Is the Kia Carens reliable?

The Kia Carens has an average MOT pass rate of 72% across 17 years, based on 26,391 tests in 2026. That's 10 points below the national average of 82%. The most reliable year is 2018 with a 83% pass rate.

Which year Kia Carens is best?

The 2018 Kia Carens has the highest MOT pass rate at 83%, while the 2005 model has the lowest at 57%. There's a 26 percentage point spread between the best and worst years.

Kia Carens

Reliability, running costs, and MOT data across 17 years from 26,391 real MOT tests.

Avg Pass Rate

72%

Total Tests

26,391

Best Year

2018 (83%)

Years Covered

About the Kia Carens

The Kia Carens has been tested 26,391 times in 2026 MOT data across 17 model years (2003 to 2019), with an average pass rate of 72%. That's 10 points below the national average of 82%, so check the year-by-year data carefully before buying. Available as diesel and petrol.

Best and Worst Years

The 2018 model is the most reliable with a 83% pass rate from 2,703 tests. The 2005 model has the lowest at 57%. With a 26 point spread, choosing the right year makes a big difference to reliability.

Reliability Trend

Newer KIA CARENSs show better MOT pass rates than older ones, with an average improvement of 12 percentage points.

Mileage Across Years

The oldest model in our data (2003) averages 71,057 miles, while the newest (2019) averages 51,500 miles.

Compared to the Kia brand average of 86%, the Carens is 14 points lower, placing it among the less reliable Kia models.

Estimated Running Costs

Fuel (Petrol, 1591cc)

£1,137

Road Tax

£195

MOT Test

£55

Predicted Repairs

£350

Total per year£1,737

Per month£145/mo

Based on 7,400 miles/year, current fuel prices, and MOT pass rate data. Insurance not included.

Full 2019 details

How reliable is the Kia Carens?

vs national average-10% (82% avg)

vs Kia brand average-14% (86% avg)

Best to worst year spread26 percentage points

Reliability trendImproving over years

Kia Carens by Year

Click any year to see detailed running costs, reliability data, and comparisons with similar cars.

Year	Pass Rate	Tests	Avg Mileage
2019	83%	139	51,500 mi
2018	83%	2,703	52,577 mi
2017	82%	3,168	61,814 mi
2016	79%	3,019	70,759 mi
2015	79%	3,585	80,429 mi
2014	78%	3,824	87,028 mi
2013	77%	2,513	94,445 mi
2012	71%	188	91,805 mi
2011	69%	664	98,764 mi
2010	73%	601	99,736 mi
2009	69%	2,077	100,124 mi
2008	68%	1,934	102,459 mi
2007	66%	855	106,122 mi
2006	62%	554	95,903 mi
2005	57%	275	89,214 mi
2004	66%	195	79,548 mi
2003	63%	97	71,057 mi