All generations and engines together · 10,952 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 87k
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 8,189 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
The 1.7 CRDi's diesel particulate filter and EGR valve silt up on cars mostly used for short runs, showing up as sluggish pulling away, a lit engine warning light, or heavy fuel use. Parkers' own used-buying advice for the Optima flags this specifically, telling buyers to take any diesel example on a 20-minute test drive including a proper 60-70mph stretch to prove the regen system still works. It tends to bite from around 60-80k miles on stop-start cars; a clean or replacement DPF runs to a few hundred pounds, an EGR valve less. No recall involved, it is down to how the car has been used.
GT-Line and GT-Line S cars with the 1.6 T-GDI petrol and 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox can judder or hesitate pulling away, feel grabby in reverse, or shudder while crawling in traffic. Kia's own technical bulletin for this JF-generation model covers dual-clutch judder inspection, with the fix being a replacement clutch pack and a transmission control unit update. It does not touch the diesel-manual or diesel-DCT cars, only the 1.6 petrol automatic.
A recurring owner complaint on both the saloon and Sportswagon: clonks or creaks from the front end over speed bumps and ridges, usually traced by owners to drop links or the strut top mounts rather than anything structural. It tends to start from around 50-70k miles. The measured MOT data for this model backs the general shape of the complaint, suspension is the standout failure category once these cars reach test age, though the data does not identify which specific part is failing, so treat the drop-link and top-mount diagnosis as the likely explanation rather than a certainty.
The plastic and cable latch mechanism inside the front doors wears with age, so the door stops opening from the outside handle even though central locking shows it as unlocked. Owners often work round it for a while by pulling the interior handle repeatedly to free it up, but the lasting fix is a full latch assembly rather than just the handle. It shows up as the car gets older, roughly 5-8 years, rather than tracking to a specific mileage, and there is no UK recall covering it.
Optima models sold in the UK up to 2018 were subject to a recall because the forward collision warning software could fail to trigger automatic emergency braking when it should, for instance against a stationary vehicle ahead. Kia's fix is a free software update at a dealer. Parkers flags this directly in its used-buying advice for the model, so it is worth checking on any pre-2018 car that the work has actually been carried out, as dealers do not always chase owners for outstanding recalls.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (Saloons & estates), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.