Renault Clio 1998: MOT failure rate for its age

54.2% of 1,922 MOT tests of the Renault Clio first registered in 1998 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 102.3 (95% CI 96.1–108.5; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 1998 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age. This is a rough estimate from a smaller sample.

Renault Clio built in 1998 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	54.2	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	1922
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 96.1–108.5)	102.3	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	1922
Rank among this model's 23 build years	19	of 23	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	1922
Tested in 2024	5	tests	median 60,130 miles	2024	5

Built 1998 against Renault Clio normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 21: 55.7% vs 55.3%; age 22: 51.8% vs 49.1%. Axis from 0% to 60%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 1998 Renault Clio by registration · All Renault Clio MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 1998 Renault Clio fail at each age?

Cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

Renault Clio built 1998: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
Age	Tests	Failed, %	95% interval	Normal for this model at that age, %	Index (100 = normal)
21	1,182	55.7	52.8–58.5	55.3	100.6
22	740	51.8	48.2–55.3	49.1	105.4

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,922 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 1998 Renault Clio?

The most common failure group on cars built in 1998 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 45.3 items per 100 first tests, against 34.8 across all build years of the Renault Clio. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Renault Clio built 1998 against the Renault Clio in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 1998, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	45.3	34.8	1,439
Suspension	34.1	29.2	1,081
Brakes	25.8	16.9	818
Body, chassis, structure	25.5	6.8	809
Visibility	16.9	12.3	535

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 3,174 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 1998 compare with the years around it?

Among the 23 published build years of the Renault Clio, 1998 ranks 19 (1 = fails least for its age). 1999: index 101.0.

Renault Clio build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
1998	102.3	96.1–108.5	no different (rough estimate)	1,922
1999	101.0	97.4–104.6	no different	5,609
2000	103.3	100.9–105.8	worse	11,936
2001	99.4	97.7–101.1	no different	24,763
2002	97.6	96.3–98.8	better	44,830
2003	100.5	99.4–101.5	no different	66,052
2004	101.4	100.5–102.3	worse	89,247
2005	100.8	100.0–101.7	no different	100,443
2006	97.9	97.2–98.6	better	151,575
2007	98.4	97.7–99.0	better	178,276
2008	98.4	97.7–99.2	better	130,991
2009	98.2	97.4–99.0	better	120,976
2010	101.7	101.0–102.4	worse	163,427
2011	104.9	104.1–105.8	worse	116,495
2012	108.2	107.2–109.2	worse	94,928
2013	91.4	90.6–92.2	better	126,068
2014	100.3	99.5–101.1	no different	161,761
2015	105.3	104.3–106.2	worse	148,395
2016	100.7	99.6–101.7	no different	135,440
2017	89.8	88.6–91.0	better	102,540
2018	94.6	93.1–96.0	better	79,805
2019	98.1	96.1–100.0	no different	51,781
2020	94.2	91.1–97.4	better	22,018

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 2,129,278 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). Renault Clio 1998 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/renault-clio/1998/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

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