MOT cost .
Kia Niro
MOT 2024

Wikimedia Commons — CC-BY-SA (image-specific)

Kia

Niro

79,748 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Niros pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 10.6 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.

Pass

88.1%

Pass-after-fix

3.1%

Fail

8.4%

Avg miles

45,876

Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%

Trim variants

2 EV 90.2% 10,834 4 EV 87.7% 9,087 3 EV 88.9% 8,251 2 Phev S A 91.5% 2,753

Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 79,748 tests

Pass rate climbs 3.6 points across the cohorts — newer Niro examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 14,135

Pass

86.0%

Fail

10.6%

PRS

3.0%

Avg mileage at test

65,382 mi

2018–2020 cohort 45,660

Pass

88.2%

Fail

8.0%

PRS

3.4%

Avg mileage at test

47,958 mi

2021+ cohort 19,953

Pass

89.6%

Fail

7.7%

PRS

2.4%

Avg mileage at test

27,296 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

Generations on file · 2

Kia Niro · UK market

Kia Niro 2016-2022

2016–2022

Kia Niro 2022-now

2022–now

Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.

The picture

Kia Niro at 88%: near the top of the fleet on a well-maintained hybrid crossover

The Kia Niro posts 88.0% first-time pass from 40,429 tests — near the top of the UK fleet at an average presenting mileage of 32,518. Top failures are tyre tread, windscreen chips and brake pads. The Niro's hybrid drivetrain extends brake pad life through regenerative braking, but owners presenting the car with pads at the wear indicator — common on city-cycle-only hybrids where friction braking is minimal — still fail. LED lamp failures appear in the top ten, consistent with the complex rear lighting signature. At 88% and under 33,000 average miles, the Niro is performing well. Pre-test: verify brake pad depth and check rear lamp function.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 16–24

Below the fleet average — generally reasonable to insure. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.

Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →

16–24

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

  1. 01

    A tyre cords visible or damaged

    1,243 occurrences · 1.6% of tests

  2. 02

    A tyre seriously damaged

    1,026 occurrences · 1.3% of tests

  3. 03

    Wiper blade defective

    993 occurrences · 1.2% of tests

  4. 04

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    992 occurrences · 1.2% of tests

  5. 05

    Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

    908 occurrences · 1.1% of tests

  6. 06

    Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

    833 occurrences · 1.0% of tests

  7. 07

    A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

    270 occurrences · 0.3% of tests

  8. 08

    Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement

    220 occurrences · 0.3% of tests

  9. 09

    A lens defective which has no effect on emitted light

    214 occurrences · 0.3% of tests

  10. 10

    A tyre seriously damaged

    192 occurrences · 0.2% of tests

Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.

Worst-case fix budget · top 4 failures

£160–£280

If every one of this Niro's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 3.6-point gap between bands means the year you buy Kia Niro has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

89.6%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 89.6% — a 3.6-point improvement. Tests in this band average 27,296 miles — roughly 38K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: has ply or cords exposed, has a cut in excess of the… — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.

Band to be cautious about

86.0%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 86.0% pass rate against a fleet average of 89.6% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, has ply or cords exposed, and damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view. Average mileage on test for this band is 65,382 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (89.6% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (86.0% pass). That's a 3.6-point spread across 14,135 older tests and 19,953 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.

Item 01 · Amazon UK

Digital tyre-tread depth gauge

Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.

Search Amazon UK

Item 02 · Amazon UK

Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades

Cheap wipers fail the test on smear streaks. Bosch Aerotwins last a winter and clear a screen properly.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Kia Titanium Silver Metallic 12.5ml

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Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Kia Titanium Silver Metallic 12.5ml

£6.59

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Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Kia White 12.5ml

Hycote

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Kia White 12.5ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote Kia Clear White Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

Hycote

Hycote Kia Clear White Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote Kia Titanium Silver Metallic Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

Hycote

Hycote Kia Titanium Silver Metallic Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

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Owner reports · Honest John

What owners actually report.

Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.

What's good

The Kia Niro is a well-built, frugal and likeable hybrid crossover that rarely gives cause for concern. Most versions are good to drive, well-equipped, with a reliable hybrid drivetrain.

Recall history

13 UK recalls on record.

The Niro has 13 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Niro?

Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.

If you own a Niro and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.