Kia Optima 2015: MOT failure rate for its age

21.4% of 3,802 MOT tests of the Kia Optima first registered in 2015 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 101.3 (95% CI 94.3–108.2; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2015 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age. This is a rough estimate from a smaller sample.

Kia Optima built in 2015 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	21.4	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	3802
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 94.3–108.2)	101.3	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	3802
Rank among this model's 9 build years	3	of 9	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	3802
Tested in 2024	599	tests	median 79,900 miles	2024	599

Built 2015 against Kia Optima normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 4: 18.9% vs 18.4%; age 5: 19.6% vs 17%; age 6: 19.2% vs 18%; age 7: 22.8% vs 20%; age 8: 24.6% vs 24.2%; age 9: 23.7% vs 29.9%. Axis from 0% to 30%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2015 Kia Optima by registration · All Kia Optima MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 2015 Kia Optima fail at each age?

Cars built in 2015 were tested at ages 4 to 9 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

Kia Optima built 2015: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
Age	Tests	Failed, %	95% interval	Normal for this model at that age, %	Index (100 = normal)
4	673	18.9	16.1–22	18.4	102.7
5	637	19.6	16.7–22.9	17	115.2
6	634	19.2	16.4–22.5	18	106.7
7	632	22.8	19.7–26.2	20	113.8
8	627	24.6	21.4–28.1	24.2	101.4
9	599	23.7	20.5–27.3	29.9	79.4

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 3,802 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 2015 Kia Optima?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2015 is tyres: 11.1 items per 100 first tests, against 8.9 across all build years of the Kia Optima. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2015 were tested at ages 4 to 9.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Kia Optima built 2015 against the Kia Optima in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 2015, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Tyres	11.1	8.9	421
Brakes	11	9.7	419
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	5.9	4.3	223
Visibility	5.9	6.9	223
Suspension	2.6	2.5	100

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 3,802 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 2015 compare with the years around it?

Among the 9 published build years of the Kia Optima, 2015 ranks 3 (1 = fails least for its age). 2014: index 108.3. 2016: index 84.5.

Kia Optima build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
2012	113.7	108.1–119.2	worse	4,496
2013	108.6	100.1–117.1	worse (rough estimate)	2,137
2014	108.3	101.5–115.1	worse (rough estimate)	3,774
2015	101.3	94.3–108.2	no different (rough estimate)	3,802
2016	84.5	79.7–89.3	better	7,728
2017	96.4	92.8–99.9	better	17,735
2018	102.4	97.6–107.2	no different	11,007
2019	120.8	113.0–128.5	worse	5,161
2020	107.2	75.9–138.5	no different (rough estimate)	295

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 56,135 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). Kia Optima 2015 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/kia-optima/2015/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

Kia Optima 2015: MOT failure rate for its age

How does the 2015 Kia Optima fail at each age?

What fails most on the 2015 Kia Optima?

How does 2015 compare with the years around it?

How to cite this page

Related pages

Other pages for this model