How many Kia Rios are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, how new registrations have changed and which fuels they use. Built from DVLA licensing records and 99,388 DVSA MOT tests.
Licensed in Great Britain94,694−4.4% on a year earlier
Declared SORN3,981Off the road, not taxed
MOT first-time pass rate, 202570.3%Cars of the same ages 71.9%
Rank by number licensedNo. 101of 1,159 models we cover
Peak year2022104,295 licensed
Average annual mileage6,109miles a year
How many Kia Rios are left in Great Britain?
There were 94,694 Kia Rios licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 3,981 declared off the road (SORN).
That is 9.2% fewer than the peak of 104,295 in 2022.
Kia Rios licensed in Great Britain
Numbers peaked in 2022 and have fallen every year since, as older cars are scrapped faster than new ones are registered.
In 2025, 70.3% of Kia Rio MOT tests were passed first time,
against 72.8% for all cars.
Cars of the same ages as the Kia Rios tested pass 71.9% of the time, so the Kia Rio does worse than average for its age, by 1.6 points. In 2024 its pass rate was 69.3%.
MOT first-time pass rate by age: Kia Rio vs all cars
Comparing like with like: each bar pair covers cars of the same age, so an older average age does not count against a model.
0%
50%
100%
3 years
4–5 years
6–7 years
8–10 years
11–14 years
15–19 years
20+ years
Kia Rio
All cars
MOT first-time pass rate by vehicle age, Kia Rio compared with all cars
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the most common reason a Kia Rio fails its MOT,
appearing on 37.6% of failed tests. A failed test can have defects in
more than one category, so shares add up to more than 100%.
8.0% of Kia Rio tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 7.3% for all cars.
Most common MOT failure categories
Share of failed Kia Rio MOT tests with at least one defect in each category
The single most common reason a Kia Rio failed its MOT in 2025 was
“Position lamp: not working”, on 11.3% of 29,536 failed tests.
53.6% of tests ended with at least one advisory, a problem to watch that did not fail the test; the most common was “Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge”.
The same fault on any wheel or side counts once.
Most common reasons for failure
Share of failed tests with each defect. A test can fail for more than one.
Most common specific MOT defects on failed Kia Rio tests, 2025
Defect
Share of failed tests
Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
11.3%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility
9.2%
Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play Steering
9.1%
Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres
17 years of the Kia Rio, by year of first registration, have their own page with MOT results, common faults, mileage and how many are left. Against all cars of the same age, the 2018 cars did best at their 2025 MOT (84.7% passed first time) and the 2011 cars worst (54.8%).
Registered: cars on the DVLA record at the end of the year they were first registered (these counts start in 2014, so older years show a dash). Left:
licensed or declared SORN at the end of 2025.
Both cover the United Kingdom. Pass rate: first-time passes at normal MOT tests in Great
Britain in 2025; all cars: every car first registered the same year.
Kia Rio annual mileage
The average Kia Rio covers 6,109 miles a year,
worked out from odometer readings at consecutive MOT tests.
Average annual mileage by age
0
2k
4k
6k
8k
6,924
4–5 years
6,765
6–7 years
6,254
8–10 years
5,980
11–14 years
5,265
15–19 years
3,699
20+ years
Average annual mileage of a Kia Rio by vehicle age
Registrations of Kia Rios for the first time in Great Britain peaked at 11,867 in 2015. In 2025, 4 were registered. With almost none registered new, the number on the road is likely to keep falling.
Registered for the first time, by year
0
5k
10k
15k
’01
’02
’03
’04
’05
’06
’07
’08
’09
’10
’11
’12
’13
’14
’15
’16
’17
’18
’19
’20
’21
’22
’23
’24
’25
Kia Rios registered for the first time in Great Britain, by year
Of the 98,736 Kia Rios licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 36.7% have an engine of 1,301cc to 1,400cc, and 34.6% have an engine of 1,201cc to 1,300cc. The share with an engine of 1,301cc to 1,400cc has fallen from 57.5% in 2014 to 36.7%. Diesels made up 27.4% of those licensed in 2014 and 17.7% in 2025.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
Kia Rios licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, by engine size
Engine size
Share of those licensed
1,301cc to 1,400cc 36,217 licensed
36.7%
1,201cc to 1,300cc 34,182 licensed
34.6%
901cc to 1,000cc 12,924 licensed
13.1%
1,101cc to 1,200cc 10,687 licensed
10.8%
1,401cc to 1,500cc 4,663 licensed
4.7%
Other sizes 63 licensed
0.1%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size
Fuel
Licensed
Share
1,201–1,300cc
Petrol
34,180
34.6%
1,301–1,400cc
Petrol
29,087
29.5%
901–1,000cc
Petrol
9,366
9.5%
1,301–1,400cc
Diesel
7,127
7.2%
1,101–1,200cc
Diesel
5,765
5.8%
1,101–1,200cc
Petrol
4,922
5.0%
1,401–1,500cc
Diesel
4,630
4.7%
901–1,000cc
Hybrid
3,558
3.6%
Engine sizes, 2014 to 2025
Share of those licensed at the end of each year, for the most common sizes.
Kia Rios licensed in the UK by fuel type, share of each year’s total
Year
Petrol
Diesel
Hybrid
2014
72.6%
27.4%
0.0%
2015
73.3%
26.7%
0.0%
2016
73.5%
26.5%
0.0%
2017
73.9%
26.1%
0.0%
2018
74.9%
25.1%
0.0%
2019
76.2%
23.8%
0.0%
2020
77.0%
22.8%
0.2%
2021
76.9%
21.7%
1.3%
2022
77.0%
20.4%
2.5%
2023
77.4%
19.3%
3.3%
2024
77.9%
18.6%
3.5%
2025
78.6%
17.7%
3.6%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
United Kingdom figures from DfT table VEH0220 (licensed cars at the end of each year, SORN
excluded), so they differ slightly from the Great Britain counts elsewhere on this page.
How we use engine sizes.
Kia Rio fuel economy and CO2
The Vehicle Certification Agency’s new car data lists the Kia Rio from 2001 to 2024. On the WLTP test (listings 2019 to 2024), official combined fuel economy for its petrol versions ranges from 42.2 to 54.3 mpg, with CO2 of 118 to 151 g/km. On the older NEDC test (listings 2001 to 2018), official combined fuel economy for its petrol and diesel versions ranges from 32.1 to 88.3 mpg, with CO2 of 85 to 207 g/km.
Official WLTP figures by engine and fuel, listed 2019 to 2024
Official WLTP figures by engine and fuel, listed 2019 to 2024
Engine and fuel
Combined mpg
CO2 g/km
Listed
Euro standard
Versions
1.0 petrol
44.8–54.3
118–142
2019–2024
Euro 6d‑TEMP
16
1.2 petrol
45.6–53.3
120–140
2019–2024
Euro 6d‑TEMP
7
1.4 petrol
42.2–46.3
138–151
2019–2021
Euro 6d‑TEMP
3
Older NEDC figures, listed 2001 to 2018 (9 engine and fuel groups)
Official NEDC figures by engine and fuel, listed 2001 to 2018
Official figures from laboratory type-approval tests. VCA says they may not be achieved in
real-world driving, and should not be used to rank cars with similar figures.
NEDC figures (in VCA’s data until September 2018) and WLTP figures (from the 2019 guide)
come from different tests, so they are shown separately and should not be compared.
Engine sizes are rounded to the nearest 0.1 litre. A version is one line in
VCA’s data (description, gearbox, engine and fuel), counted once however many years it was
listed.
Matched from VCA’s model names “Rio”, “Rio 5-door”, “Rio 3-door”, “Rio MY22”. How we use VCA’s figures.
Kia Rio safety recalls
DVSA lists 4 safety recalls for the Kia Rio since 1992, the first in 2003. The most recent was launched on 5 December 2024.
The HECU hydraulic electronic control unit of affected vehicles equipped with Anti-lock Brake Systems ABS and Electronic Stability Control ESC could leak internally and cause an electrical short over time. In extreme cases the HECU could overheat with a possible risk of an under bonnet fire.
Remedy
The recall will replace the fuses in the junction box with a lower rated version.
A recall applies to cars built on particular dates or with particular VINs, not to every Kia Rio. The details come from manufacturers through DVSA, which says they may be delayed or
incomplete. To check a specific car, use GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check or ask the manufacturer or a
dealer. How we match recalls to models.
Figures cover Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland is not included.
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 vehicles registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.
Models are grouped by DVLA’s generic model name, so every generation and trim counts together.
MOT figures cover normal tests of cars aged three and over in 2025; retests are excluded. Age is rounded to the nearest year.
DVSA records the model name typed in at the test. We match those names to DVLA’s generic models, so a handful of tests may be counted under a close relative.
