Kia Picanto 2022: reliability & common MOT faults

At a glance

How 9,845 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time: 88 in every 100
Did not pass first time: 12 in every 1001,171 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car: 3 yearsabout 14,653 miles
First tests counted: 9,845

What failed most often

Tyre condition (front)32 in every 100 failed tests
Windscreen wipers (front)15 in every 100 failed tests
Windscreen washers10 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 2022 Kia Picanto 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.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: daytime running lights (front), 21 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,171 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

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.

Daytime running lights (front)

Failed on 40 first tests21 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Daytime running lamps are inspected only when fitted as original equipment to cars and similar passenger vehicles first used on or after a set date. A lamp that is missing or not working, or that shows red light to the front, is Major. These lamps need not operate when the engine is not running, the parking brake is on, or park is selected on an automatic.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Suspension

One fault: suspension arm pins and bushes (front), 5.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

Failed on 32 first tests5.8 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Pins and bushes on suspension arms fail as Major when they are excessively worn. They are graded Dangerous when likely to become detached. DVSA uses the same wording for a suspension joint.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 57 first tests, 8.3 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.

Visibility

One fault: windscreen washers (front), 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Windscreen washers (front)

Failed on 113 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Windscreen washers that are not working, or do not provide sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, are graded Major. They must provide enough fluid for the wipers to clear the windscreen effectively. Vehicles with an opening windscreen, or some other adequate view to the front, left and right, are not inspected for washers.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

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.

Tyre condition (rear)

Noted on 277 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

Tyre condition (front)

Noted on 206 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

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: 88in every 100; Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station: 3in every 100; Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed: 9in every 100; Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 88.1% of 9,845 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 91.4%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 3 fixed and the 9 not fixed make the 12 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.

Year	Passed first time	First tests
2004	49 in every 100	1,285
2005	48 in every 100	2,649
2006	47 in every 100	2,930
2007	50 in every 100	2,119
2008	52 in every 100	2,695
2009	54 in every 100	11,352
2010	55 in every 100	11,799
2011	57 in every 100	9,733
2012	59 in every 100	12,293
2013	64 in every 100	12,004
2014	69 in every 100	13,850
2015	74 in every 100	13,160
2016	75 in every 100	12,159
2017	80 in every 100	12,878
2018	83 in every 100	15,887
2019	84 in every 100	17,030
2020	86 in every 100	8,674
2021	86 in every 100	10,577
2022 This car	88 in every 100	9,845

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2022 Picanto.

Of 2022 Picanto vehicles with under 8,000 miles, 94 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 24,000 miles or more, 80 in every 100 did.

Under 8,0001,954 tests

94

8,000–12,0001,806 tests

93

12,000–17,000 Typical car2,120 tests

90

17,000–24,0001,968 tests

84

24,000 and over1,997 tests

80

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 8,000	12,000–17,000	24,000 and over
Tyre condition (front)	1.1	4.0	5.1
Windscreen wipers (front)	0.6	1.3	3.6
Windscreen washers	0.4	0.9	2.5
Headlight aim (front)	0.7	0.6	0.6

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

When a car fails

57in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

14in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

3in 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.

Is the 2022 Kia Picanto reliable?

The 2022 Kia Picanto follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Tyre condition (front), about 32 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 88.1% of 9,845 first MOTs on the 2022 Kia Picanto passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 91.4%. Among 1,171 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Daytime running lights (front) appears more often than on similar cars (3.4% of those tests; 40 observed failures; about 21× 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.

What is most likely to fail on a 2022 Kia Picanto?

Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2022 Kia Picanto at the first attempt were Tyre condition (front) (32.5%), Windscreen wipers (front) (14.6%) and Windscreen washers (9.6%), 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.

What common MOT faults stand out on the Kia Picanto 2022?

Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Daytime running lights (front) (3.4% of those tests; 40 observed failures; about 21× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.

Why does Daytime running lights (front) stand out?

Daytime running lights (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (3.4% of those tests; 40 observed failures; about 21× 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.

What are common problems with the 2022 Kia Picanto?

Common MOT problem areas for the 2022 Kia Picanto include Daytime running lights (front), Suspension arm pins and bushes (front), Windscreen washers (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.

How should I read advisories vs fails?

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.

What does this Kia Picanto 2022 MOT report cover?

This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2022 Kia Picanto (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.

Does this include engine and gearbox problems?

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.

At a glance

What failed most often

Lamps and electrical

Daytime running lights (front)

What it means

Suspension

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

What it means

Also noted as an advisory

Visibility

Windscreen washers (front)

What it means

Advisories

Tyre condition (rear)

Tyre condition (front)

MOT pass rates

Same model, other years

If you are buying one

Mileage matters most on a 2022 Picanto.

What to check at your mileage

When a car fails

FAQs

About this data

What we include

Same-day repairs

How we compare

What this does not cover

Check any vehicle’s MOT history