MOT fail rates by first-use year

2012 Kia Venga MOT fail rate and common faults

How Kia Venga cars first used in 2012 did at their MOTs from 2022 to 2025, against all cars of the same age. From 19,939 DVSA MOT tests of these cars. First use is usually the date the car was first registered.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 13 years, tested in 2025

MOT fail rate at age 13 (n=4,824)41.1%

All cars at 13 years (n=6,612,160)38.3%

Difference+2.9 pts

MOT tests of 2012 cars, 2022 to 202519,939

What stands out

In 2025, at 13 years old, Kia Venga cars first used in 2012 failed 41.1% of MOTs (4,824 tests), 2.9 points above the 38.3% for all cars that age.
From 2022 to 2025, as these cars went from 10 to 13 years old, the fail rate moved from 36.3% to 41.1%.
Kia Venga cars first used a year earlier, in 2011, failed 43.1% at the same age of 13 years (4,290 tests, in 2024).
The most common fail item that is not a wear item, for the Kia Venga at 13 years, is steering track rod end: ball joint play, at 12.6 per 100 MOTs (all cars: 1.9).

MOT fail rate by test year

Kia Venga cars first used in 2012: 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	10 years	36.3%	5,097	30.3%	+6.0 pts
2023	11 years	40.5%	5,042	33.3%	+7.3 pts
2024	12 years	40.1%	4,976	36.0%	+4.1 pts
2025	13 years	41.1%	4,824	38.3%	+2.9 pts

Most common faults at 13 years

These figures cover all Kia Venga MOTs at 13 years: cars first used 2010 to 2012, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=12,246). 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	12.6	1.9
Side/position light not working Wear	7.8	4.8
Brake light not working Wear	5.4	3.1
Coil spring broken	3.7	4.1
Suspension arm ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt	2.7	0.7
Brake pads under 1.5 mm Wear	2.6	2.1
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Wear	2.5	2.0
Handbrake too weak	2.3	1.7
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Wear	2.0	3.0
Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt	1.7	1.4

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=12,246). 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	15.5	18.2
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	14.8	10.6
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing Wear	12.4	9.1
Coil spring: corroded	8.6	5.6
Track rod end ball joint: slight play	8.4	1.6
Brake pads wearing thin Wear	7.8	7.3
Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened	6.4	3.8
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	6.2	5.1
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Wear	5.8	5.2
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive	5.7	7.2

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=12,246). A test with two items counts once for each.

Fuel type at 13 years

These figures cover all Kia Venga MOTs at 13 years: cars first used 2010 to 2012, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=12,246). 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
Petrol	65.7%	40.5%	8,050	37.7%	66,905 miles
Diesel	34.3%	47.1%	4,195	39.1%	88,919 miles

Fail rate by mileage at 13 years

These figures cover all Kia Venga MOTs at 13 years: cars first used 2010 to 2012, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=12,246). At 13 years, Kia Venga cars at 90,000 to 120,000 miles failed more often (51.5%, n=2,609) than those at 30,000 to 60,000 miles (33.0%, n=3,325). 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	33.0%	3,325	29.1%
60,000 to 90,000 miles	44.5%	4,745	38.0%
90,000 to 120,000 miles	51.5%	2,609	42.2%

Car tax rules for a 2012 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.

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 first registered before September 2015 usually do not meet Euro 6, so a 2012 diesel usually pays the ULEZ daily charge. A few models met Euro 6 early.
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 Venga

2011 Kia Venga 2013 Kia Venga

Other Kia models first used in 2012

Model	Age at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
Kia Picanto (2012)	13 years in 2025	39.9%	12,918	38.3%
Kia Sportage (2012)	13 years in 2025	40.0%	12,138	38.3%
Kia Ceed (2012)	13 years in 2025	44.4%	11,067	38.3%
Kia Rio (2012)	13 years in 2025	40.1%	8,628	38.3%
Kia Sorento (2012)	13 years in 2025	43.2%	1,769	38.3%
Kia Soul (2012)	13 years in 2025	40.9%	1,571	38.3%

More on the Kia Venga

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 2012 Kia Venga 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.