Pass rate
65.6%
Below average — 6.6 pts behind the 72.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 360 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £36–£95
2004 Kia Cerato MOT pass rate
- 2004
- typical 82,601 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Brakes
27.7% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2005 68.2% pass
- Avoid 2004 65.6% pass · this year
Across the 4 years on record, a spread of 2.6 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 51.2%
- Typical mileage
- 83k mi
The 2004 Kia Cerato MOT pass rate is 65.6% of its MOT tests — 6.6 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 27.7% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Brakes: 1.3× the national share
Brakes make up 27.7% of everything recorded on the 2004 Kia Cerato, against 20.9% nationally — 6.8 points above. Have the discs and pads measured rather than glanced at, and ask whether the handbrake holds on a slope.
- Falls short of its own age and mileage. Like-for-like, cars this age and mileage expect about 72.2%; this one manages 65.6% — 6.6 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
- Based on a small sample. 360 tests back this page. That is enough to publish and to index, not enough to treat the decimal places as precise — read the pattern, not the second digit.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Kia Cerato? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2004 Kia Cerato compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.2%, so this figure is 6.6 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 51.2%. The median 2004 Kia Cerato in this dataset had covered 82,601 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 64.7% of the time, April–September 67.6%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Headlamp lens slightly defective", noted on 11.39% of tests.
- 360 recorded tests behind this page.
- 65.6% overall pass rate, 51.2% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Kia Cerato, the average is 67.8% — best year 2005 (68.2%), worst 2004 (65.6%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 360
- Typical mileage (median)
- 82,601 mi
- Make and model
- Kia Cerato
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Headlight Bulb
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Cerato MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 51% so small gaps stay visible.
Where the Kia Cerato is most common
Across all Cerato model years on record (2004–2007): 1,134 Kia Cerato cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 2,986 tests. Portsmouth (PO) has the most, with 47 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portsmouth (PO) | 47 | 67.3% |
| 2 | Peterborough (PE) | 38 | 67.9% |
| 3 | Sheffield (S) | 37 | 70.2% |
| 4 | Birmingham (B) | 34 | 73.5% |
| 5 | Derby (DE) | 28 | 67.1% |
| 6 | Nottingham (NG) | 25 | 66.2% |
| 7 | Manchester (M) | 25 | 66.2% |
| 8 | Bristol (BS) | 24 | 63.9% |
| 9 | Stoke On Trent (ST) | 23 | 64.9% |
| 10 | Reading (RG) | 20 | 70.7% |
| 11 | Doncaster (DN) | 20 | 60.8% |
| 12 | Southampton (SO) | 19 | 72.1% |
| 13 | Poole (BH) | 18 | 68.4% |
| 14 | Guildford (GU) | 18 | 79.2% |
| 15 | Norwich (NR) | 17 | 71.7% |
| 16 | Leicester (LE) | 17 | 58.1% |
| 17 | Brighton (BN) | 17 | 48.8% |
| 18 | Cardiff (CF) | 16 | 63.6% |
| 19 | Milton Keynes (MK) | 16 | 74.4% |
| 20 | Coventry (CV) | 16 | 63.2% |
The twenty areas with the most Kia Cerato cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →
Regional pass rates for the Cerato
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 91 | 72.5% |
| South West | 60 | 66.7% |
| West Midlands | 47 | 63.8% |
| North West | 47 | 59.6% |
| East of England | 46 | 67.4% |
| London | 19 | 57.9% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2004 Cerato
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2004 Cerato
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the lights 11.4% of tests
“headlamp lens slightly defective”
Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.
-
Check corrosion 6.4% of tests
“component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength”
Look under the sills, around the jacking points and where the suspension mounts meet the body. Flaking, holed or crumbly metal fails; a brown stain on sound metal does not.
-
Check the exhaust and emissions 4.2% of tests
“exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases”
Listen for a blow at idle and have someone rev it gently. Then look at the tailpipe smoke: blue is oil, white when warm is coolant, black is over-fuelling. Any of those and the emissions test is the least of it.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2004 Cerato through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £36–£95 — and 51% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £36–£95
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 51%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 360 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the Cerato, side by side
4 model years on record, from 2004 to 2007. Across them the pass rate runs from 65.6% to 68.2% — a spread of 2.6 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2004 65.6%headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2005 68.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 68.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 66.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2004 Kia Cerato with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2004 cars with a similar record
- Ford Galaxy 66.2%
- Vauxhall Combo 66.3%
- Renault Modus 66.3%
- Ford Ka 66.7%
- Volkswagen Beetle 66.8%
- Volvo V40 67.0%
Closest pass rates among 2004 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2004 Kia Cerato 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 1,377 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 389 | 27.70% | 20.89% | +6.81 |
| Suspension | 270 | 19.20% | 20.98% | −1.78 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 219 | 15.60% | 12.21% | +3.39 |
| Tyres | 137 | 9.80% | 19.76% | −9.96 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 112 | 8.00% | 5.57% | +2.43 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 68 | 4.80% | 5.52% | −0.72 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 57 | 4.10% | 1.76% | +2.34 |
| Visibility | 45 | 3.20% | 4.97% | −1.77 |
| Non-component advisories | 40 | 2.80% | 4.18% | −1.38 |
| Steering | 40 | 2.80% | 2.57% | +0.23 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 11.4% | £5–25 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 9.7% | £5–20 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 7.5% | £45–110 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 6.4% | £180–450 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 5.0% | £3–12 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 5.0% | £5–25 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 4.2% | £45–120 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 3.9% | £18–45 |
| Linkage ball joints ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 3.9% | £18–45 |
| Parking brake performance inoperative on one side Brakes | Major | 3.6% | £60–150 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 27.5% | £80–180 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 18.1% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 14.2% | £45–110 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 14.2% | £18–45 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 13.3% | £45–95 |
| Registration plates inscription illegible Identification of the vehicle | Advisory | 13.3% | £20–80 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 4 | 75.0% | 26,392 mi |
| 30-60k | 51 | 70.6% | 46,770 mi |
| 60-90k | 151 | 69.5% | 74,178 mi |
| 90-120k | 100 | 60.0% | 104,577 mi |
| 120k+ | 54 | 59.3% | 145,908 mi |
Source: 360 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2004 Cerato MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2004 Kia Cerato?
65.6% of the 360 2004 Kia Cerato tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.2% for cars first used in 2004. First-attempt pass rate: 51.2%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2004 Kia Cerato?
The three most recorded items are headlamp lens slightly defective (11.39%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (9.72%), rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (7.50%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2004 Kia Cerato MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 75.0% of the time, falling to 59.3% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2004 Kia Cerato in this dataset had covered 82,601 mi.
Does the season affect the 2004 Kia Cerato MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 64.7% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 67.6%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.