Car statistics
Kia car statistics
How many Kia cars are on the road in Great Britain, every Kia model, its share of new cars over time and which fuels they use, how they do at the MOT and their safety recalls. Built from DVLA licensing records and DVSA MOT results.
- Licensed in Great Britain 1,278,733 +6.3% on a year earlier
- Rank among makes No. 9 3.8% of licensed cars
- MOT first-time pass rate, 2025 75.0% Cars of the same ages 76.4%
- New registrations in 2025 109,916 5.4% of all new cars
- Most common fuel Petrol 48.8% of those licensed
- Safety recalls since 1992 84 naming 22 Kia models
How many Kia cars are on the road?
There were 1,278,733 Kia cars licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 35,628 declared off the road (SORN). That is 3.8% of all licensed cars, or about 1 in 26, making Kia the No. 9 make on the road. That is the most on the road at any year end since 1994. Hybrid makes up 17.5% of licensed Kia cars, against 9.0% of all cars.
Kia cars licensed in Great Britain
Numbers are still rising: the latest count is the highest in this series.
| Year | Licensed |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 12,613 |
| 1995 | 16,516 |
| 1996 | 20,818 |
| 1997 | 25,233 |
| 1998 | 27,664 |
| 1999 | 33,463 |
| 2000 | 43,775 |
| 2001 | 54,165 |
| 2002 | 64,368 |
| 2003 | 81,946 |
| 2004 | 110,630 |
| 2005 | 142,436 |
| 2006 | 169,873 |
| 2007 | 192,710 |
| 2008 | 215,248 |
| 2009 | 259,315 |
| 2010 | 306,488 |
| 2011 | 346,796 |
| 2012 | 402,630 |
| 2013 | 458,681 |
| 2014 | 513,642 |
| 2015 | 569,374 |
| 2016 | 640,932 |
| 2017 | 707,016 |
| 2018 | 774,251 |
| 2019 | 844,276 |
| 2020 | 883,778 |
| 2021 | 950,887 |
| 2022 | 1,023,793 |
| 2023 | 1,100,389 |
| 2024 | 1,178,059 |
| 2025 | 1,255,784 |
| 2026 | 1,278,733 |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Fuel type
Kia cars
All cars in Great Britain
Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated
Kia models
24 Kia models have a page of their own. The most common is the Kia Sportage, with 414,357 licensed: 32.4% of all Kia cars on the road. Over the last year the Sportage added the most cars on the road (+39,373, +10.5%) and the Rio lost the most (−4,358, −4.4%). The totals above also count models too small for a page of their own.
| Model | Licensed | Change on a year | SORN | Main fuel | MOT pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sportage | 414,357 | +10.5% | 7,258 | Petrol | 77.0% |
| Picanto | 217,822 | +3.1% | 6,213 | Petrol | 71.4% |
| Niro | 133,742 | +9.1% | 654 | Hybrid | 87.4% |
| Ceed | 121,632 | −2.8% | 3,905 | Petrol | 68.1% |
| Rio | 94,694 | −4.4% | 3,981 | Petrol | 70.3% |
| Stonic | 55,967 | +17.4% | 234 | Petrol | 87.8% |
| Venga | 44,003 | −2.1% | 768 | Petrol | 71.0% |
| Xceed | 40,424 | +7.4% | 211 | Petrol | 87.7% |
| Sorento | 39,203 | −0.8% | 4,227 | Diesel | 71.3% |
| Soul | 23,479 | −3.2% | 788 | Diesel | 70.5% |
| EV6 | 19,076 | +8.7% | 150 | Electric | 89.1% |
| Pro Ceed | 18,690 | −2.3% | 434 | Petrol | 79.1% |
| EV3 | 15,315 | +214.7% | 123 | Electric | – |
| Carens | 12,031 | −8.3% | 1,772 | Diesel | 63.0% |
| Optima | 9,859 | −3.6% | 364 | Diesel | 78.5% |
| EV9 | 5,298 | +73.7% | 36 | Electric | – |
| Sedona | 3,268 | −19.2% | 2,972 | Diesel | 55.2% |
| EV4 | 2,803 | – | 21 | Electric | – |
| EV5 | 2,100 | – | 0 | Electric | – |
| Stringer | 2,021 | −1.2% | 41 | Petrol | – |
| K4 | 612 | – | 2 | Hybrid | – |
| Cerato | 388 | −27.3% | 352 | Petrol | – |
| PV5 | 365 | – | 1 | Electric | – |
| Magentis | 326 | −25.2% | 380 | Petrol | – |
MOT pass rates are first-time passes of cars aged three and over in 2025. A dash means too few tests, or a model DVSA’s records do not separate from vans.
New Kia cars registered each year
Registrations of new Kia cars in Great Britain peaked at 109,916 in 2025. In 2025, 109,916 were registered for the first time: 5.4% of all new cars, against 6.1% in 2022, Kia’s best year for share of new cars.
Registered for the first time, by year
| Year | First registrations |
|---|---|
| ’01 | 11,772 |
| ’02 | 12,363 |
| ’03 | 20,928 |
| ’04 | 33,286 |
| ’05 | 38,324 |
| ’06 | 35,538 |
| ’07 | 29,135 |
| ’08 | 30,867 |
| ’09 | 49,526 |
| ’10 | 54,458 |
| ’11 | 52,031 |
| ’12 | 63,843 |
| ’13 | 69,340 |
| ’14 | 75,314 |
| ’15 | 76,520 |
| ’16 | 87,218 |
| ’17 | 91,300 |
| ’18 | 93,813 |
| ’19 | 95,315 |
| ’20 | 68,986 |
| ’21 | 88,586 |
| ’22 | 97,652 |
| ’23 | 105,129 |
| ’24 | 108,782 |
| ’25 | 109,916 |
Source:DfT / DVLA 2001 to 2025 Updated
Share of all new cars
Kia’s first registrations as a share of every car registered for the first time in Great Britain that year.
| Year | Share of new cars |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 0.5% |
| 2002 | 0.5% |
| 2003 | 0.8% |
| 2004 | 1.3% |
| 2005 | 1.6% |
| 2006 | 1.5% |
| 2007 | 1.2% |
| 2008 | 1.5% |
| 2009 | 2.5% |
| 2010 | 2.7% |
| 2011 | 2.7% |
| 2012 | 3.2% |
| 2013 | 3.1% |
| 2014 | 3.1% |
| 2015 | 2.9% |
| 2016 | 3.3% |
| 2017 | 3.6% |
| 2018 | 4.0% |
| 2019 | 4.2% |
| 2020 | 4.3% |
| 2021 | 5.4% |
| 2022 | 6.1% |
| 2023 | 5.5% |
| 2024 | 5.6% |
| 2025 | 5.4% |
Source:DfT / DVLA 2001 to 2025 Updated
Kia MOT reliability
In 2025, 75.0% of MOT tests of Kia cars were passed first time, from 1,018,919 tests. Cars of the same ages pass 76.4% of the time, so Kia does worse than average for the age of its cars, by 1.4 points. That ranks Kia No. 34 of the 50 makes with enough tests to compare. 7.4% of Kia tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 7.3% for all cars.
Among Kia models with enough tests, the Stonic does best for its age (+2.3 points against cars of the same ages) and the Carens does worst (−7.6 points). Average age at test for Kia cars: 8.6 years.
| Model | Tests | Pass rate | Same ages | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stonic | 32,671 | 87.8% | 85.5% | +2.3 pts |
| Optima | 10,954 | 78.5% | 77.4% | +1.1 pts |
| Niro | 99,578 | 87.4% | 86.6% | +0.8 pts |
| EV6 | 5,293 | 89.1% | 89.1% | 0.0 pts |
| Xceed | 24,774 | 87.7% | 88.0% | −0.3 pts |
| Venga | 46,382 | 71.0% | 71.4% | −0.4 pts |
| Soul | 24,755 | 70.5% | 71.0% | −0.5 pts |
| Sportage | 300,420 | 77.0% | 78.1% | −1.1 pts |
| Picanto | 189,989 | 71.4% | 73.0% | −1.6 pts |
| Rio | 99,388 | 70.3% | 71.9% | −1.6 pts |
| Sorento | 36,082 | 71.3% | 73.4% | −2.1 pts |
| Pro Ceed | 7,449 | 79.1% | 82.4% | −3.3 pts |
| Ceed | 122,331 | 68.1% | 72.6% | −4.5 pts |
| Sedona | 4,107 | 55.2% | 59.8% | −4.6 pts |
| Carens | 13,720 | 63.0% | 70.6% | −7.6 pts |
Every make and model ranked by MOT pass rate
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Kia safety recalls
DVSA lists 84 safety recalls naming a Kia car model since 1992, across 22 models. 52 were launched from 2016 to 2025, ranking Kia No. 16 of the makes with recalls in those years. A recall naming several Kia models counts once.
Recalls launched each year, 2006 to 2025
| Year | Recalls |
|---|---|
| ’06 | 1 |
| ’07 | 2 |
| ’08 | 0 |
| ’09 | 2 |
| ’10 | 3 |
| ’11 | 1 |
| ’12 | 1 |
| ’13 | 1 |
| ’14 | 3 |
| ’15 | 0 |
| ’16 | 2 |
| ’17 | 1 |
| ’18 | 4 |
| ’19 | 2 |
| ’20 | 4 |
| ’21 | 5 |
| ’22 | 8 |
| ’23 | 9 |
| ’24 | 12 |
| ’25 | 5 |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated
Models with the most recalls
| Model | Recalls |
|---|---|
| Kia Sorento | 22 |
| Kia Sportage | 17 |
| Kia Soul | 13 |
| Kia Sedona | 9 |
| Kia Picanto | 8 |
| Kia Niro | 6 |
| Kia Optima | 6 |
| Kia EV6 | 5 |
| Kia Carens | 4 |
| Kia EV9 | 4 |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated
Latest Kia recalls
- 25 Aug 2026 Kia EV6 HV Battery Cell Misalignment Kia EV6
- 24 Jul 2026 Kia Picanto Possible Under Bonnet Fuel Leak Kia Picanto
- 13 Jul 2026 Kia K4 Rear Centre Seatbelt Buckle Kia K4
- 18 Jun 2026 Kia EV5 Rear Seat Bolts Kia EV5
- 24 Apr 2026 Kia Cluster Malfunction Recall Kia Sorento, Kia Sportage, Kia EV9, Kia K4, Kia EV4, Kia EV3, Kia EV6
Models mostly registered as vans are left out, as on our recalls hub. A recall applies to vehicles built on particular dates or with particular VINs, not to every Kia. To check a specific car, use GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check. How we match recalls to models.
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated
Makes of a similar size
| Rank | Make | Licensed | Change on a year | Main fuel | MOT vs same ages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Toyota | 1,777,976 | +2.0% | Petrol | +2.8 pts |
| 7 | Mercedes-Benz | 1,732,633 | +1.0% | Diesel | +3.5 pts |
| 8 | Nissan | 1,707,327 | +1.0% | Petrol | −4.3 pts |
| 9 | Kia | 1,278,733 | +6.3% | Petrol | −1.4 pts |
| 10 | Peugeot | 1,230,416 | −0.7% | Petrol | −5.2 pts |
| 11 | Hyundai | 1,150,509 | +4.9% | Petrol | −1.0 pts |
| 12 | Skoda | 992,035 | +5.2% | Petrol | +1.5 pts |
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed and SORN counts | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of March 2026 | 37,339,879 car records (licensed and SORN) | 15 September 2026 |
| Registered for the first time | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | 2001 to 2025 | – | 15 September 2026 |
| MOT results | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 29,122,953 car MOT tests | 15 September 2026 |
| Safety recalls | Vehicle safety recalls Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | January 1992 to September 2026 | 7,495 road vehicle recalls (R/) | 15 September 2026 |
- Figures cover Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland is not included.
- Make totals count every car DVLA records under the make, including models too small for a page of their own. The rank is among all 525 makes on the record.
- Licensed counts are vehicles with a current tax or exemption at the end of each year (or the latest quarter). SORN counts are shown separately.
- First registrations count cars registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.
- MOT figures cover normal tests of cars aged three and over; retests are excluded. The same-ages figure is what all cars would score with this make’s mix of ages.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.