Does the Renault R5 fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Renault R5 records 21.36 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 20.34 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) (+1.02, 95% interval −0.39 to +2.43). It ranks 268 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a Renault R5 by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Renault R5 is “Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle.”, recorded 185 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle. | 185 | 4.49 |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 105 | 2.55 |
| Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 68 | 1.65 |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 57 | 1.38 |
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 52 | 1.26 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,124 (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 Renault R5 gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
15.5% of Renault R5 MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.2 months and 588 miles later (528 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 528 (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
Renault R5 by postcode area · Renault R5 body, chassis and structure failures · Renault R5 vehicle identification failures · Renault R5 lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Renault R5 noise, emissions and leaks failures · Renault R5 seat belts and airbags failures · Renault R5 steering failures · Renault R5 suspension failures · Renault R5 tyres failures · Renault R5 visibility failures