The picture
Soul: middle-of-the-pack on first-time pass
Across 28,529 MOT tests, the Soul returns 75.6% first-time pass — roughly in line with the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a worn steering ball joint. Windscreen damage and a number-plate lamp out round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 68,107, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
Top ten reasons for rejection.
- 01
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
1,841 occurrences · 6.5% of tests
- 02
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
914 occurrences · 3.2% of tests
- 03
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
852 occurrences · 3.0% of tests
- 04
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
704 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
- 05
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
685 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
- 06
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
562 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
- 07
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
547 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
- 08
Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
474 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
- 09
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
471 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
- 10
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
449 occurrences · 1.6% 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
£228–£530
If every one of this Soul'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.
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
Brake pad measurement gauge
Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.
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
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
Production of Soul will began in Korea in September 2008 with UK cars appearing in early 2009\. Kia believes Soul will provide a creative platform for buyers to individualise and match their car to their own personality. High tech standard audio with Aux and iPod sockets and Bluetooth. Optional reversing camera screen is in rear view mirror.
Where it falls short
Kia confirmed Soul would retain the name and spirit of the concept from which it evolved. Body colours: White, Bright Silver, Titanium Silver, Blue Stone, Vanilla Shake, Green Tea Latte, Cocktail Orange, Tomato Red, Java Brown, Moonlight Blue, Black Soul. 15" steel wheels with 195/65 R15 tyres, 16" alloys with 205/55 R16 tyres or 18" alloys with 225/45 R18 tyres.
Buying or keeping a Soul?
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 Soul 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.