Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Kia Ceed 2014: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 63 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2014 Kia Ceed were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Track rod end (front).

Summary

A 2014 Kia Ceed passed first time about 2 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2013 and 2015 model years.

At a glance

How 10,448 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
63 in every 100
Did not pass first time
37 in every 1003,823 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
11 yearsabout 84,197 miles
First tests counted
10,448

What failed most often

  1. Track rod end (front)23 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)10 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Brake performance (roller test, front)8 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2014 Kia Ceed vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Brakes

Four faults. The strongest is the brake performance (plate test, front): 13 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 3,822 of 3,823 failed first attempts that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Brake performance (plate test, front)

Failed on 80 first tests13 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Braking effort that is inadequate at a wheel, a brake grabbing severely and a binding brake are among the Major failures. A wheel with no recorded effort is graded Dangerous. If a vehicle fails any aspect of the plate test, the check should be repeated to confirm the result.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 56 first tests, 8.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake performance (roller test, front)

Failed on 302 first tests5.3 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

A wheel with no recorded braking effort on the roller test is graded Dangerous. Inadequate effort, a brake grabbing severely, abnormal lag and excessive fluctuation in effort are each Major. So is significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied, which indicates a binding brake.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 233 first tests, 4.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)

Failed on 389 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A parking brake with efficiency below the minimum requirement is Major, and graded Dangerous where efficiency is less than half of the required value. On a roller brake tester, the requirement counts as met if more than half of the wheels of a brake system lock. The check applies only to vehicles whose parking brake was not already tested as the secondary brake.

Handbrake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 78 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A parking brake that is inoperative on one side is Major. When tested on the road, the failure is the vehicle deviating excessively from a straight line. Vehicles whose parking brake was already tested as the secondary brake are not tested again for this.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Steering

One fault: track rod end (front), 4.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Track rod end (front)

Failed on 884 first tests4.3 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play is Major, and one worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment is graded Dangerous. A dust cover that is damaged but still keeps dirt out is Minor, and one missing or no longer keeping dirt out is Major. Testers must tell wear from a joint's built-in clearance or spring loading.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 191 first tests, 3.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Side repeater indicators

Noted on 28 first tests5.4 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 248 first tests4.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, front)

Noted on 24 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Suspension arm (rear)

Noted on 128 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
63in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
6in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
31in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 63.4% of 10,448 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 68.8%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 6 fixed and the 31 not fixed make the 37 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Diesel6,79192,480 miles6163
Petrol3,65771,103 miles6764

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

406080100201020142020Older carsNewer cars
406080100201020142020Older carsNewer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 65 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200750 in every 1001,903
200848 in every 1003,559
200951 in every 1005,789
201050 in every 1006,630
201150 in every 1006,260
201255 in every 10010,601
201361 in every 10010,238
2014 This car63 in every 10010,448
201571 in every 10010,689
201674 in every 1009,185
201777 in every 1008,177
201880 in every 1008,811
201983 in every 1009,533
202083 in every 1004,078
202184 in every 1004,937
202287 in every 1006,207

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2014 Ceed.

Of 2014 Ceed vehicles with under 59,000 miles, 75 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 113,000 miles or more, 55 in every 100 did.

Under 59,0002,066 tests
75
59,000–76,0002,059 tests
66
76,000–92,000 Typical car2,089 tests
62
92,000–113,0002,174 tests
59
113,000 and over2,059 tests
55

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Diesel92,480 miles6163
Petrol71,103 miles6764

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 92,480 against 71,103). At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.

What to check at your mileage

How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.

Under 59,00076,000–92,000113,000 and over
Track rod end (front)3.89.510.4
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)1.13.66.4
Brake performance (roller test, front)3.03.22.2
Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)1.33.04.0
Tyre condition (front)1.92.32.7

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

41in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

31in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

9in every 100

of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

A 2014 Kia Ceed passed first time about 2 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2013 and 2015 model years. In 2025, 63.4% of 10,448 first MOTs on the 2014 Kia Ceed passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 68.8%. Among 3,823 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Brake performance (roller test, front) appears more often than on similar cars (7.9% of those tests; 302 observed failures; about 5.3× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2014 Kia Ceed at the first attempt were Track rod end (front) (23.1%), Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) (10.2%) and Brake performance (roller test, front) (7.9%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Brake performance (roller test, front) (7.9% of those tests; 302 observed failures; about 5.3× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Brake performance (roller test, front) shows up more often than on similar cars (7.9% of those tests; 302 observed failures; about 5.3× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2014 Kia Ceed include Brake performance (roller test, front), Brake performance (plate test, front), Track rod end (front). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2014 Kia Ceed (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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