Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Kia Venga 2011: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 54 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2011 Kia Venga were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Track rod end (front).

Summary

The 2011 Kia Venga follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 3,893 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
54 in every 100
Did not pass first time
46 in every 1001,781 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
14 yearsabout 78,364 miles
First tests counted
3,893

What failed most often

  1. Track rod end (front)24 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)14 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Brake light12 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 2011 Kia Venga 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

One fault: electronic stability control, 6.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,780 of 1,781 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.

Electronic stability control

Failed on 97 first tests6.6 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

An ESC warning lamp is failed only when the tester is certain it indicates an ESC malfunction, because the lamp takes various forms and the owner's handbook may need checking. The system is also called ESP, VDC or DSC, among many other names. Every failure row is Major, covering the lamp, wheel speed sensors, wiring, other components and the switch.

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

Steering

One fault: track rod end (front), 5.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Track rod end (front)

Failed on 419 first tests5.3 times as often as similar carsStrong 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 123 first tests, 4.9 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.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008), 4.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel emissions test (compression-ignition rules for vehicles from 01/07/2008)

Failed on 76 first tests4.5 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

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

Suspension

One fault: suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front), 3.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 114 first tests3.9 times as often as similar carsLikely 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.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: brake light (rear), 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake light (rear)

Failed on 222 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

All stop lamps missing or not working is graded Dangerous, and so is a stop lamp that stays on when the brakes are released. A stop lamp that is missing or not working is Major. On some vehicles with LED rear lamps, part of the stop lamp can go out when the rear fog lamp is lit, which is not regarded as a defect.

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.

Side repeater indicators (front)

Noted on 52 first tests18 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Steering rack play

Noted on 41 first tests6.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Macpherson strut pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 34 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm (front)

Noted on 81 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Flexible brake hoses (rear)

Noted on 61 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Seat belt condition (rear)

Noted on 20 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake discs (rear)

Noted on 234 first tests2.0 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
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 54.3% of 3,893 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 62.4%: 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
Petrol2,47569,271 miles5856
Diesel1,41894,121 miles4851

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.

40608010020112015Older carsNewer cars
4060801002011Newer 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, 56 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
201053 in every 1002,536
2011 This car54 in every 1003,893
201258 in every 1004,640
201362 in every 1005,361
201464 in every 1005,163
201575 in every 1005,968
201679 in every 1005,514
201784 in every 1005,743
201888 in every 1003,565
201989 in every 1002,562

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2011 Venga.

Of 2011 Venga vehicles with under 54,000 miles, 68 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 106,000 miles or more, 47 in every 100 did.

Under 54,000792 tests
68
54,000–70,000754 tests
60
70,000–86,000 Typical car773 tests
50
86,000–106,000802 tests
48
106,000 and over771 tests
47

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol69,271 miles5856
Diesel94,121 miles4851

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 94,121 against 69,271). 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 54,00070,000–86,000106,000 and over
Track rod end (front)6.312.210.6
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)1.88.48.8
Brake light4.75.27.1
Coil spring (front)2.43.04.0
Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)2.02.72.6

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

When a car fails

28in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

45in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

10in 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 2011 Kia Venga follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Track rod end (front), about 24 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 54.3% of 3,893 first MOTs on the 2011 Kia Venga passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 62.4%. Among 1,781 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Track rod end (front) appears more often than on similar cars (23.5% of those tests; 419 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 2011 Kia Venga at the first attempt were Track rod end (front) (23.5%), Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (13.9%) and Brake light (12.5%), 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: Track rod end (front) (23.5% of those tests; 419 observed failures; about 5.3× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Track rod end (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (23.5% of those tests; 419 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 2011 Kia Venga include Track rod end (front), Electronic stability control, Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (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 2011 Kia Venga (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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