Pass rate
90.6%
Above average — 0.6 pts behind the 91.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 5,098 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £21–£53
2021 Kia Sorento MOT pass rate
- 2021
- 5 trims combined
- typical 32,761 mi
Most common fault
Tyres
36.3% of faults · 19.8% nationally
mostly tread below the limit, cuts and sidewall bulges.
Part only £55–£85 for Tread depth below 1.6 mm. What fitting it takes →
3.3 pts down across model years — 8.1% in 2004, 4.8% in 2022.
Which year to buy
- Best 2024 99.1% pass
- Avoid 2004 65.6% pass
Across the 22 years on record, a spread of 33.5 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 89.8%
- Typical mileage
- 33k mi
The 2021 Kia Sorento MOT pass rate is 90.6% of its MOT tests — about what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 36.3% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Kia Sorento does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Tyres: 1.8× the national share
Tyres make up 36.3% of everything recorded on the 2021 Kia Sorento, against 19.8% nationally — 16.5 points above. Check all four tyres yourself, including the inner shoulders, and look at the date stamp — a tyre can pass on tread and still be six years old.
- Failures here tend to be cheap ones. 71% of the repairs this model fails on cost under £30 in parts. The pass rate matters less than what a bad afternoon at the test centre actually costs you.
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 Sorento? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every Kia Sorento first registered in 2021 is combined here — 5 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2021 Kia Sorento compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 91.2%, so this figure is 0.6 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 89.8%. The median 2021 Kia Sorento in this dataset had covered 32,761 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Hybrid — 80% of tests, with a 90.6% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 91.2% of the time, April–September 90.2%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively", noted on 2.35% of tests.
- 5,098 recorded tests behind this page.
- 90.6% overall pass rate, 89.8% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Kia Sorento, the average is 79.2% — best year 2024 (99.1%), 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
- 5,098
- Typical mileage (median)
- 32,761 mi
- Make and model
- Kia Sorento
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Wiper Blade
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Sorento MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 81% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Hybrid is the most common here (80% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Sorento
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 1,475 | 91.0% |
| East of England | 613 | 91.0% |
| London | 488 | 95.9% |
| North West | 471 | 90.0% |
| Yorkshire | 407 | 91.4% |
| Scotland | 393 | 88.5% |
| East Midlands | 330 | 88.5% |
| West Midlands | 318 | 91.2% |
| South West | 292 | 85.6% |
| Wales | 157 | 89.2% |
| North East | 153 | 87.6% |
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 2021 Sorento
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 2021 Sorento
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 wipers and washers 2.4% of tests
“wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively”
Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.
-
Check the lights 1.7% of tests
“rear fog lamp not working”
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 windscreen 1.7% 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 2021 Sorento through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £21–£53 — and 71% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £21–£53
- Cheapest common item: rear fog lamp not working
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 90%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 71%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 5,098 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 Sorento, side by side
22 model years on record, from 2003 to 2024. Across them the pass rate runs from 65.6% to 99.1% — a spread of 33.5 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2003 69.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2004 65.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2005 68.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 68.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 69.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 69.2% track rod end ball joint has…
- 2009 71.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2010 72.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 73.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2012 73.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2013 75.3% track rod end ball joint has…
- 2014 77.7% track rod end ball joint has…
- 2015 81.7% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2016 83.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2017 85.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2018 87.5% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 88.6% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2020 89.8% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2021 90.6%wipers does not clear the…
- 2022 92.0% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2023 98.4% headlamp aim too high
- 2024 99.1% wipers blade defective
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 2021 Kia Sorento 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 2021 cars with a similar record
- Vauxhall Mokka 90.6%
- BMW 218I 90.6%
- BMW X3 XDRIVE20D 90.6%
- Nissan X-Trail 90.6%
- Abarth 595 90.6%
- Mitsubishi Shogun 90.6%
Closest pass rates among 2021 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 2021 Kia Sorento 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 3,356 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 1,221 | 36.30% | 19.76% | +16.54 |
| Non-component advisories | 491 | 14.60% | 4.18% | +10.42 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 411 | 12.20% | 12.21% | −0.01 |
| Visibility | 381 | 11.30% | 4.97% | +6.33 |
| Brakes | 355 | 10.50% | 20.89% | −10.39 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 211 | 6.30% | 5.52% | +0.78 |
| Suspension | 190 | 5.60% | 20.98% | −15.38 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 77 | 2.30% | 1.76% | +0.54 |
| Road Wheels | 10 | 0.30% | 0.75% | −0.45 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 9 | 0.30% | 0.82% | −0.52 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Major | 2.4% | £8–22 |
| Rear fog lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.7% | £3–15 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 1.7% | £80–200 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 1.5% | £8–22 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 1.5% | £45–95 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Rectified | 1.4% | £8–22 |
| Front fog lamps not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.3% | £3–15 |
| Front fog lamp switch inoperative Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.1% | £3–15 |
| Switch inoperative Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 0.96% | £5–25 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Major | 0.94% | £45–95 |
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 | 14.2% | £45–95 |
| Non-component advisories Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | Advisory | 5.0% | £20–80 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 4.0% | £18–45 |
| Non-component advisories Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | Advisory | 2.7% | £45–95 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 2.6% | £200–700 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Advisory | 2.3% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 2,189 | 91.1% | 21,900 mi |
| 30-60k | 2,486 | 90.2% | 41,200 mi |
| 60-90k | 359 | 90.5% | 70,845 mi |
| 90-120k | 49 | 89.8% | 101,504 mi |
| 120k+ | 15 | 93.3% | 142,261 mi |
Source: 5,098 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.
2021 Sorento MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2021 Kia Sorento?
90.6% of the 5,098 2021 Kia Sorento tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 91.2% for cars first used in 2021. First-attempt pass rate: 89.8%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2021 Kia Sorento?
The three most recorded items are wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (2.35%), rear fog lamp not working (1.67%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (1.67%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2021 Kia Sorento MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 91.1% of the time, falling to 93.3% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2021 Kia Sorento in this dataset had covered 32,761 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2021 Kia Sorento?
Hybrid: 90.6% pass rate across 4,094 tests. Diesel: 90.5% pass rate across 994 tests. Petrol: 100.0% pass rate across 10 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2021 Kia Sorento MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 91.2% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 90.2%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.