Used car guide

2016 Kia Venga: common problems and what to check

What gets flagged at MOT on 2016 Kia Vengas, from 5,657 tests in 2025, plus known faults and what to look at before you buy one.

5,657MOT tests in 2025
79%pass first time (all 2016 cars: 75%)
5,000typical miles a year
2.8×the usual rate for sidelights

What stands out

Parts flagged at MOT more often on 2016 Kia Vengas than on all cars registered in 2016.

  • Sidelights2.8× usual
    Kia Venga
    3.9% All 2016 cars
    1.4%

    Failed outright at MOT: 3.8%, against 1.2% of all 2016 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £10–£80 our estimate

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light while you work the switches: indicators, brake lights, fog lights and reversing lights.

  • Brake lights2.1× usual
    Kia Venga
    3.7% All 2016 cars
    1.8%

    Failed outright at MOT: 3.6%, against 1.4% of all 2016 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £10–£80 our estimate

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light while you work the switches: indicators, brake lights, fog lights and reversing lights.

Better than most

Suspension arm bushes and joints: 0.6% here, against 6.1% of all 2016 cars. Shock absorbers: 1% here, against 4.3% of all 2016 cars.

By area

The share of 2016 Kia Venga MOT tests where testers flagged each area, as a fail or an advisory. Rough prices are typical independent-garage costs.

  • Tyres
    29% of testsRough price £70–£150

    At the viewing: Check the tread on all four tyres, including the inside edges, and look for cracks or bulges.

  • Brakes
    24% of testsRough price £150–£350

    At the viewing: Look for a lip on the disc edges and feel for judder or pulling when braking firmly from about 40mph.

  • Lights and electrics
    12% of testsRough price £10–£80

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light, including brake lights and indicators, while you operate them.

  • Wipers, windscreen and mirrors
    6% of testsRough price £15–£250

    At the viewing: Check for chips in the driver's view, and test the wipers and washers.

  • Suspension
    5% of testsRough price £120–£400

    At the viewing: Listen for knocks over speed bumps, and look behind each front wheel for a snapped coil spring.

  • Seats and seatbelts
    2% of testsRough price £80–£250

    At the viewing: Pull each seatbelt sharply. It should lock, and retract cleanly.

Looking at a Kia Venga?

Check the actual car: its own MOT history, mileage and what to ask the seller. Free, no sign-up.

Other years

YearMOT testsMost flagged
20192,636Tyres 27%
20183,666Tyres 29%
20175,902Tyres 28%
20156,135Tyres 30%
20145,339Suspension 38%
20135,515Suspension 43%
20124,813Suspension 48%
20114,094Suspension 52%
20102,673Suspension 53%

Where this comes from: the DVSA's anonymised results for every MOT test in Great Britain in 2025, counting tests of 2016 Kia Vengas registered in 2016. "Flagged" includes advisories, so it isn't the same as a fail rate. How we score