Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Kia Rio 2015: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 74 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2015 Kia Rio were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Tyre pressure monitoring system.

Summary

A 2015 Kia Rio passed first time about 3 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2014 and 2016 model years.

At a glance

How 10,904 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
74 in every 100
Did not pass first time
26 in every 1002,844 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
10 yearsabout 61,881 miles
First tests counted
10,904

What failed most often

  1. Tyre pressure monitoring system8 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Tyre condition (front)8 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)7 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 2015 Kia Rio vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Brakes

One wear pattern: brake discs (rear), 3.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 2,844 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.

Brake discs (rear)

Failed on 139 first tests3.5 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A brake disc or drum must be significantly worn before it is rejected, and being worn below the manufacturer's recommended limits is not a reason in itself. Significantly and obviously worn is Major, as is contamination with oil or grease. A disc or drum that is fractured, insecure, seriously weakened or missing is graded Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 473 first tests, 2.3 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.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: side repeater indicators (front), 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Side repeater indicators (front)

Failed on 118 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Sequential or dynamic direction indicators are not a reason to fail. Where a side repeater is required, it is allowed to be part of the front direction indicator if it has a marked wraparound lens, or an amber light coming through the front lens when viewed from a set distance to the side of the rear bumper. A lens defect with no effect on the emitted light is Minor, and one that adversely affects the light is Major.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 27 first tests, 7.8 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.

Tyres

One wear pattern: tyre tread depth (rear), 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Tyre tread depth (rear)

Failed on 168 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

Only primary grooves count when tread depth is assessed: those holding the wear indicators, or cut as deep as those when new. Shallower secondary grooves are ignored. Tread depth below the minimum for the vehicle is Dangerous, and so is a pattern not visible over the whole tread, but that second row applies only to vehicles that need the lower minimum.

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.

Suspension sub-frame (front)

Noted on 143 first tests4.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Rigid brake pipes (front)

Noted on 169 first tests4.0 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Suspension arm (front)

Noted on 48 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Seat belt condition (rear)

Noted on 28 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake performance (plate test, rear)

Noted on 28 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
74in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
5in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
21in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 73.9% of 10,904 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 79.4%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 5 fixed and the 21 not fixed make the 26 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol8,96458,824 miles7574
Diesel1,94079,025 miles6872

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.

4060801002005201020152020Older carsNewer cars
406080100201020152020Older 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, 76 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200548 in every 100347
200651 in every 100697
200754 in every 100889
200851 in every 1001,598
200954 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
2015 This car74 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 2015 Kia Rio.

Of 2015 Kia Rio vehicles with under 41,000 miles, 84 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 86,000 miles or more, 64 in every 100 did.

Under 41,0002,145 tests
84
41,000–56,0002,284 tests
79
56,000–69,000 Typical car2,188 tests
74
69,000–86,0002,124 tests
68
86,000 and over2,162 tests
64

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol58,824 miles7574
Diesel79,025 miles6872

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 79,025 against 58,824). 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 41,00056,000–69,00086,000 and over
Tyre pressure monitoring system1.32.42.7
Tyre condition (front)2.01.62.2
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)0.22.03.9
Tyre tread depth (front)0.62.22.6
Windscreen washers0.71.72.4

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

When a car fails

45in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

28in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

8in 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 2015 Kia Rio passed first time about 3 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2014 and 2016 model years. In 2025, 73.9% of 10,904 first MOTs on the 2015 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 79.4%. Among 2,844 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Side repeater indicators (front) appears more often than on similar cars (4.1% of those tests; 118 observed failures; about 3.2× 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 2015 Kia Rio at the first attempt were Tyre pressure monitoring system (8.2%), Tyre condition (front) (7.8%) and Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (7.3%), 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: Side repeater indicators (front) (4.1% of those tests; 118 observed failures; about 3.2× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Side repeater indicators (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (4.1% of those tests; 118 observed failures; about 3.2× 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 2015 Kia Rio include Side repeater indicators (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 2015 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.

Check any vehicle’s MOT history

Full MOT history, mileage records, and reliability insights for any UK vehicle.

Run a free check