MOT fail rates by first-use year

2015 Kia Soul MOT fail rate and common faults

How Kia Soul cars first used in 2015 did at their MOTs from 2022 to 2025, against all cars of the same age. From 10,420 DVSA MOT tests of these cars. First use is usually the date the car was first registered.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 10 years, tested in 2025

MOT fail rate at age 10 (n=2,564)23.8%

All cars at 10 years (n=9,049,507)30.3%

Difference−6.5 pts

MOT tests of 2015 cars, 2022 to 202510,420

What stands out

In 2025, at 10 years old, Kia Soul cars first used in 2015 failed 23.8% of MOTs (2,564 tests), 6.5 points below the 30.3% for all cars that age.
From 2022 to 2025, as these cars went from 7 to 10 years old, the fail rate moved from 16.9% to 23.8%.
Kia Soul cars first used a year earlier, in 2014, failed 25.6% at the same age of 10 years (2,623 tests, in 2024).
The most common fail item that is not a wear item, for the Kia Soul at 10 years, is steering track rod end: ball joint play, at 5.0 per 100 MOTs (all cars: 1.3).

MOT fail rate by test year

Kia Soul cars first used in 2015: share of MOT tests that failed, by test year, against all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Test year	Age	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars	Difference
2022	7 years	16.9%	2,613	20.6%	−3.8 pts
2023	8 years	17.6%	2,633	23.8%	−6.2 pts
2024	9 years	20.9%	2,610	27.1%	−6.2 pts
2025	10 years	23.8%	2,564	30.3%	−6.5 pts

Most common faults at 10 years

These figures cover all Kia Soul MOTs at 10 years: cars first used 2012 to 2015, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=8,163). The list uses every first-use year so it has enough tests. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

MOT fail items

Fail item	Per 100 MOTs	All cars
Steering track rod end: ball joint play	5.0	1.3
Brake pads under 1.5 mm Wear	2.8	2.1
Handbrake too weak	2.7	1.0
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Wear	2.5	2.7
Wipers not clearing screen Wear	2.3	1.8
Suspension arm ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt	2.0	0.5
Side/position light not working Wear	1.8	2.4
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Wear	1.7	1.5
Dipped headlight not working Wear	1.5	1.7
Suspension ball joint worn	1.3	1.8

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=8,163). A test with two items counts once for each.

Advisories

Advisory	Per 100 MOTs	All cars
Tyre tread close to the legal limit or worn on the edge Wear	14.4	17.0
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing Wear	11.5	8.6
Brake pads wearing thin Wear	11.0	8.1
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	10.8	9.6
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	5.4	2.8
Windscreen: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view	3.1	2.4
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively	3.1	2.7
Track rod end ball joint: slight play	2.9	1.1
Suspension pin or bush worn, without excessive movement	2.8	5.8
Service brake performance: binding but not excessively	2.2	1.3

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=8,163). A test with two items counts once for each.

Fuel type at 10 years

These figures cover all Kia Soul MOTs at 10 years: cars first used 2012 to 2015, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=8,163). Each fuel is set against all cars of the same fuel and age. Fuels with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Fuel	Share of tests	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars, same fuel	Median mileage
Diesel	68.8%	29.6%	5,619	31.4%	65,746 miles
Petrol	29.6%	28.5%	2,420	29.5%	58,968 miles

Fail rate by mileage at 10 years

These figures cover all Kia Soul MOTs at 10 years: cars first used 2012 to 2015, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=8,163). At 10 years, Kia Soul cars at 90,000 to 120,000 miles failed more often (38.2%, n=1,144) than those at 30,000 to 60,000 miles (23.7%, n=3,025). Bands with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Mileage at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
30,000 to 60,000 miles	23.7%	3,025	24.7%
60,000 to 90,000 miles	32.1%	3,043	31.9%
90,000 to 120,000 miles	38.2%	1,144	35.3%

Car tax rules for a 2015 car

Cars first registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 are taxed by CO2 emissions band, from band A (the lowest emissions) to band M. The band is set by the CO2 figure on the V5C logbook.
Electric cars have paid vehicle tax since 1 April 2025, under the rules for their registration date.

These are the rules, not the amount for a specific car. Car tax check

ULEZ and clean air zones

Petrol cars first registered from 2006 usually meet Euro 4, the petrol standard for the London ULEZ, so they usually do not pay the daily charge.
Diesel cars usually meet Euro 6 when first registered from September 2015. A 2015 diesel can be on either side of that date, so the Euro standard of that car decides.
Fully electric cars do not pay the ULEZ charge.
The clean air zones in Birmingham and Bristol use the same Euro 4 petrol and Euro 6 diesel standards. The low emission zones in Scotland use them too, but enforce them with fines, not a daily charge.

The Euro standard of the car decides, not the year alone. ULEZ checker

Other years of the Kia Soul

2014 Kia Soul 2016 Kia Soul

Other Kia models first used in 2015

Model	Age at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
Kia Sportage (2015)	10 years in 2025	28.9%	20,714	30.3%
Kia Picanto (2015)	10 years in 2025	26.2%	13,632	30.3%
Kia Rio (2015)	10 years in 2025	25.6%	11,373	30.3%
Kia Ceed (2015)	10 years in 2025	28.9%	11,138	30.3%
Kia Venga (2015)	10 years in 2025	25.1%	6,148	30.3%
Kia Sorento (2015)	10 years in 2025	27.8%	3,927	30.3%
Kia Carens (2015)	10 years in 2025	34.6%	2,091	30.3%

More on the Kia Soul

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

Found one you might buy? Vet the specific car.

These figures describe 2015 Kia Soul cars as a group, not any one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at the car you are buying: its MOT history, what similar cars did next, and what to ask the seller.

See an example Buying Report All car tools

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources

Car tax and clean air zone rules are summarised from GOV.UK and Transport for London guidance. They are general rules and are not drawn from the MOT data.