MOT performance

Kia Ceed diesel: MOT pass rate and common failures

Of 152,411 MOT tests on diesel Kia Ceeds in 2023–2024 (on average 8.8 years old at test, median 78,816 miles), 65.5% passed first time, against 73.5% of 119,676 petrol Kia Ceed tests. Allowing for age, mileage and fuel, diesel Kia Ceeds failed 18% more often than comparable cars — 1.18× against 1.14× for the Kia Ceed as a whole.

152,411 MOT tests on 76,847 vehicles, 2023–2024 · Source: DVSA (Open Government Licence) · Analysis: 73 Auto

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At a glance

Kia Ceed diesel MOT results at a glance
Figure	Value	Basis
First-time pass rate	65.5%	±0.2 pts (95%), n = 152,411
All Kia Ceeds	69.3%	n = 276,701
Failures vs similar cars	1.18×	same age, mileage and fuel = 1.00; Kia Ceed overall 1.14×
Tests with a dangerous defect	11.1%	n = 152,411
Average age at test	8.8 years	n = 152,411
Registration years covered	2007–2022	DVSA first-use date

Diesel against the other Kia Ceed fuels

Official DVSA test results by fuel, with 73 Auto's adjusted ratio (failures against cars of the same age, mileage and fuel). The diesel cars were tested 1.3 years older on average than the petrol ones, so the raw pass rates partly reflect age; the adjusted column doesn't.

Kia Ceed MOT results by fuel
Fuel	Tests	Average age	First-time pass	vs similar cars	Dangerous
Diesel	152,411	8.8 yrs	65.5%	+18%	11.1%
Petrol	119,676	7.5 yrs	73.5%	+7%	8.0%
Hybrid	3,652	2.3 yrs	84.4%	+31%	5.3%

Where diesel Kia Ceeds differ

Body, chassis and structure: diesel Kia Ceeds failed 23% less often than the Kia Ceed overall, relative to comparable cars (0.45× vs 0.58×).

Kia Ceed diesel MOT failures by area, against the model overall
Area	Diesel (vs similar)	All Kia Ceeds (vs similar)
Lights, reflectors and electrical	13.8% (+29%)	12.2% (+22%)
Brakes	10.9% (+58%)	9.0% (+48%)
Suspension	10.0% (+8%)	7.9% (-2%)
Tyres	8.4% (+20%)	7.6% (+16%)
Driver's view of the road	5.9% (+38%)	6.0% (+39%)
Steering	5.5% (+176%)	4.3% (+157%)
Noise, emissions and leaks	1.4% (-47%)	1.6% (-37%)
Body, chassis and structure	1.4% (-55%)	1.6% (-42%)
Road wheels	0.4% (-8%)	0.3% (-9%)
Seat belts and airbags	0.4% (-57%)	0.3% (-60%)
Registration plates and VIN	0.4% (+8%)	0.3% (+1%)

Most common diesel Kia Ceed failure items

Most common diesel Kia Ceed MOT failure items
Item	Area	Share of tests
Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play	Steering	4.21%
Position lamp: not working	Lights, reflectors and electrical	3.76%
Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm	Tyres	3.34%
Stop lamp: not working	Lights, reflectors and electrical	3.00%
Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements	Brakes	2.93%

Pass rate by age, by fuel

Kia Ceed MOT pass rate by age and fuel
Age at test (years)	diesel pass rate (tests)	petrol pass rate (tests)
3-4	82.1% (15,011)	85.7% (30,210)
5-6	79.9% (23,804)	82.7% (11,855)
7-8	73.1% (28,288)	76.6% (13,544)
9-10	62.1% (32,472)	68.7% (13,295)
11-12	53.6% (28,633)	57.8% (10,388)
13-15	48.3% (19,792)	53.0% (21,294)
16+	45.4% (2,303)	49.9% (3,435)

Kia Ceed by registration year

Registration-year pages cover every fuel of that year.

2007 Kia Ceed · 47.8%
2008 Kia Ceed · 49.9%
2009 Kia Ceed · 51.8%
2010 Kia Ceed · 51.7%
2011 Kia Ceed · 50.8%
2012 Kia Ceed · 56.6%
2013 Kia Ceed · 62.0%
2014 Kia Ceed · 66.7%
2015 Kia Ceed · 73.5%
2016 Kia Ceed · 76.9%
2017 Kia Ceed · 79.7%
2018 Kia Ceed · 82.3%
2019 Kia Ceed · 83.7%
2020 Kia Ceed · 86.0%
2021 Kia Ceed · 86.2%

What this does and doesn't tell you

Fuel is DVSA's recorded fuel type; plug-in and self-charging hybrids are grouped as hybrid. A difference between fuels can come from the engines themselves, or from how the cars are used — diesels typically cover more miles, and the adjusted ratio allows for mileage band but not for every difference in use. For one car, its own MOT history is the better guide: see MOT check.

Check a specific diesel Kia Ceed

Enter a UK registration to see that car's own MOT history and what it is likely to cost to own. Your first check is free and shows the vehicle summary and its headline ownership cost. The category-by-category breakdown is part of a paid check.

UK number plate or 17-character VIN

About this data. These are MOT test results, not a measure of mechanical reliability: a car's MOT outcome reflects its condition on the day, which depends on how it has been maintained and driven as well as how it was built. Figures cover class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans), normal tests only (retests excluded), outcomes pass, fail and pass after rectification at the station; vehicles at least 2.5 years old at test. Tests from 2023-01-01 to 2024-12-30. “Compared with similar cars” means compared with the national rate for cars of the same age, mileage band and fuel. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Makes and models are matched to 73 Auto's vehicle catalogue; tests that can't be matched are left out rather than guessed. See how the MOT figures are produced.