Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 311,621 tests

Pass rate climbs 17.1 points across the cohorts — newer Picanto examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 237,428

Pass

72.5%

Fail

22.3%

PRS

4.6%

Avg mileage at test

57,243 mi

2018–2020 cohort 57,527

Pass

86.4%

Fail

9.0%

PRS

4.3%

Avg mileage at test

25,794 mi

2021+ cohort 16,666

Pass

89.6%

Fail

6.7%

PRS

3.4%

Avg mileage at test

17,226 mi

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

Generations on file · 4

Kia Picanto · UK market

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

The picture

Picanto at 75.8% — Brake Pipes and Parking Brake Flag

From 215,314 MOT tests, the Kia Picanto passes first time 75.8% of the time at an average of 47,883 miles — low by most standards, reflecting the car's city-only life cycle. Rear plate lamps and parking brake efficiency below the minimum threshold lead the failure list, with corroded brake pipes also appearing. One reported case saw both front suspension springs replaced under warranty, suggesting the issue surfaced early in some cars' lives.

A dashboard rattle traced to a loose wiring block behind the fascia is a known minor fault, easily fixed by repositioning the connector. Electrical gremlins with radio, clock memory, and automatic lights have been reported on 2017 1.0T-GDI cars. On balance, the Picanto's short mileage profile keeps MOT failure risk relatively contained.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 2–8

A low-group car — among the cheapest to insure in the UK. 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 →

2–8

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

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

7,864 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
02

Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement

7,506 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
03

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

5,571 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
04

A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

5,529 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
05

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

5,166 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
06

Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded

5,035 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
07

Parking brake inoperative on one side

4,821 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
08

A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

4,749 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
09

Wiper blade defective

4,404 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
10

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

3,687 occurrences · 1.2% 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 3 failures

£88–£175

If every one of this Picanto'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 17.1-point gap between bands means the year you buy Kia Picanto 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 17.1-point improvement. Tests in this band average 17,226 miles — roughly 40K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: blade defective, does not clear the windscreen effectively — 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

72.5%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 72.5% pass rate against a fleet average of 89.6% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, efficiency below requirements, and not working. Average mileage on test for this band is 57,243 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme. Honest John records: "Report of poor response to accelerator pedal in new Kia Picanto S Line 1.25 at between 3,000-4,000rpm. No problem with cruise control bringing car up to speed, but very sluggish…"

Best band to buy: 2021+ (89.6% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (72.5% pass). That's a 17.1-point spread across 237,428 older tests and 16,666 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

H7 / W21W bulb pack

A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.

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

Item 03 · 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

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

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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 Picanto continues to offer a fun and affordable option in the city car sector, backed up by the firm’s excellent long warranty.

Where it falls short

The Kia Picanto continues to offer a fun and affordable option in the city car sector, backed up by the firm’s excellent long warranty.

Recent owner-reported faults

8 Feb 2021
Kia Picanto reported to have had both front suspension springs replaced under warranty. Compare new Kia Picanto deals Buy new from £15,167(list price from £17,095) View offers
6 Jan 2020
Another rattle reported behind the dash of a 2019 Hyundai i10, probably for the same reason as the KIA Picanto (above).
1 Jan 2020
Rattle in front passenger area of new KIA Picanto 1 found to come from loose unused wiring connection block banging against a body part. Easily fixed by straightening and moving the wiring and block.
8 Nov 2019
Complaint of clutch judder first thing in the morning in 2018 KIA Picanto X-Line 1.25. Goes away after 5 minutes driving.
6 Oct 2019
Various complaints about 2017/67 KIA Picanto. Throttle control potentiometer replaced at first service. C lutch judder, worse in wet, cold weather, reversing uphill into a parking slot. Dealer has tested and does not acknowledge. Screen washers blocked. Dealer’s stance was that was owner's way of using the washers and/or wrong additive that was causing blockage. They cleared it, refilled with their “Car Plan Orange”, sold owner a bottle and fitted more generous nozzles.
29 Jul 2018
Report of poor response to accelerator pedal in new Kia Picanto S Line 1.25 at between 3,000-4,000rpm. No problem with cruise control bringing car up to speed, but very sluggish using the pedal. There is probably something wrong with the 'potentiometer' accelerator switch. The car has a 'drive by wire system' that makes an electrical connection between the accelerator pedal and the throttle body.

Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 6 reports indexed

Recall history

7 UK recalls on record.

The Picanto has 7 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Picanto?

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 Picanto 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.