Pass rate
72.5%
Below average — 4.7 pts behind the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 2,479 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £35–£92
2012 Kia Optima MOT pass rate
- 2012
- typical 96,727 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Brakes
28.5% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2020 89.4% pass
- Avoid 2011 68.3% pass
Across the 10 years on record, a spread of 21.1 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 64.7%
- Typical mileage
- 97k mi
The 2012 Kia Optima MOT pass rate is 72.5% of its MOT tests — 4.7 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 28.5% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Brakes: 1.4× the national share
Brakes make up 28.5% of everything recorded on the 2012 Kia Optima, against 20.9% nationally — 7.6 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 77.2%; this one manages 72.5% — 4.7 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 18% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
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 Optima? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2012 Kia Optima compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 4.7 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 64.7%. The median 2012 Kia Optima in this dataset had covered 96,727 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Diesel — 99% of tests, with a 72.6% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 71.8% of the time, April–September 73.4%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 6.09% of tests.
- 2,479 recorded tests behind this page.
- 72.5% overall pass rate, 64.7% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Kia Optima, the average is 84.7% — best year 2020 (89.4%), worst 2011 (68.3%).
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
- 2,479
- Typical mileage (median)
- 96,727 mi
- Make and model
- Kia Optima
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Number Plate Lamp
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Optima MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 62% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (99% of tests).
Where the Kia Optima is most common
Across all Optima model years on record (2011–2020): 16,883 Kia Optima cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 38,912 tests. Glasgow (G) has the most, with 556 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 | Glasgow (G) | 556 | 83.5% |
| 2 | Birmingham (B) | 516 | 87.0% |
| 3 | Peterborough (PE) | 506 | 86.2% |
| 4 | Sheffield (S) | 444 | 86.9% |
| 5 | Nottingham (NG) | 385 | 83.8% |
| 6 | Edinburgh (EH) | 332 | 83.1% |
| 7 | Doncaster (DN) | 322 | 84.7% |
| 8 | Manchester (M) | 311 | 84.8% |
| 9 | Leicester (LE) | 298 | 87.5% |
| 10 | Bolton (BL) | 276 | 84.5% |
| 11 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 273 | 78.8% |
| 12 | Derby (DE) | 267 | 87.7% |
| 13 | Milton Keynes (MK) | 246 | 84.9% |
| 14 | Coventry (CV) | 246 | 85.2% |
| 15 | Stoke On Trent (ST) | 230 | 84.3% |
| 16 | Oldham (OL) | 225 | 84.9% |
| 17 | Hamilton (ML) | 216 | 83.2% |
| 18 | Cardiff (CF) | 213 | 83.1% |
| 19 | Northampton (NN) | 211 | 85.9% |
| 20 | Leeds (LS) | 208 | 82.7% |
The twenty areas with the most Kia Optima 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 Optima
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| North West | 390 | 73.6% |
| Yorkshire | 334 | 71.9% |
| East of England | 315 | 74.6% |
| Scotland | 300 | 67.7% |
| South East | 289 | 76.5% |
| West Midlands | 285 | 73.3% |
| South West | 162 | 68.5% |
| East Midlands | 153 | 74.5% |
| North East | 122 | 71.3% |
| Wales | 122 | 70.5% |
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 2012 Optima
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 2012 Optima
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 6.1% of tests
“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.
-
Check the suspension joints 4.9% of tests
“track rod end ball joint has excessive play”
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.
-
Check the windscreen 2.3% of tests
“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.
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 2012 Optima through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £35–£92 — and 18% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £35–£92
- Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
- £5–£20
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 18%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 2,479 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 Optima, side by side
10 model years on record, from 2011 to 2020. Across them the pass rate runs from 68.3% to 89.4% — a spread of 21.1 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2011 68.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2012 72.5%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2013 77.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2014 78.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2015 81.9% track rod end ball joint has…
- 2016 86.4% brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick
- 2017 85.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2018 87.7% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 86.6% brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick
- 2020 89.4% wipers does not clear the…
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 2012 Kia Optima 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 2012 cars with a similar record
- Renault Scenic 72.5%
- Nissan X-Trail 72.5%
- Renault Twingo 72.4%
- Suzuki SX4 72.7%
- Hyundai I800 72.7%
- Hyundai I30 72.2%
Closest pass rates among 2012 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 2012 Kia Optima 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 5,764 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 | 1,656 | 28.50% | 20.89% | +7.61 |
| Suspension | 1,322 | 22.70% | 20.98% | +1.72 |
| Tyres | 908 | 15.60% | 19.76% | −4.16 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 540 | 9.30% | 12.21% | −2.91 |
| Steering | 502 | 8.60% | 2.57% | +6.03 |
| Non-component advisories | 268 | 4.60% | 4.18% | +0.42 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 180 | 3.10% | 5.52% | −2.42 |
| Visibility | 163 | 2.80% | 4.97% | −2.17 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 148 | 2.50% | 5.57% | −3.07 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 77 | 1.30% | 1.76% | −0.46 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 6.1% | £5–20 |
| Track rod end ball joint has excessive play Steering | Major | 4.9% | £18–45 |
| Service brake performance excessively binding Brakes | Major | 4.5% | £60–150 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 4.0% | £45–110 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 3.9% | £18–45 |
| Parking brake performance inoperative on one side Brakes | Major | 2.3% | £60–150 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 2.3% | £80–200 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 2.1% | £80–250 |
| Linkage ball joints ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 2.0% | £18–45 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | Major | 1.8% | £18–45 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 19.7% | £45–95 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 10.9% | £80–180 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 10.3% | £45–110 |
| Suspension arm corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 8.5% | £35–85 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 8.4% | £40–150 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 7.7% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 28 | 82.1% | 22,307 mi |
| 30-60k | 240 | 81.3% | 48,128 mi |
| 60-90k | 741 | 71.1% | 76,632 mi |
| 90-120k | 866 | 70.9% | 103,559 mi |
| 120k+ | 601 | 72.5% | 145,535 mi |
Source: 2,479 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.
2012 Optima MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 Kia Optima?
72.5% of the 2,479 2012 Kia Optima tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 64.7%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 Kia Optima?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (6.09%), track rod end ball joint has excessive play (4.92%), service brake performance excessively binding (4.48%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2012 Kia Optima MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 82.1% of the time, falling to 72.5% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 Kia Optima in this dataset had covered 96,727 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2012 Kia Optima?
Diesel: 72.6% pass rate across 2,464 tests. Petrol: 61.5% pass rate across 13 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2012 Kia Optima MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 71.8% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 73.4%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.