Is the Kia Picanto reliable?

The Kia Picanto has an average MOT pass rate of 79% across 19 years, based on 311,580 tests in 2026. That's 3 points below the national average of 82%. The most reliable year is 2022 with a 94% pass rate.

Which year Kia Picanto is best?

The 2022 Kia Picanto has the highest MOT pass rate at 94%, while the 2006 model has the lowest at 66%. There's a 28 percentage point spread between the best and worst years.

Kia Picanto

Reliability, running costs, and MOT data across 19 years from 311,580 real MOT tests.

Avg Pass Rate

79%

Total Tests

311,580

Best Year

2022 (94%)

Years Covered

About the Kia Picanto

The Kia Picanto has been tested 311,580 times in 2026 MOT data across 19 model years (2004 to 2022), with an average pass rate of 79%. That's close to the national average of 82%. Available as petrol and diesel.

Best and Worst Years

The 2022 model is the most reliable with a 94% pass rate from 581 tests. The 2006 model has the lowest at 66%. With a 28 point spread, choosing the right year makes a big difference to reliability.

Reliability Trend

Newer KIA PICANTOs show better MOT pass rates than older ones, with an average improvement of 17 percentage points.

Mileage Across Years

The oldest model in our data (2004) averages 77,908 miles, while the newest (2022) averages 18,487 miles.

Compared to the Kia brand average of 86%, the Picanto is 7 points lower, placing it among the less reliable Kia models.

Estimated Running Costs

Fuel (Petrol, 998cc)

£955

Road Tax

£195

MOT Test

£55

Predicted Repairs

£200

Total per year£1,405

Per month£117/mo

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

Full 2022 details

How reliable is the Kia Picanto?

vs national average-3% (82% avg)

vs Kia brand average-7% (86% avg)

Best to worst year spread28 percentage points

Reliability trendImproving over years

Kia Picanto by Year

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

Year	Pass Rate	Tests	Avg Mileage
2022	94%	581	18,487 mi
2021	93%	16,056	17,202 mi
2020	92%	14,782	20,924 mi
2019	90%	25,927	25,468 mi
2018	90%	26,080	31,324 mi
2017	87%	21,490	36,325 mi
2016	84%	20,561	40,782 mi
2015	82%	22,305	46,768 mi
2014	81%	24,343	52,546 mi
2013	77%	21,893	58,821 mi
2012	75%	23,459	64,866 mi
2011	73%	18,886	66,885 mi
2010	72%	23,578	67,207 mi
2009	71%	23,148	67,485 mi
2008	69%	6,046	74,547 mi
2007	68%	5,061	72,737 mi
2006	66%	7,605	73,767 mi
2005	66%	6,562	76,655 mi
2004	69%	3,217	77,908 mi