Does the Kia Picanto fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Kia Picanto records 2.53 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 2.44 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) (+0.09, 95% interval +0.05 to +0.12). It ranks 210 of 640 models on steering (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on steering · check a Kia Picanto by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Kia Picanto is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated”, recorded 11,081 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 11,081 | 1.12 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 7,704 | 0.78 |
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 4,827 | 0.49 |
| A steering ball joint worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment | 291 | 0.03 |
| Steering linkage retaining or locking device missing or ineffective | 267 | 0.03 |
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 steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
16.8% of Kia Picanto MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 3,956 miles later (4,142 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,142 (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
Kia Picanto 2004 · Kia Picanto 2005 · Kia Picanto 2006 · Kia Picanto 2007 · Kia Picanto 2008 · Kia Picanto 2009 · Kia Picanto 2010 · Kia Picanto 2011 · Kia Picanto 2012 · Kia Picanto 2013 · Kia Picanto 2014 · Kia Picanto 2015 · Kia Picanto 2016 · Kia Picanto 2017 · Kia Picanto 2018 · Kia Picanto 2019 · Kia Picanto 2020 · Kia Picanto in Norway · Kia Picanto in Finland · Kia Picanto in the Netherlands · Kia Picanto by postcode area · Kia Picanto body, chassis and structure failures · Kia Picanto brakes failures · Kia Picanto vehicle identification failures · Kia Picanto lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Kia Picanto noise, emissions and leaks failures · Kia Picanto road wheels failures · Kia Picanto seat belts and airbags failures · Kia Picanto suspension failures · Kia Picanto tyres failures · Kia Picanto visibility failures