Does the Kia Picanto fail the MOT on noise, emissions and leaks more than it should?
The Kia Picanto records 3.54 noise, emissions and leaks failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 3.14 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (+0.40, 95% interval +0.36 to +0.44). It ranks 198 of 678 models on noise, emissions and leaks (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on noise, emissions and leaks · check a Kia Picanto by registration
What exactly fails on noise, emissions and leaks?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Kia Picanto is “Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer”, recorded 10,340 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer | 10,340 | 1.04 |
| Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction | 5,440 | 0.55 |
| Emissions test unable to be completed | 4,807 | 0.49 |
| Emissions levels exceed default limits | 4,397 | 0.44 |
| An induction or exhaust leak that could affect emissions levels | 3,468 | 0.35 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 990,523 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Kia Picanto gets a noise, emissions and leaks advisory, how often does it fail next time?
10.3% of Kia Picanto MOTs with a noise, emissions and leaks advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 4,353 miles later (27,609 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 27,609 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
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