Renault Trafic: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Renault Trafic fails its first MOT more often than the average UK vehicle, by 15.1 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 97,030 individual Renault Trafic 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 Trafics 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 Trafic tested had covered 118,664 miles and was built around 2013.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Renault Trafic sits 15.1 points below the national average, ranked 1,926 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 Trafic 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 Trafics at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Renault Trafic

1. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 12.9% of tests (9.88x the national rate for this defect)
2. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 17.5% of tests (3.48x the national rate for this defect)
3. A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps, 3.1% of tests (3.48x the national rate for this defect)
4. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 3.7% of tests (3.46x the national rate for this defect)
5. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 3.2% of tests (3.34x the national rate for this defect)
6. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 3.9% of tests (2.99x the national rate for this defect)
7. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 3.8% of tests (2.99x the national rate for this defect)
8. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 4.9% of tests (2.18x the national rate for this defect)
9. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.9% of tests (2.17x the national rate for this defect)
10. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 4.5% of tests (2x the national rate for this defect)

From 110,379 DVSA-tracked Renault Trafic tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.87% of these flagged Renault Trafic defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Renault Trafic

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 Trafic before it actually fails on it.

1. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3% of tests (8.2x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 8.1% of tests (6.1x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 13.9% of tests (2.25x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 8% of tests (2.05x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 9.6% of tests (1.73x the national rate for this advisory)
6. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 21.8% of tests (1.63x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
7. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 18.7% of tests (1.53x the national rate for this advisory)
8. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 2.2% of tests (1.45x the national rate for this advisory)
9. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 11.6% of tests (1.24x the national rate for this advisory)
10. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.3% of tests (1.17x the national rate for this advisory)

From 110,379 DVSA-tracked Renault Trafic tests, 2024.

Renault Trafic pass rate by model year

From its 2002 to its 2019 model year, the Renault Trafic's first-time pass rate has risen 19.5 points, from 57.1% to 76.6%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Renault Trafic year:

• 2002 Renault Trafic - 57.1% first-time pass, 581 tests
• 2003 Renault Trafic - 55.5% first-time pass, 1,412 tests
• 2004 Renault Trafic - 54.2% first-time pass, 2,342 tests
• 2005 Renault Trafic - 56% first-time pass, 2,911 tests
• 2006 Renault Trafic - 54.8% first-time pass, 3,846 tests
• 2007 Renault Trafic - 55.9% first-time pass, 4,344 tests
• 2008 Renault Trafic - 54% first-time pass, 4,161 tests
• 2009 Renault Trafic - 55.8% first-time pass, 3,048 tests
• 2010 Renault Trafic - 54.7% first-time pass, 5,235 tests
• 2011 Renault Trafic - 53.1% first-time pass, 6,320 tests
• 2012 Renault Trafic - 54.8% first-time pass, 5,468 tests
• 2013 Renault Trafic - 57.9% first-time pass, 5,220 tests
• 2014 Renault Trafic - 59.2% first-time pass, 8,020 tests
• 2015 Renault Trafic - 61.9% first-time pass, 11,409 tests
• 2016 Renault Trafic - 65.6% first-time pass, 13,959 tests
• 2017 Renault Trafic - 67.9% first-time pass, 11,951 tests
• 2018 Renault Trafic - 72.5% first-time pass, 8,798 tests
• 2019 Renault Trafic - 76.6% first-time pass, 8,636 tests

Renault Trafic by fuel type

The Renault Trafic's two most-tested fuel types split by 3.6 points: diesel passes first time 62.1% of the time (108,386 tests) against 58.5% for petrol (1,150 tests).

• Diesel Renault Trafic - 62.1% first-time pass, 108,386 tests
• Petrol Renault Trafic - 58.5% first-time pass, 1,150 tests

Other Renault models

• Renault Clio - 61.6%
• Renault Captur - 79.7%
• Renault Megane - 61.1%
• 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

• Vauxhall Signum - 61.8%
• Alfa Romeo 147 - 61.7%
• Renault Clio - 61.6%
• Peugeot 406 - 61.6%
• Suzuki Wagon-R+ - 61.5%
• Citroen C-Crosser - 61.5%

If this van is a salvage or write-off

• Britain's most and least reliable vans: 2.2 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