2012 Renault Clio: MOT pass rate and reliability

55.9% of 2012 Renault Clios pass the MOT first time, measured across 14,805 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 77,603 miles.

How the 2012 compares

  • Against all Renault Clios (61.9%, 301,565 tests): -6 points
  • Against all 2012 cars (70.8%): -14.9 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Renault Clio model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2012 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Renault Clio:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
1998 56.5% 223 71,765
1999 56% 520 72,504
2000 58.4% 1,006 80,190
2001 60.8% 1,938 81,779
2002 60.6% 3,298 85,663
2003 56.9% 4,949 85,795
2004 56.4% 7,523 89,443
2005 55.3% 9,096 89,082
2006 55% 15,072 91,640
2007 55.1% 19,986 91,704
2008 55.8% 16,187 92,134
2009 57.5% 16,724 87,559
2010 56.5% 23,782 86,076
2011 55.6% 17,737 81,175
2012 55.9% 14,805 77,603
2013 61.4% 20,237 77,963
2014 60% 26,332 72,485
2015 63.3% 24,466 65,033
2016 65.8% 22,491 56,554
2017 72.6% 19,448 49,507
2018 78.2% 19,863 42,320
2019 81.1% 15,087 36,345

What this means if you are buying a 2012 Clio

The 2012 is a weaker year for this model, passing 6 points less often than the Renault Clio average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2012 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.

What a 14-year-old car fails on

A 2012 car is 14 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:

  • Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
  • Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
  • Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
  • Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
  • Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
  • Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested

That is a shade above the middle of the range, still ordinary wear rather than a red flag, but worth checking against the service book for the car's age. On a 2012 Renault Clio the average at test was 77,603 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.

The strongest year for this model is 2019 at 81.1%, and the weakest in our data is 2006 at 55%. That 26.1 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2012 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Renault Clio MOT data · Every model