Kia Magentis MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Kia Magentis MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Kia Magentis passed on its first attempt in 64.1%, and its overall record sits −9.4 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Kia Magentis in the 2023–2025 data: 2,176 tests across 8 model years (2003–2010). 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 Magentis MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Kia Magentis, 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 Magentis's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Kia Magentis DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Kia Magentis, each with how many of the model's 2,176 tests it was noted on.

• "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (Minor) — noted on about 94 Kia Magentis tests, 4.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 73 Kia Magentis tests, 3.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect" (Major) — noted on about 59 Kia Magentis tests, 2.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Srs malfunction indicator lamp warning lamp indicates a fault" (Major) — noted on about 57 Kia Magentis tests, 2.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Service brake performance excessively binding" (Major) — noted on about 56 Kia Magentis tests, 2.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Ball joint excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 54 Kia Magentis tests, 2.5% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Kia Magentis Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Kia Magentis model year on record is 2005 (77.1% across 223 tests), and the weakest is 2009 (69.3%). The gap between them is 7.8 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Kia Magentis reliability is declining in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 0.8 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

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

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Kia Magentis Owners

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

• the lights — “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.

• the suspension joints — “ball joint excessively worn”

  With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.

• the windscreen — “windscreen damaged”

  Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.

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

Frequently Asked Questions: Kia Magentis MOT & Reliability