Renault Clio: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Renault Clio fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 15.1 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 303,396 individual Renault Clio tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 61.6% first-time pass rate means roughly 38 in every 100 Renault Clios presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Renault Clio tested had covered 72,225 miles and was built around 2012.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Renault Clio sits 15.1 points below the national average, ranked 1,925 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. See how it stacks up against the Ford Fiesta.

Looking at a specific Renault Clio rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Renault Clio: £400 at UK salvage auction, from 50 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Renault Clio

1. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 5.9% of tests (4.55x the national rate for this defect)
2. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 8.6% of tests (3.78x the national rate for this defect)
3. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.9% of tests (2.84x the national rate for this defect)
4. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 3.9% of tests (2.55x the national rate for this defect)
5. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 12.3% of tests (2.44x the national rate for this defect)
6. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 4% of tests (2.4x the national rate for this defect)
7. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 5.3% of tests (2.39x the national rate for this defect)
8. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 2.5% of tests (2.36x the national rate for this defect)
9. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 2.9% of tests (2.33x the national rate for this defect)
10. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 5.3% of tests (2.28x the national rate for this defect)

From 303,174 DVSA-tracked Renault Clio tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.88% of these flagged Renault Clio defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Renault Clio

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Renault Clio before it actually fails on it.

1. A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting, 5% of tests (4.72x the national rate for this advisory)
2. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 4.4% of tests (3.26x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 4.1% of tests (2.08x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 12% of tests (1.95x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. A tyre seriously damaged, 22.3% of tests (1.44x the national rate for this advisory)
6. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 3.7% of tests (1.32x the national rate for this advisory)
7. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 7.1% of tests (1.28x the national rate for this advisory)
8. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 6% of tests (1.28x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
9. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 14.8% of tests (1.21x the national rate for this advisory)
10. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 28.3% of tests

From 303,174 DVSA-tracked Renault Clio tests, 2024.

Renault Clio pass rate by model year

From its 1999 to its 2019 model year, the Renault Clio's first-time pass rate has risen 25.1 points, from 56% to 81.1%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Renault Clio year:

• 1998 Renault Clio - 56.5% first-time pass, 223 tests
• 1999 Renault Clio - 56% first-time pass, 520 tests
• 2000 Renault Clio - 58.4% first-time pass, 1,006 tests
• 2001 Renault Clio - 60.8% first-time pass, 1,938 tests
• 2002 Renault Clio - 60.6% first-time pass, 3,298 tests
• 2003 Renault Clio - 56.9% first-time pass, 4,949 tests
• 2004 Renault Clio - 56.4% first-time pass, 7,523 tests
• 2005 Renault Clio - 55.3% first-time pass, 9,096 tests
• 2006 Renault Clio - 55% first-time pass, 15,072 tests
• 2007 Renault Clio - 55.1% first-time pass, 19,986 tests
• 2008 Renault Clio - 55.8% first-time pass, 16,187 tests
• 2009 Renault Clio - 57.5% first-time pass, 16,724 tests
• 2010 Renault Clio - 56.5% first-time pass, 23,782 tests
• 2011 Renault Clio - 55.6% first-time pass, 17,737 tests
• 2012 Renault Clio - 55.9% first-time pass, 14,805 tests
• 2013 Renault Clio - 61.4% first-time pass, 20,237 tests
• 2014 Renault Clio - 60% first-time pass, 26,332 tests
• 2015 Renault Clio - 63.3% first-time pass, 24,466 tests
• 2016 Renault Clio - 65.8% first-time pass, 22,491 tests
• 2017 Renault Clio - 72.6% first-time pass, 19,448 tests
• 2018 Renault Clio - 78.2% first-time pass, 19,863 tests
• 2019 Renault Clio - 81.1% first-time pass, 15,087 tests

Renault Clio by fuel type

The Renault Clio's two most-tested fuel types split by 1.8 points: petrol passes first time 62.3% of the time (235,648 tests) against 60.5% for diesel (65,901 tests).

• Petrol Renault Clio - 62.3% first-time pass, 235,648 tests
• Diesel Renault Clio - 60.5% first-time pass, 65,901 tests

Other Renault models

• Renault Captur - 79.7%
• Renault Megane - 61.1%
• Renault Trafic - 61.6%
• Renault Kadjar - 81.7%
• Renault Kangoo - 61.1%
• Renault Scenic - 62.3%
• Renault Twingo - 66.3%
• Renault Grand Scenic - 60.6%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Mitsubishi Shogun Sport - 61.8%
• Vauxhall Signum - 61.8%
• Alfa Romeo 147 - 61.7%
• Renault Trafic - 61.6%
• Peugeot 406 - 61.6%
• Suzuki Wagon-R+ - 61.5%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• Does a car's age affect its MOT pass rate? We checked 32.6 million tests
• Britain's most and least reliable cars: 33 million MOT tests analysed
• Britain's most and least reliable car brands: MOT pass rate by manufacturer
• Diesel vs petrol MOT pass rate by manufacturer: petrol wins for 28 of 31 brands
• Which car models beat their age on the MOT test? 27.9 million tests, ranked
• Which car brands beat their age on the MOT test? 33 million tests, ranked
• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate