Pass rate, every year
1,018 tests across 2 model years, 2021–2022.
+12.6 pts vs the national average
Pass rate, every year
1,018 tests across 2 model years, 2021–2022.
+12.6 pts vs the national average
Best year to buy
2021 95.6%
The strongest of the 2 years on record. See the 2021 page →
Worst year to buy
2022 93.3%
2.3 points below the 2021 peak. See the 2022 page →
The Kia Soul Maxx MOT pass rate is 93.6%, +12.6 percentage points above the UK average. That is 1,018 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2021 and 2022. This page lists the most common Kia Soul Maxx MOT failures by category, names the best and worst model years, and finishes with a pre-MOT checklist you can run at home.
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Kia Soul Maxx MOT pass rates does in your corner of the country.
The Kia Soul Maxx passed on its first attempt in 93.2%, and its overall record sits +12.6 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Kia Soul Maxx in the 2023–2025 data: 1,018 tests across 2 model years (2021–2022). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.
| Measure | This model |
|---|---|
| Tests analysed | 1,018 |
| Overall pass rate | 93.6% |
| Passed on first attempt | 93.2% |
| Average mileage at test | 25,693 mi |
| Model years covered | 2021–2022 (2 years) |
| Versus UK national average | +12.6 pts above |
Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.
Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Kia Soul Maxx, the Tyres section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.
| Inspection section | Share of failures |
|---|---|
| Tyres | 46% |
| Visibility | 44% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6% |
| Steering | 3% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1% |
Shares are over the Kia Soul Maxx's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.
Around 46% of the recorded Kia Soul Maxx failures fall in the Tyres section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (2.9%), "Has ply or cords exposed" (1.6%), "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (0.4%) among the Kia Soul Maxx's tyres faults.
Around 44% of the recorded Kia Soul Maxx failures fall in the Visibility section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Wipers blade defective" (2.0%), "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (1.4%), "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (1.0%) among the Kia Soul Maxx's visibility faults.
Around 6% of the recorded Kia Soul Maxx failures fall in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Headlamp aim too low" (0.3%), "Side repeaters not working" (0.2%), "Headlamp aim too high" (0.1%) among the Kia Soul Maxx's lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment faults.
The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Kia Soul Maxx, each with how many of the model's 1,018 tests it was noted on.
The strongest Kia Soul Maxx model year on record is 2021 (95.6% across 136 tests), and the weakest is 2022 (93.3%). The gap between them is 2.3 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 Soul Maxx | 882 | 93.3% |
| 2021 Soul Maxx | 136 | 95.6% |
Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.
These checks follow this Kia Soul Maxx's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Kia Soul Maxx.
the wipers and washers — “wipers blade defective”
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.
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.
the tyre tread — “tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm”
Check all four tyres cold, including the inner shoulder where wear hides — 1.6mm across the central three-quarters is the legal limit, and most testers fail at 1.6mm without argument.
Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Kia Soul Maxx. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.
93.6% of the 1,018 recorded Kia Soul Maxx MOT tests ended in a pass, +12.6 percentage points above the national average. 93.2% of those passed on the first attempt.
2021 is the strongest Kia Soul Maxx year on record at 95.6%, while 2022 is the weakest at 93.3%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.
The most recorded Kia Soul Maxx failures are "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" and "Wipers blade defective" — together around 5% of tests, mostly in the Tyres section.