Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Kia Sportage 2013: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 61 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2013 Kia Sportage were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Track rod end (front).

Summary

A 2013 Kia Sportage passed first time about 3 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2012 and 2014 model years.

At a glance

How 16,520 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
61 in every 100
Did not pass first time
39 in every 1006,511 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
12 yearsabout 94,659 miles
First tests counted
16,520

What failed most often

  1. Track rod end (front)16 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Coil spring (front)13 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)12 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 2013 Kia Sportage 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.

Suspension

Two faults. The strongest is the suspension arm pins and bushes (rear): 5.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 6,511 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.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Failed on 238 first tests5.2 times as often as similar carsStrong 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 449 first tests, 4.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 294 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Whether a suspension arm ball joint dust cover still keeps dirt out decides its grade. Severely deteriorated is Minor, while missing, or no longer preventing the ingress of dirt, is Major.

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

Brakes

Five faults and one wear pattern. The strongest is the brake efficiency below minimum (roller test): 4.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake efficiency below minimum (roller test)

Failed on 156 first tests4.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Service brake efficiency below the minimum requirement is Major, and efficiency less than half of the required value is graded Dangerous. On a roller brake tester, if more than half of the wheels of a brake system lock, the efficiency requirement for that system counts as met.

Handbrake lever

Failed on 150 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A parking brake lever pivot or ratchet mechanism that is obviously worn is graded Minor. It is Major when worn to the extent that the brake may inadvertently release, and also when the ratchet is not holding correctly. A lever must have obvious excessive travel before being rejected.

Handbrake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 177 first tests2.7 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.

Brake discs (rear)

Failed on 226 first tests2.5 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.

Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)

Failed on 759 first tests2.5 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.

Brake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 339 first tests2.4 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.

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

Steering

One fault: track rod end (front), 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Track rod end (front)

Failed on 1,015 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

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 rod pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 21 first tests17 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

All direction indicators

Noted on 25 first tests14 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Transmission oil leaks (rear)

Noted on 64 first tests11 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Steering rack play

Noted on 73 first tests5.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake pedal

Noted on 79 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Individual direction indicators (front)

Noted on 97 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Individual direction indicators (rear)

Noted on 223 first tests2.8 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
61in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
4in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
35in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 60.6% of 16,520 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 64.9%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 4 fixed and the 35 not fixed make the 39 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Diesel13,91996,970 miles6161
Petrol2,60183,671 miles6158

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.

4060801002005201020132020Older carsNewer cars
406080100201020132020Older 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, 62 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200549 in every 100781
200650 in every 100741
200749 in every 100858
200854 in every 1001,057
200954 in every 1001,731
201056 in every 1003,425
201158 in every 1006,761
201259 in every 10011,560
2013 This car61 in every 10016,520
201468 in every 10017,894
201571 in every 10019,807
201675 in every 10035,201
201779 in every 10034,934
201882 in every 10032,321
201983 in every 10031,668
202083 in every 10018,121
202185 in every 10025,840
202289 in every 10027,880

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2013 Sportage.

Of 2013 Sportage vehicles with under 72,000 miles, 72 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 119,000 miles or more, 53 in every 100 did.

Under 72,0003,287 tests
72
72,000–88,0003,375 tests
63
88,000–102,000 Typical car3,341 tests
59
102,000–119,0003,251 tests
56
119,000 and over3,265 tests
53

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Diesel96,970 miles6161
Petrol83,671 miles6158

Figures are in every 100 first tests. 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 72,00088,000–102,000119,000 and over
Track rod end (front)3.77.27.4
Coil spring (front)3.74.96.1
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)1.94.76.8
Suspension arm ball joint (front)0.83.56.4
Tyre tread depth (front)1.73.03.8

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

When a car fails

33in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

39in 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.

A 2013 Kia Sportage passed first time about 3 in every 100 less often than the average of the 2012 and 2014 model years. In 2025, 60.6% of 16,520 first MOTs on the 2013 Kia Sportage passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 64.9%. Among 6,511 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (3.7% of those tests; 238 observed failures; about 5.2× 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 2013 Kia Sportage at the first attempt were Track rod end (front) (15.6%), Coil spring (front) (12.6%) and Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) (11.7%), 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: Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear) (3.7% of those tests; 238 observed failures; about 5.2× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (3.7% of those tests; 238 observed failures; about 5.2× 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 2013 Kia Sportage include Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear), Brake efficiency below minimum (roller test), Handbrake lever. 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 2013 Kia Sportage (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