Renault Scenic MOT failure rate and common faults
30,633 Renault Scenic cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 44.0% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 36.0% of the time, which makes the Renault Scenic 22% more likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
44.0%
failed first time
30,633 MOT tests in 2025
+22%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 36.0%
187 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
138.4
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 126.9
What fails on a Renault Scenic MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Renault Scenic MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 115.2 |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 77.3 |
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play | Steering | 65.5 |
| Ball joint excessively worn | Suspension | 63.6 |
| Stop lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 61.6 |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 47.6 |
| Linkage ball joints: ball joint excessively worn | Suspension | 37.0 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 37.0 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 33.2 |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam | Lights and electrics | 30.5 |
Renault Scenic MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 579 | 20.7% | 19.1% | 47,800 |
| 2017 | 1,094 | 25.3% | 21.8% | 55,100 |
| 2016 | 1,054 | 31.0% | 25.1% | 62,600 |
| 2015 | 3,013 | 37.4% | 28.1% | 71,500 |
| 2014 | 3,044 | 42.7% | 31.4% | 80,800 |
| 2013 | 2,749 | 44.1% | 34.3% | 84,400 |
| 2012 | 2,437 | 42.8% | 36.6% | 91,600 |
| 2011 | 3,583 | 46.5% | 38.8% | 94,400 |
| 2010 | 5,130 | 48.1% | 40.7% | 104,400 |
| 2009 | 1,578 | 49.2% | 41.8% | 101,600 |
| 2008 | 1,958 | 52.6% | 42.9% | 93,900 |
| 2007 | 2,106 | 51.5% | 42.7% | 93,800 |
| 2006 | 1,431 | 50.0% | 43.0% | 94,800 |
| 2005 | 578 | 50.5% | 42.4% | 70,500 |
Advisories to look for in a Renault Scenic's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Renault Scenic, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge323.5
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened239.9
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing155.5
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material123.0
- Brake pads: wearing thin118.7
- Coil spring: corroded80.2
Checking a used Renault Scenic before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Renault Scenic fails more often than average on lights and electrics, suspension and brakes. Start there.
Lights and electrics
Walk round the car with every light on: headlights on dip and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and the number plate lamp. A pattern of electrical faults costs more than a bulb.
Suspension
Drive over speed bumps with the radio off and listen for knocks. Look at the car side on: a corner sitting lower than the others often means a broken coil spring.
Brakes
Look through the wheel spokes at the discs for a deep lip or scoring, check the handbrake holds the car on a slope, and feel for a pull to one side when braking hard.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Fuel mix of the Renault Scenic cars tested: Diesel 68%, Petrol 32%. Average age at test 13.5 years, average recorded mileage 87,200.
Renault Scenic MOT questions
What is the Renault Scenic MOT failure rate?
44.0% of Renault Scenic cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 30,633 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 36.0% of the time, so the Renault Scenic was 22% more likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Renault Scenic MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 367 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded 115.2 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Renault Scenic year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2017 registrations did best: 25.3% failed against an average of 21.8% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Renault Scenic will pass?
No. These are averages across every Renault Scenic tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other Renault models
- Renault Clio42.9% failed
- Renault Captur24.0% failed
- Renault Trafic40.5% failed
- Renault Megane44.7% failed
- Renault Kadjar26.4% failed
- Renault Kangoo45.2% failed
Ranked close to the Renault Scenic
- Peugeot 208rank 184
- Vauxhall Corsarank 185
- Fiat 500Xrank 186
- Peugeot 3008rank 188
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Renault Scenic cars of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.