Renault Megane: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Renault Megane fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 15.6 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 103,796 individual Renault Megane tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 61.1% first-time pass rate means roughly 39 in every 100 Renault Meganes 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 Megane tested had covered 91,771 miles and was built around 2011.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Renault Megane sits 15.6 points below the national average, ranked 1,932 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 Megane 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 Megane: £300 at UK salvage auction, from 25 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Renault Megane

1. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 8.6% of tests (6.6x the national rate for this defect)
2. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 5.7% of tests (4.2x the national rate for this defect)
3. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 9.1% of tests (4.01x the national rate for this defect)
4. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 3.1% of tests (3.88x the national rate for this defect)
5. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 4.9% of tests (3.22x the national rate for this defect)
6. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 2.8% of tests (2.92x the national rate for this defect)
7. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.8% of tests (2.72x the national rate for this defect)
8. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 3.5% of tests (2.67x 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, 3.2% of tests (2.64x the national rate for this defect)
10. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 12.8% of tests (2.54x the national rate for this defect)

From 103,705 DVSA-tracked Renault Megane tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.57% of these flagged Renault Megane defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Renault Megane

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 Megane before it actually fails on it.

1. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 6.6% of tests (4.97x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 6.5% of tests (3.24x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. A wheel badly distorted or wear between wheel and hub at spigot mounting, 3.1% of tests (2.91x the national rate for this advisory)
4. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 9.3% of tests (2.37x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 27.1% of tests (2.21x the national rate for this advisory)
6. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 11.1% of tests (1.79x the national rate for this advisory)
7. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 5.2% of tests (1.64x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 20% of tests (1.49x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
9. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 3.8% of tests (1.44x the national rate for this advisory)
10. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 31.4% of tests (1.18x the national rate for this advisory)

From 103,705 DVSA-tracked Renault Megane tests, 2024.

Renault Megane pass rate by model year

From its 2000 to its 2021 model year, the Renault Megane's first-time pass rate has risen 22.2 points, from 62.6% to 84.8%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Renault Megane year:

• 2000 Renault Megane - 62.6% first-time pass, 372 tests
• 2001 Renault Megane - 64.4% first-time pass, 910 tests
• 2002 Renault Megane - 63.6% first-time pass, 1,417 tests
• 2003 Renault Megane - 63.1% first-time pass, 766 tests
• 2004 Renault Megane - 58.2% first-time pass, 1,053 tests
• 2005 Renault Megane - 56.4% first-time pass, 2,042 tests
• 2006 Renault Megane - 56.8% first-time pass, 3,339 tests
• 2007 Renault Megane - 56.9% first-time pass, 5,666 tests
• 2008 Renault Megane - 56.6% first-time pass, 5,248 tests
• 2009 Renault Megane - 56% first-time pass, 8,599 tests
• 2010 Renault Megane - 56.7% first-time pass, 15,409 tests
• 2011 Renault Megane - 57.4% first-time pass, 12,732 tests
• 2012 Renault Megane - 58.7% first-time pass, 8,847 tests
• 2013 Renault Megane - 59.5% first-time pass, 7,196 tests
• 2014 Renault Megane - 58.5% first-time pass, 7,077 tests
• 2015 Renault Megane - 66.3% first-time pass, 6,496 tests
• 2016 Renault Megane - 74.1% first-time pass, 4,879 tests
• 2017 Renault Megane - 78.3% first-time pass, 4,786 tests
• 2018 Renault Megane - 81.8% first-time pass, 1,981 tests
• 2019 Renault Megane - 83.2% first-time pass, 2,530 tests
• 2020 Renault Megane - 84.4% first-time pass, 1,051 tests
• 2021 Renault Megane - 84.8% first-time pass, 487 tests

Renault Megane by fuel type

The Renault Megane's two most-tested fuel types split by 0.8 points: diesel passes first time 61.1% of the time (56,052 tests) against 61.9% for petrol (47,083 tests).

• Diesel Renault Megane - 61.1% first-time pass, 56,052 tests
• Petrol Renault Megane - 61.9% first-time pass, 47,083 tests

Other Renault models

• Renault Clio - 61.6%
• Renault Captur - 79.7%
• 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

• Citroen C-Crosser - 61.5%
• Peugeot 407 - 61.3%
• Vauxhall Corsavan - 61.2%
• Renault Kangoo - 61.1%
• Vauxhall Vectra - 61.1%
• Citroen Saxo - 61.1%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• Britain's most and least reliable cars: 33 million MOT tests analysed
• 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