Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Kia Rio 2009: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 54 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2009 Kia Rio were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Track rod end (front).

Summary

The 2009 Kia Rio follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 4,030 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
54 in every 100
Did not pass first time
46 in every 1001,869 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
16 yearsabout 81,734 miles
First tests counted
4,030

What failed most often

  1. Track rod end (front)19 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)18 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Suspension arm ball joint (front)10 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 2009 Kia Rio 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

Two faults. The strongest is the rigid brake pipes (front): 7.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,868 of 1,869 failed first attempts (99.9%) 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.

Rigid brake pipes (front)

Failed on 67 first tests7.8 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Chafing, corrosion or damage to a rigid brake pipe justifies rejection once its wall thickness is reduced by a set amount, although DVSA accepts this is not easy to determine. If a tester is not sure, the benefit of the doubt applies. A leaking pipe or connection is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic system and Major on an air system.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 81 first tests, 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake performance (roller test, front)

Failed on 85 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible 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 84 first tests, 2.2 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.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: headlight levelling device, 7.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Headlight levelling device

Failed on 39 first tests7.4 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A headlamp levelling device that is inoperative is graded Major, and so is a manual levelling device that cannot be operated from the driver's seat. Vehicles with high intensity discharge or LED dipped beam headlamps may have a self-levelling system, and if fitted it must work. Where it is not easy to tell, testers give the benefit of the doubt, and motor caravans are not checked.

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

Steering

One fault: track rod end (front), 5.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Track rod end (front)

Failed on 362 first tests5.0 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 98 first tests, 4.1 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.

Suspension

Two faults. The strongest is the suspension sub-frame (front): 4.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension sub-frame (front)

Failed on 55 first tests4.5 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A suspension sub-frame insecurely attached to the chassis or axle is Major, and Dangerous when it is insecure and impairing directional stability. A sub-frame that is missing, likely to become detached, fractured or likely to fail is also Dangerous. Excessive damage or corrosion that seriously weakens it is Major.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 249 first tests, 3.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Wheel bearings (front)

Failed on 44 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Excessive play in a wheel bearing, or a bearing that is excessively rough, is Major. Play so excessive that the bearing is likely to break up or directional control is impaired is Dangerous, and so is a bearing so rough that it is likely to overheat or break up.

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.

Power steering pipes and hoses

Noted on 60 first tests14 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Other power steering components

Noted on 49 first tests13 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake light (rear)

Noted on 45 first tests4.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Macpherson strut (front)

Noted on 50 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Exhaust system (front)

Noted on 98 first tests2.6 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
54in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
8in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
38in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 53.6% of 4,030 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 61.6%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 38 not fixed make the 46 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol3,06477,869 miles5453
Diesel96696,578 miles5355

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.

4060801002005200920152020Older carsNewer cars
40608010020092020Newer cars

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

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200548 in every 100347
200651 in every 100697
200754 in every 100889
200851 in every 1001,598
2009 This car54 in every 1004,030
201055 in every 1005,250
201154 in every 1006,114
201259 in every 1008,171
201361 in every 1009,193
201466 in every 10010,368
201574 in every 10010,904
201676 in every 1008,528
201781 in every 1007,787
201885 in every 1005,571
201984 in every 1004,705
202085 in every 1003,285
202187 in every 1003,559
202291 in every 1004,410

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2009 Kia Rio.

Of 2009 Kia Rio vehicles with under 54,000 miles, 65 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 113,000 miles or more, 46 in every 100 did.

Under 54,000803 tests
65
54,000–73,000829 tests
56
73,000–91,000 Typical car778 tests
52
91,000–113,000827 tests
49
113,000 and over791 tests
46

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 54,00073,000–91,000113,000 and over
Track rod end (front)5.710.39.6
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)3.110.210.5
Suspension arm ball joint (front)0.94.49.0
Windscreen washers1.73.53.8
Tyre condition (front)3.43.33.2

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

When a car fails

29in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

47in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

11in 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.

The 2009 Kia Rio follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Track rod end (front), about 19 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 53.6% of 4,030 first MOTs on the 2009 Kia Rio passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 61.6%. Among 1,869 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Rigid brake pipes (front) appears more often than on similar cars (3.6% of those tests; 67 observed failures; about 7.8× 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 2009 Kia Rio at the first attempt were Track rod end (front) (19.4%), Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (18.3%) and Suspension arm ball joint (front) (9.7%), 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: Rigid brake pipes (front) (3.6% of those tests; 67 observed failures; about 7.8× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Rigid brake pipes (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (3.6% of those tests; 67 observed failures; about 7.8× 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 2009 Kia Rio include Rigid brake pipes (front), Headlight levelling device, 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 2009 Kia Rio (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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