Renault Espace: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Renault Espace fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 20.5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 1,478 individual Renault Espace tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 56.2% first-time pass rate means roughly 44 in every 100 Renault Espaces 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 Espace tested had covered 123,859 miles and was built around 2006.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Renault Espace sits 20.5 points below the national average, ranked 1,991 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. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Renault Espace 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 recorded closing bids for damaged Renault Espaces at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Renault Espace

1. ESC MIL indicates a system malfunction, 2.4% of tests (12.04x the national rate for this defect)
2. Warning device shows system malfunction, 4.5% of tests (10.79x the national rate for this defect)
3. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 7.9% of tests (6.07x the national rate for this defect)
4. Parking brake inoperative on one side, 2.9% of tests (4.88x the national rate for this defect)
5. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 2.7% of tests (4.54x the national rate for this defect)
6. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 6.2% of tests (4.02x the national rate for this defect)
7. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 7.6% of tests (3.22x the national rate for this defect)
8. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 3.6% of tests (2.75x the national rate for this defect)
9. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 6.2% of tests (2.7x the national rate for this defect)
10. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 4.8% of tests (2.61x the national rate for this defect)

From 1,478 DVSA-tracked Renault Espace tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.18% of these flagged Renault Espace defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Renault Espace

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 Espace before it actually fails on it.

1. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 8.1% of tests (6.09x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 19.6% of tests (4.15x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 4.9% of tests (3.56x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 14.5% of tests (2.6x the national rate for this advisory)
5. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 9.4% of tests (2.4x the national rate for this advisory)
6. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 6% of tests (2.24x the national rate for this advisory)
7. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 12% of tests (1.94x the national rate for this advisory)
8. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 23.4% of tests (1.91x the national rate for this advisory)
9. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 5.3% of tests (1.88x the national rate for this advisory)
10. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 3.5% of tests (1.76x the national rate for this advisory)

From 1,478 DVSA-tracked Renault Espace tests, 2024.

Renault Espace pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Renault Espace year:

• 2007 Renault Espace - 50.3% first-time pass, 312 tests
• 2008 Renault Espace - 52.3% first-time pass, 220 tests

Renault Espace by fuel type

The Renault Espace's two most-tested fuel types split by 6 points: diesel passes first time 55.8% of the time (1,147 tests) against 61.8% for petrol (309 tests).

• Diesel Renault Espace - 55.8% first-time pass, 1,147 tests
• Petrol Renault Espace - 61.8% first-time pass, 309 tests

Other Renault models

• Renault Clio - 61.6%
• 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%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Nissan Kubistar - 56.8%
• Chevrolet Aveo - 56.6%
• Chevrolet Lacetti - 56.2%
• Kia Cerato - 55.8%
• Ford Freda - 55.5%
• Proton Savvy - 55.5%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• 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