Renault Clio MOT pass rate and common problems
Renault Clios fail their MOT more often than other cars of the same age.
- Failed at the first attempt
- 42.8%failed at the first attempt in 2024
Average for cars of the same age: 31.4%
Data: DVSA MOT results · 2024 · 323,880 tests
Check a Renault Clio by registration
Renault Clio common problems: what should I check before buying?
The faults recorded most often at Renault Clio MOTs in 2019–2024, per 100 tests.
- Worn suspension bush or joint10.37Major
What to check: Listen for knocks over speed bumps, feel for the car wandering under braking, and ask which part was replaced.
- Broken or weakened suspension spring10.02Major
What to check: Look behind each wheel at the coil springs for a snapped end, and check the car sits level from side to side.
- Headlight aimed wrongly5.57Major
What to check: Shine the dipped beams at a wall after dark: both should sit at the same height.
- Worn steering joint or track rod end5.56Major
What to check: Feel for play or a knock through the steering wheel, and look for wear on the inner edges of the front tyres.
- Tyre tread below the legal limit4.58Dangerous
What to check: Check the tread across every tyre with a gauge; wear on one edge points to a tracking fault.
One test can record several defects, so this is not the share of Renault Clios.
Each tip applies only if the car you are looking at has that fault in its own MOT history.
Check a Renault Clio by registration
Which Renault Clio years should I avoid?
2012 is the Renault Clio year that fails its MOT most for its age; 2017 fails least.
Fails more for its age: 2012, 2015.
Fails less for its age: 2013, 2017, 2018, 2020.
Years without published figures
- 2024, 2025, 2026
These registration years do not need an MOT yet. Ask the seller for the service history.
- 2021, 2022, 2023
Our figures end in 2024, before these cars had enough MOTs to compare.
Year means the year the car was first registered, as DVSA records it. It may differ from the year it was built.
How does the Renault Clio compare with similar cars?
7 of 8 similar models fail less often for their age than the Renault Clio.
This is a different comparison from the one at the top. There, the Renault Clio is measured against all cars of the same age. Here, it sits among similar models. Both can be true.
| Model | MOT Risk Index |
|---|---|
| Renault Clio | 136.1 |
| Ford Fiesta | 113 |
| Vauxhall Corsa | 118.7 |
| Volkswagen Polo | 111.6 |
| Honda Jazz | 80.8 |
| DS 3 | 146.1 |
| Kia Picanto | 104.6 |
| Skoda Fabia | 99.8 |
| Citroën C1 | 97.5 |
How do Renault Clios hold up as they get older?
First-time MOT failures on Renault Clios go from 13.1% at age 3 to 52.2% at age 19.
| Age at MOT (years) | Renault Clio failed (%) | All cars failed (%) | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 13.1 | 12.4 | 9,321 |
| 16 | 53.2 | 43.1 | 16,081 |
| 17 | 53.3 | 43.1 | 19,881 |
| 18 | 53.3 | 43.9 | 15,018 |
| 19 | 52.2 | 43.5 | 9,059 |
Do advisories on Renault Clios turn into fails at the next MOT?
36.6% of lights and electrical advisories on Renault Clios turned into lights and electrical fails at the next MOT.
The next MOT came about 12 months later.
Based on 65,426 advisories, each followed to the car's next MOT, 2019–2024. This counts advisories, not cars.
The most common advisories on Renault Clios are for tyres: 43.95 per 100 tests.
| Advisory | Failed next time (%) | Advisories followed |
|---|---|---|
| lamps, reflectors and electrics | 36.6 | 65,426 |
| suspension | 31.2 | 214,956 |
| steering | 24.7 | 58,501 |
| brakes | 17.2 | 373,058 |
| visibility | 15.3 | 1,996 |
What else should I know about a used Renault Clio?
- MOT pass rate, 2024
- 42.8% failed at the first attempt; after repairs at the test centre, 63.8% passed in the end.
- MOT tests counted
- 323,880 first tests in 2024; retests are left out
- Years first registered
- 1998 to 2020
- Fuel
- Petrol 78.8%, diesel 20.6%
- ULEZ
- 78.8% likely to meet it, judged from fuel and registration date
- Typical mileage at 8 years old
- 52,454 miles
- Recalls
- 24 campaigns listed by DVSA
Renault Clio common problems: what actually fails the MOT?
Renault Clio MOTs fail most often on ‘lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment’: 34.8 per 100 tests, against 21.1 for UK cars of the same age (2019–2024, n = 2,157,560).
| Measure | Value (per 100) | Comparison (per 100) | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 34.8 | 21.1 | 751,318 |
| Suspension | 29.2 | 18.3 | 629,076 |
| Brakes | 16.9 | 13.7 | 364,807 |
| Visibility | 12.3 | 8.6 | 264,908 |
| Tyres | 10.8 | 9.3 | 233,776 |
What is likely to fail next on a used Renault Clio?
For Renault Clios aged 12 to 14 whose last MOT was a fail, the item most likely to fail at the next MOT is ‘lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment’: 32.6% failed on it (2019–2024, n = 181,555).
| Measure | Value (% next fail) |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, 12 to 14 years old, after a fail | 32.6 |
| Suspension, 12 to 14 years old, after a fail | 29.6 |
| Visibility, 12 to 14 years old, after a fail | 14.5 |
| Brakes, 12 to 14 years old, after a fail | 14.2 |
| Steering, 12 to 14 years old, after a fail | 13.6 |
How often do Renault Clios get a dangerous MOT defect?
The Renault Clio gets a dangerous defect more often than the UK average: 14.1 per 100 first tests against 11.2 across the UK. A dangerous defect means the vehicle should not be driven away until it is fixed. In the same tests, 96.9 major and 15.6 minor defects were recorded per 100 tests (one test can record several).
Severity was not recorded for some 2018–2021 tests.
| Measure | Value (per 100) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Dangerous defects | 14.1 | 2,157,560 |
Comparison: 11.2 per 100.
How much do Renault Clio MOT repairs cost?
Expected repair cost per Renault Clio MOT: about £136 (up to about £259 if more expensive parts are needed), from the chance of failing each item and its most common UK repair price (catalogue estimate, n = 323,880).
Computed, not measured.
| Measure | Value | Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Expected repair bill | 136.3 GBP estimate | modal price catalogue |
| Estimated range lower | 136.3 GBP estimate | modal price catalogue |
| Estimated range upper | 259.1 GBP estimate | modal price catalogue |
| Suspension: Suspension coil spring (single corner) | 52.6 GBP expected contribution | 180 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: Battery replacement (standard 12V lead-acid) | 48.7 GBP expected contribution | 140 |
What mileage is normal for a used Renault Clio?
At age 8, the median Renault Clio had covered 52,454 miles by its MOT; the middle half ranged from 38,744 to 68,602 miles (2024, n = 22,469).
| Measure | Value (miles) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Age 3 median | 19507 | 9,321 |
| Age 3 P25 | 12661 | 9,321 |
| Age 3 P75 | 29763 | 9,321 |
| Age 4 median | 23881 | 10,900 |
| Age 4 P25 | 16318 | 10,900 |
Do high-mileage Renault Clios fail their MOT more often?
At ages 10–14, 31.0% of Renault Clios with under 40,000 miles failed first time, against 55.8% of those with over 140,000 miles (2024, n = 12,022). Inside this age group, higher mileage goes with more failures.
| Measure | Value (% failed first time) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Age 3–5, <40k miles | 16.1 | 29,223 |
| Age 3–5, 40-70k miles | 25.8 | 7,088 |
| Age 3–5, 70-100k miles | 31 | 857 |
| Age 3–5, 100-140k miles (rough estimate: 132 tests, 95% interval 31.5–47.9%) | 39.4 | 132 |
| Age 6–9, <40k miles | 24.3 | 28,119 |
How many miles do Renault Clios last?
17.1% of Renault Clios tested had reached 100,000 miles, and 1.6% had reached 150,000 (2024, n = 366,875).
| Measure | Value (% of tested cars) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| 100,000 miles | 17.1 | 366,875 |
| 150,000 miles | 1.6 | 34,449 |
| 200,000 miles | 0.1 | 2,681 |
Does mileage, as well as age, change the Renault Clio failure index?
Matched on annual mileage as well as age, the Renault Clio index is 140.4, against 134.0 on age alone (2019–2024, n = 323,880).
| Measure | Value (index) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Age and mileage adjusted index | 140.4 | 323,880 |
Comparison: 134 index.
Which Renault Clio fuel type fails its MOT less?
There is no real difference between petrol and diesel Renault Clios before allowing for age: 42.4% against 45.3% fail first time.
| Measure | Value (% fail first time) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Hybrid | 11.7 | 1,873 |
| Petrol | 42.4 | 255,299 |
| Diesel | 45.3 | 66,699 |
Comparison: other fuels.
Which Renault Clio engine fails its MOT least?
Among engines with enough tests, the best Renault Clio engine is the petrol 1.8–2.0 litre at index 71.6, and the worst the diesel 1.2–1.5 litre at 105.5, where 100 = the model's own average (2024, n = 323,880).
| Measure | Value (index vs model norm) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol over 2.0 litre (rough estimate: 1,328 tests, 95% interval 22.5–29.4) | 25.7 | 1,328 |
| Petrol 1.8–2.0 litre | 71.6 | 53,598 |
| Petrol under 1.0 litre | 89.9 | 334,098 |
| Petrol 1.5–1.8 litre | 90.4 | 82,455 |
| Petrol 1.2–1.5 litre | 100 | 150,570 |
Comparison: 100 = model average.
Where in Britain does the Renault Clio fail its MOT most?
Renault Clio fails first-time MOTs most in Kirkcaldy (KY): 57.5% against 43.9% across Britain for this model, both 2019–2024 (2019–2024, n = 14,936).
| Measure | Value (% fail first time) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Kirkcaldy (KY) | 57.5 | 14,936 |
| Dundee (DD) | 54.1 | 14,427 |
| Plymouth (PL) | 52.1 | 22,385 |
| Bromley (BR) | 30.2 | 9,115 |
| Enfield (EN) | 32.4 | 10,888 |
Across Britain for this model: 43.9% failed first time, also in 2019–2024.
Does the Renault Clio have rust problems?
Allowing for age, Renault Clio MOTs record corrosion failures at 2.9 times the national rate: 2.24% of tests against 0.77% (2024 + geographic layers, n = 321,943).
Computed, not measured.
| Measure | Value (ratio estimate) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Salt belt susceptibility | 2.9 | 321,943 |
Comparison: 1 ratio estimate.
What do six years of MOTs show about owning a used Renault Clio?
Of failed Renault Clio MOTs, 43.2% were retested the same day and a further 54.0% within 10 days; the median failed car passed its retest after 1 day (2019–2024, n = 727,001).
| Measure | Value | Comparison | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same-day retest | 43.2 % | failed initial tests | 727,001 |
| Retest within 10 days | 54.0 % | failed initial tests | 727,001 |
| Clean MOT streak | 28.8 % | observed chains | 379,435 |
| Repeat advisory | 36.2 % | observed chains | 379,435 |
| Decreasing odometer | 1.3 % mileage anomaly | observed chains | 427,525 |
Is low mileage good for a used Renault Clio?
Renault Clios aged 5 to 14 doing under 5,000 miles a year failed first time in 33.3% of tests, against 50.0% for those doing 8,000 to 12,000 miles (2019–2024, n = 357,624).
| Measure | Value | Comparison | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-use first-time failure | 33.3 % | 50.0 | 357,624 |
| Low-use gap | -16.7 percentage points | 8–12k miles | 357,624 |
How many years do Renault Clios last?
Renault Clios tend to last: at ten years old the typical one has about 8.1 more years of MOTs ahead, more than the median model. This is a forecast from the survival curve and may not come true.
Computed, not measured.
Forecast, not a prediction for a particular car.
| Measure | Value (years forecast) |
|---|---|
| Age 5 | 13.1 |
| Age 8 | 10.1 |
| Age 10 | 8.1 |
| Age 12 | 6.1 |
| Age 15 (at least; observed only until age 19) | 3.1 |
How many Renault Clios are still on the road as they age?
In 2024, for every 100 Renault Clios tested at ages 4 to 6, about 35 were tested at age 19 (2024, n = 44,582).
| Measure | Value (% of age 4–6 baseline) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Age 3 | 82.7 | 105,409 |
| Age 4 | 90.6 | 115,363 |
| Age 5 (at least as many as at ages 4–6) | 100 | 131,235 |
| Age 6 (at least as many as at ages 4–6) | 100 | 135,602 |
| Age 7 (at least as many as at ages 4–6) | 100 | 131,653 |
If a used Renault Clio fails its MOT, will it fail the next one?
45.6% of Renault Clios that failed an MOT failed the next one too, against 36.3% after a pass (2019–2024, n = 155,099). The failure most likely to come back is ‘lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment’: 41.1% of those fails recurred at the next MOT.
| Measure | Value (%) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Repeat after fail | 45.6 | 155,099 |
Comparison: 36.3 %.
Which Renault Clio faults tend to come together?
On Renault Clios, ‘noise, emissions and leaks’ and seat belt installation check failures turn up together 5.5 times as often as chance would predict (2024, n = 32).
| Measure | Value (lift) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Noise, emissions and leaks + Seat belt installation check (rough estimate: 32 tests, 95% interval 3.7–7.7) | 5.5 | 32 |
| Identification of the vehicle + Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 5.0 | 880 |
| Identification of the vehicle + Road Wheels (rough estimate: 98 tests, 95% interval 3.9–5.8) | 4.7 | 98 |
| Seat belt installation check + Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems (rough estimate: 25 tests, 95% interval 3.0–6.9) | 4.7 | 25 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems + Speedometer and speed limiter (rough estimate: 20 tests, 95% interval 2.8–7.0) | 4.5 | 20 |
Comparison: expected joint rate.
Renault Clio safety recalls: how do I check this car?
DVSA lists 24 safety recall campaigns matched to the Renault Clio; check whether yours has been fixed, using its registration number.
Computed, not measured.
Recall effects are computed comparisons, not causal findings; campaigns are not linked to individual VINs.
| Measure | Value | Comparison | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| DVSA recall campaigns matched | 24 campaigns | DVSA register | 323,880 |
| Recall effect: R/2020/015 | -0.9 percentage points computed | comparison fleet | 323,880 |
How many Renault Clios fail the MOT at each age?
Of every 100 Renault Clios tested at age 5, about 23 failed the MOT first time; at age 10, about 45. These are one-year rates for different cars tested in the same year, not a fleet followed over time; the steepest one-year step in this cross-section is between cars aged 11 and 12, 8.19 percentage points (2024).
| Measure | Value (% fail first time) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Age 3 | 13.1 | 9,321 |
| Age 4 | 15.8 | 10,900 |
| Age 5 | 22.9 | 17,099 |
| Age 6 | 25.9 | 19,843 |
| Age 7 | 31.4 | 19,429 |
Do Renault Clios fail their MOT more in some months?
Renault Clios fail first time most in January (46.2%, against 31.1% for all cars that month) and least in March (41.5%) (2024, n = 323,880).
| Measure | Value (% fail first time) | Comparison (% fail first time) | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 46.2 | 31.1 | 188,748 |
| February | 44.6 | 30.0 | 176,013 |
| March | 41.5 | 28.3 | 229,792 |
| April | 44.2 | 29.8 | 121,727 |
| May | 43.2 | 28.8 | 132,361 |
How far is real-world MPG from the lab figure for Renault cars?
Real-world fuel use of 2023 petrol cars from Renault is 26.2% above the official WLTP figure: 6.57 against 5.21 litres per 100 km (2021+ cohorts, n = 312,539 vehicles).
Computed, not measured.
| Measure | Value (% real-world vs official) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Renault 2021 diesel | 16.2 | 52,824 |
| Renault 2021 petrol | 24.6 | 211,814 |
| Renault 2021 petrol/electric | 225.2 | 26,415 |
| Renault 2022 diesel | 17.3 | 55,570 |
| Renault 2022 petrol | 23.2 | 277,207 |
Plug-in hybrids: the lab figure assumes the battery is charged often; on the road many are driven mostly on petrol, so the gap is several times larger.
Comparison: 0% gap.
European Commission OBFCM; covers 19 of 761 models.
What DVSA defect categories mean
- Dangerous: the car should not be driven until it is repaired.
- Major: the car fails the MOT.
- Minor: recorded, but the car still passes.
- Advisory: noted by the tester to keep an eye on; the car still passes.
How are these figures calculated?
We count first MOT tests only; retests after repairs are left out. Each model is compared with cars of the same age.
Which Renault Clio figures are missing, and why?
We have not worked this out for the Renault Clio yet.
- What have dealers been told about the Renault Clio? (US market)
- What do owners complain about? (US market)
Cite this page or report an error
How to cite this page
MOT Risk Index (2026). Renault Clio MOT statistics 2024 (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 24 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/renault-clio/
How the MOT Risk Index and every figure on this page are calculated: methodology.
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More on the Renault Clio
- Overview:
- Model overview · All Renault models
- Build years:
- 1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012 · 2013 · 2014 · 2015 · 2016 · 2017 · 2018 · 2019 · 2020
- What fails:
- body · brakes · plates · lights · emissions · wheels · seat belts · steering · suspension · tyres · visibility
- Abroad:
- Finland · the Netherlands · Norway
- By area:
- Postcode areas
- Compare:
- Ford Fiesta · Vauxhall Corsa · Volkswagen Polo · Honda Jazz · DS 3