Reliability: MOT Pass Rate by Year & Engine

Verdict

The Kia Carens passes its MOT first time on 63.0% of tests, 7.0 points lower than a typical car of the same age and mileage (70.0%). That puts it ahead of 16% of cars on UK roads once age and mileage are taken into account.

By year of first registration, the 2013 Carens does best (beats 35% of cars) and the 2018 worst (beats 5%).

Of its engines, the 1.7 Diesel does best (beats 20%) and the 2.0 Diesel worst (beats 13%).

Watch these weak spots

Brakes2.1×as often as a typical car

Tyres1.3×as often as a typical car

Handbrake performance4.7×as often as a typical car

Brake pads2.2×as often as a typical car

MOT pass rate by age

First-time pass rate at each MOT by the car’s age in years.

Kia CarensTypical car, same age & mileage

Best and worst years

By year of first registration, ranked against all cars on UK roads after adjusting for age and mileage. Green = better than half of cars.

Beats 6%

Beats 5%

Beats 6%

Beats 15%

Beats 17%

Beats 18%

Beats 28%

Beats 8%

Beats 35%

Beats 28%

Beats 19%

Beats 13%

Beats 8%

Beats 5%

Engines

All years, most common first. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.

Engine	Years	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.7 Diesel	2013–2018	71,113	71.9%	Beats 20%	D
2.0 Diesel	2004–2011	38,168	46.7%	Beats 13%	E
1.6 Petrol	2013–2018	15,996	72.4%	Beats 10%	E
2.0 Petrol	2006–2009	10,408	48.9%	Beats 14%	E
1.6 Diesel	2011–2011	1,171	50.6%	Beats 5%	E

Where it fails

Each area compared with a typical car of the same age and mileage, in points of pass rate. Tap or hover an area to see what to check.

Better than typicalTypicalWorse than typical

Brakes: 14.9% of tests fail on brakes, against 6.9% for a typical car of the same age and mileage. Brake firmly on the test drive: the car should stop straight with no pulsing or grinding.

Every MOT area

Share of tests failing on each area, against a typical car of the same age and mileage (black line).

Brakes

14.9% vs 6.9%

Lights & electrics

14.7% vs 12.0%

Suspension

10.6% vs 9.2%

Tyres

9.3% vs 6.9%

Visibility

5.9% vs 5.0%

Body & structure

3.2% vs 3.2%

Emissions & leaks

3.2% vs 3.1%

Seat belts & airbags

2.0% vs 0.9%

Steering

2.0% vs 1.8%

Wheels

0.4% vs 0.4%

Buying one or MOT due? Check these

Handbrake performance 4.7× typical
Check the handbrake holds the car firmly on a slope.
Brake pads 2.2× typical
Ask when the pads were last replaced and look for a brake-wear warning on the dash.
Brake lights 2.1× typical
Walk around with the lights on: bulb failures are the easiest MOT fails to avoid.
Tyre damage & cracking 1.6× typical
Look for cuts, bulges and cracking on both sidewalls of every tyre.
Headlight bulbs & units 1.7× typical
Check dipped and main beam on both sides.
Anti-roll bar links 2.4× typical
A knock or rattle over uneven roads usually means worn anti-roll bar links (cheap to fix).

Pass rate by mileage

First-time pass rate by mileage at the test.

Kia CarensTypical car

Most common MOT failures

Item	This car	Typical	vs typical
Handbrake performance	6.0%	1.3%	4.7×
Tyre damage & cracking	5.7%	3.6%	1.6×
Brake lights	4.8%	2.3%	2.1×
Brake pads	4.7%	2.2%	2.2×
Headlight bulbs & units	3.6%	2.2%	1.7×
Windscreen wipers	3.2%	2.3%	1.4×
Tyre tread depth	3.1%	2.9%	1.1×
Sidelights	3.1%	2.8%	1.1×
Headlight aim	2.7%	3.2%	0.8×
Suspension ball joints	2.2%	1.4%	1.5×

Specific defects found

Tester wording for the most frequent failure items, per 1,000 tests.

Defect	per 1,000
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn	49.8
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm	44.8
Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement	43.7
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning	43.3
A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED	32.3
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen	31.6
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements	30.9
A tyre seriously damaged	30.1

Check another car

Pick a make and model to see its MOT pass rate, best and worst years and weak spots.

Every year and engine

Tap a year to see its engines. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.

2018 Kia Carens2 engines76.0% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.7 Diesel	5,818	77.0%	Beats 9%	E
1.6 Petrol	3,845	74.4%	Beats 2%	E

2017 Kia Carens2 engines75.0% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.7 Diesel	10,466	75.6%	Beats 11%	E
1.6 Petrol	2,184	71.8%	Beats 1%	E

2016 Kia Carens2 engines73.7% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.7 Diesel	12,022	73.9%	Beats 15%	E
1.6 Petrol	1,896	72.4%	Beats 4%	E

2015 Kia Carens2 engines72.3% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.7 Diesel	16,134	71.9%	Beats 19%	E
1.6 Petrol	2,892	74.2%	Beats 20%	E

2014 Kia Carens2 engines69.7% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.7 Diesel	16,078	69.5%	Beats 28%	D
1.6 Petrol	3,419	70.8%	Beats 26%	D

2013 Kia Carens2 engines67.3% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.7 Diesel	10,595	67.0%	Beats 35%	D
1.6 Petrol	1,760	68.8%	Beats 35%	D

2011 Kia Carens2 engines53.0% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.0 Diesel	1,712	54.7%	Beats 11%	E
1.6 Diesel	1,171	50.6%	Beats 5%	E

2010 Kia Carens1 engine56.3% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.0 Diesel	2,285	56.3%	Beats 28%	D

2009 Kia Carens2 engines51.6% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.0 Diesel	7,702	50.8%	Beats 17%	E
2.0 Petrol	4,629	52.8%	Beats 19%	E

2008 Kia Carens2 engines48.3% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.0 Diesel	9,282	48.5%	Beats 18%	E
2.0 Petrol	4,751	47.9%	Beats 14%	E

2007 Kia Carens1 engine45.7% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.0 Diesel	7,429	45.7%	Beats 15%	E

2006 Kia Carens2 engines39.8% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.0 Diesel	5,049	40.5%	Beats 7%	E
2.0 Petrol	1,028	36.3%	Beats 3%	E

2005 Kia Carens1 engine37.2% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.0 Diesel	2,900	37.2%	Beats 5%	E

2004 Kia Carens1 engine36.7% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.0 Diesel	1,809	36.7%	Beats 6%	E

FAQ

What is the Kia Carens MOT pass rate?

63.0% of MOT tests on the Kia Carens were passed first time, based on 136,856 tests between 2018 and 2026 of cars first registered 2004–2018. A typical car of the same age and mileage passes 70.0% of the time.

Is the Kia Carens reliable?

On MOT results it rates E (poor): it passes first time less often than a typical car of the same age and mileage and does better than 16% of cars on UK roads. MOT results cover safety and emissions items, not every kind of breakdown.

Which Kia Carens year is best?

Among years with enough data, the 2013 Carens does best for its age and mileage: it beats 35% of cars on UK roads. The 2018 does worst: it beats 5%.

Which Kia Carens engine is best?

Across all years, the 1.7 Diesel does best: it beats 20% of cars on UK roads. The 2.0 Diesel does worst: it beats 13%.

What are the most common MOT failures on the Kia Carens?

The most common failure items are handbrake performance, tyre damage & cracking, brake lights. Compared with similar cars, handbrake performance comes up 4.7× as often.

How we calculate this. We use official MOT results for cars tested in Great Britain from 2018 to 2026. Each car is compared with typical cars of the same age and mileage, so old and new cars are judged fairly; “pts” are percentage points above or below them. Differences also reflect how cars are used and maintained, not only how they are built.

Kia Carens reliability

Verdict

Watch these weak spots

MOT pass rate by age

Best and worst years

Engines

Where it fails

Every MOT area

Buying one or MOT due? Check these

Pass rate by mileage

Most common MOT failures

Specific defects found

Every year and engine

FAQ