Kia Sportage Platinum MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Kia Sportage Platinum MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Kia Sportage Platinum passed on its first attempt in 90.5%, and its overall record sits +10.2 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Kia Sportage Platinum in the 2023–2025 data: 4,375 tests across 3 model years (2019–2021). 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 Sportage Platinum MOT Problems by Failure Category

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

Top Recorded Kia Sportage Platinum DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Kia Sportage Platinum, each with how many of the model's 4,375 tests it was noted on.

• "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (Rectified) — noted on about 129 Kia Sportage Platinum tests, 2.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 70 Kia Sportage Platinum tests, 1.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp aim too high" (Rectified) — noted on about 62 Kia Sportage Platinum tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick" (Major) — noted on about 58 Kia Sportage Platinum tests, 1.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 55 Kia Sportage Platinum tests, 1.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Track rod end ball joint has excessive play" (Major) — noted on about 42 Kia Sportage Platinum tests, 1.0% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Kia Sportage Platinum Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Kia Sportage Platinum model year on record is 2021 (95.5% across 66 tests), and the weakest is 2019 (90.0%). The gap between them is 5.5 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Kia Sportage Platinum reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 2.8 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 Sportage Platinum Owners

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

• the wipers and washers — “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.

• the lights — “headlamp aim too high”

  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 brakes — “brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick”

  Look through the spokes of each wheel at the pad — less than 3mm of friction material, or a lip on the disc edge, is the usual failure. Check the handbrake holds on a slope with a few clicks, not at the top of its travel.

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

Frequently Asked Questions: Kia Sportage Platinum MOT & Reliability