Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 167,559 tests

Pass rate climbs 19.6 points across the cohorts — newer Rio examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 145,659

Pass

72.9%

Fail

21.7%

PRS

4.8%

Avg mileage at test

71,871 mi

2018–2020 cohort 18,342

Pass

86.5%

Fail

9.6%

PRS

3.6%

Avg mileage at test

32,309 mi

2021+ cohort 3,558

Pass

92.5%

Fail

5.2%

PRS

2.0%

Avg mileage at test

21,880 mi

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

The picture

Rio Passes 75% — Electrical Faults on Early 1.0 Turbos

From 121,121 tests, the Kia Rio passes first time 74.97% of the time at an average test mileage of 62,906. Rear plate lamp failures, low tyre tread, and worn steering ball joints are the standard failure causes — typical for a small hatchback in this mileage range. Owners of the 1.0T-GDI variant introduced in 2017 have reported a pattern of electrical misbehaviour: phone connectivity dropping out, the radio losing clock memory, and lights activating in daylight. One car was returned to the dealer and no fault was found.

Steering ball joint wear is worth monitoring closely as the car ages past 60,000 miles. Otherwise the Rio has a broadly solid track record for a car in its class.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 5–14

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 →

5–14

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

5,532 occurrences · 3.3% of tests
02

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

4,059 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
03

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play

3,652 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
04

A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

3,117 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
05

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

2,952 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
06

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

2,908 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
07

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

2,778 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
08

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

2,637 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
09

A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

2,599 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
10

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

2,442 occurrences · 1.5% 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 5 failures

£248–£655

If every one of this Rio'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 19.6-point gap between bands means the year you buy Kia Rio has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

92.5%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 92.5% — a 19.6-point improvement. Tests in this band average 21,880 miles — roughly 50K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: blade defective, 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

72.9%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 72.9% pass rate against a fleet average of 92.5% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, and ball joint has excessive play. Average mileage on test for this band is 71,871 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (92.5% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (72.9% pass). That's a 19.6-point spread across 145,659 older tests and 3,558 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

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 03 · 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

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

£6.59

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Hycote

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Kia White 12.5ml

£6.59

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Hycote

Hycote Kia Clear White Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

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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.

Get a quote →

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.

Where it falls short

Owner reports (1 entries) flag recurring problems with electrical faults.

Recent owner-reported faults

1 Jan 0001
Electrical problems reported with new Kia Rio 1.0T-GDI purchased August 2017. Faults have appeared with phone communication, radio clock memory and now with lights going on even though not dark. Returned end of October 2017 and car "looked at" with no fault found. Probably bettery related because car is not being regularly driven far enough. Friday: The IRS Is Forgiving Millions in Tax Debt Before the May Deadline freshstartinfo.org Ask a Pro: "How Long Does $1.5M Last in Retirement?"This quiz matches nearly 50,000 people each month with vetted financial advisors.SmartAsset Learn More North Charleston: AudioNova is giving free 30-minute hearing checks complete this short quiz to schedule your free hearing test AudioNova Top 5 Mouse Repellents for 2026 Expert Product Review Learn More People Born 1941-1971 Are Due A Large Surprise TheConsumerGuide Learn More Stop Wasting Groceries: The Fridge Mistake Most Households Make Consumer Check Sponsored IRS Cuts Millions in Tax Debt Before April 30th Deadline Learn More As the tax relief deadline nears, thousands of Americans are rushing to resolve their tax debts before the IRS imposes hefty penalties.Fresh Start Information Sponsored Why AI Brings Speech Clarity That Old Hearing Aids Just Can’t Match Understand speech in noise effortlessly AudioNova [![Image 32: Find Senior Women Who Bring The Spark [See Who's Online]](https://images.outbrainimg.com/transform/v3/eyJpdSI6IjIwN2QxY2ZhOGRlODY3YzNmZjc0N2Y0NDgxODc0MzJiMGE4MDEzODg0ZTZiMDIwY2MzZWQyYWNmMjViMDRjZTEiLCJ3Ijo0MDAsImgiOjMwMCwiZCI6MS4wLCJjaCI6MjAzNzE1NzAwNSwiY3MiOjAsImYiOjR9.webp)Sponsored Find Senior Women Who Bring The Spark [See Who's Online]It all starts with a message.amorelation.com Read more](https://amorelation.com/land/sp/17f2ebbb?utm_source=Outbrain&utm_medium=ua&utm_campaign=OBN_Amorelation_USA_All_Native_EU2_NewU_aOBX25_WL-exclude2_Creo-t_Text-t_mua_20Apr&campaign_id=004aea76c4e6e4694169bd0cc89a5ab731&utm_content=Find+Senior+Women+Who+Bring+The+Spark+%5BSee+Who%27s+Online%5D&partner=outbrain_datingsmatch&OutbrainClickId={{ob_click_id}}&subid={{ob_click_id}}&ad_id=00cb476e93938ef6545123d4a0ca2f0577&publisher_name={{publisher_name}}&section_name={{section_name}}&publisher_id={{publisher_id}}&ad_name={{ad_name}}&obOrigUrl=true) Sponsored Has Hyundai hit the mark with the new Palisade? Take a look!caffeinecommons.com Click Here Sponsored The Ingredient Plumbers Use to Clear Clogged Drains Instantly Trending Deal Journal * Terms and Conditions * Privacy * Cookies * Advertise on this site * Contact * Mobile) Website of the Year 2016, 2017 & 2018

Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 1 reports indexed

Recall history

3 UK recalls on record.

The Rio has 3 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Rio?

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 Rio 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.