Does the Kia Soul fail the MOT on suspension more than it should?
The Kia Soul records 9.21 suspension failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 12.53 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−3.32, 95% interval −3.50 to −3.13). It ranks 439 of 701 models on suspension (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on suspension · check a Kia Soul by registration
What exactly fails on suspension?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Kia Soul is “A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn”, recorded 4,501 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | 4,501 | 3.27 |
| A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 2,870 | 2.08 |
| A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated | 2,470 | 1.79 |
| A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened | 1,633 | 1.19 |
| A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage | 266 | 0.19 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 137,660 (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 Soul gets a suspension advisory, how often does it fail next time?
19.2% of Kia Soul MOTs with a suspension advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 6,013 miles later (7,229 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 7,229 (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 Soul 2009 · Kia Soul 2010 · Kia Soul 2011 · Kia Soul 2012 · Kia Soul 2013 · Kia Soul 2014 · Kia Soul 2015 · Kia Soul 2016 · Kia Soul 2017 · Kia Soul 2018 · Kia Soul 2019 · Kia Soul 2020 · Kia Soul in Norway · Kia Soul in Finland · Kia Soul in the Netherlands · Kia Soul by postcode area · Kia Soul body, chassis and structure failures · Kia Soul brakes failures · Kia Soul vehicle identification failures · Kia Soul lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Kia Soul noise, emissions and leaks failures · Kia Soul road wheels failures · Kia Soul seat belts and airbags failures · Kia Soul steering failures · Kia Soul tyres failures · Kia Soul visibility failures