Kia Cerato MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Kia Cerato MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Kia Cerato passed on its first attempt in 56.8%, and its overall record sits −13.2 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Kia Cerato in the 2023–2025 data: 2,986 tests across 4 model years (2004–2007). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Kia Cerato MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Kia Cerato, the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Kia Cerato's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Kia Cerato DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Kia Cerato, each with how many of the model's 2,986 tests it was noted on.

• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 289 Kia Cerato tests, 9.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements" (Major) — noted on about 161 Kia Cerato tests, 5.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (Minor) — noted on about 145 Kia Cerato tests, 4.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength" (Major) — noted on about 138 Kia Cerato tests, 4.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Position lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 114 Kia Cerato tests, 3.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Service brake performance excessively binding" (Major) — noted on about 110 Kia Cerato tests, 3.7% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Kia Cerato Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Kia Cerato model year on record is 2005 (68.2% across 1,279 tests), and the weakest is 2004 (65.6%). The gap between them is 2.6 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Kia Cerato Owners

These checks follow this Kia Cerato's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Kia Cerato.

• the lights — “registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”

  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.

• corrosion — “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.

• the brake pipes — “rigid brake pipes excessively corroded”

  Brake pipes run under the car, usually in front of the rear wheels. Flaking or crusty metal is what fails; a light dusting of surface rust does not. Worth asking a garage to look while it is on a ramp.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Kia Cerato. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Kia Cerato is most common

Across every Cerato model year 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.

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 →

Frequently Asked Questions: Kia Cerato MOT & Reliability