2025 MOT results
Kia Picanto common problems
The most common reason a Kia Picanto fails its MOT is a weak handbrake, on 12.1% of its 54,329 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 5 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a braking fault at 7.2% of failures against 1.6% expected; corroded brake pipes at 5.0% of failures against 1.5% expected; a weak handbrake at 12.1% of failures against 3.8% expected.
- Tests in 2025 189,989 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 28.6% 54,329 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 7.5% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 50.4% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Kia Picanto MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Kia Picanto tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 12.1% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 12.0% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 10.6% |
| Parking brake performance: inoperative on one side Brakes | 7.2% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 7.0% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 6.4% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 5.5% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 5.4% |
| Service brake performance: excessively binding Brakes | 5.4% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 5.1% |
| Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded Brakes | 5.0% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 4.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Weak handbrake
12.1% of failures 3.8% expected 3.2 times as often
The handbrake cannot hold the car to the efficiency the test requires, usually from a stretched cable or seized rear callipers.
On a hill, the handbrake should hold the car with a couple of clicks left in the lever.
-
Sidelight out
12.0% of failures 8.5% expected somewhat more often
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
10.6% of failures 6.5% expected 1.6 times as often
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
-
Braking fault
7.2% of failures 1.6% expected 4.5 times as often
A braking fault, which the test checks both by inspection and by measuring performance on a rolling road.
-
Washers that do not work
7.0% of failures 4.9% expected somewhat more often
The washers cannot deliver enough liquid to clean the windscreen with the wipers.
Top the bottle up and check both jets reach the glass; the pump is often fine and the jet blocked.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
6.4% of failures 8.3% expected somewhat less often
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
Which parts of the car fail
Brakes is the area that most often fails a Kia Picanto, on 33.8% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 21.5%.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Brakes | 33.8% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 32.0% |
| Suspension | 24.2% |
| Tyres | 22.6% |
| Visibility | 21.4% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 11.0% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 10.3% |
| Steering | 5.1% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
50.4% of Kia Picanto tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Kia Picantos, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 14.5% |
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 13.6% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 8.4% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 7.1% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 6.3% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 4.5% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 3.9% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 3.8% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 2.4% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 2.4% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 2.4% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 2.4% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Kia Picanto gets older
A 2022 Kia Picanto failed 11.8% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2005 one failed 50.6%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Kia Picanto 11.8% failed, from 10,225 tests
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 24.6%
- Cut tyre 17.8%
- Torn tyre 14.9%
- Washers that do not work 11.8%
- Headlamp aim set too low 6.7%
- Lighting fault 5.5%
2005 Kia Picanto 50.6% failed, from 2,758 tests
- Sidelight out 18.0%
- Weak handbrake 17.1%
- Brake light out 9.7%
- Structural corrosion 9.5%
- Weak or uneven footbrake 9.3%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 9.3%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Kia Picanto problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Kia Picanto?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Parking brake efficiency below requirements” is the most common: it appears on 12.1% of failed Kia Picanto tests. Across categories, brakes is the area that most often fails one, on 33.8% of failed tests.
How often does a Kia Picanto fail its MOT?
28.6% of Kia Picanto tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 189,989 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 42 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Kia Picanto than on other cars?
Yes. “Parking brake performance: inoperative on one side” appears on 7.2% of its failures against 1.6% for cars of the same age, and “Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded” appears on 5.0% of its failures against 1.5% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Kia Picanto aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 189,989 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.