2025 MOT results
Renault Clio common problems
The most common reason a Renault Clio fails its MOT is a broken coil spring, on 20.1% of its 131,930 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 5 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a worn steering or suspension joint at 15.8% of failures against 5.5% expected; a broken coil spring at 20.1% of failures against 9.2% expected; a split joint boot at 9.6% of failures against 4.8% expected.
- Tests in 2025 306,492 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 43.0% 131,930 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 9.7% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 60.5% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Renault Clio MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Renault Clio tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 20.1% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 15.8% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 12.0% |
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play Steering | 9.6% |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | 9.6% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 8.2% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 7.7% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 6.5% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 6.4% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.3% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 6.2% |
| Service brake performance: excessively binding Brakes | 5.1% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Broken coil spring
20.1% of failures 9.2% expected 2.2 times as often
A broken suspension spring, which usually snaps in the bottom coil and often fails on both sides within a year.
Look at each corner for a sagging ride height, and listen for a knock over speed bumps.
-
Worn steering or suspension joint
15.8% of failures 5.5% expected 2.9 times as often
Play in a steering or suspension joint, where a worn ball and socket lets the wheel move where it should not.
A knock at low speed over rough ground, or vague steering, is the usual warning.
-
Sidelight out
12.0% of failures 9.0% expected somewhat more often
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
-
Worn steering or suspension joint
9.6% of failures 3.8% expected 2.5 times as often
Play in a steering or suspension joint, where a worn ball and socket lets the wheel move where it should not.
A knock at low speed over rough ground, or vague steering, is the usual warning.
-
Split joint boot
9.6% of failures 4.8% expected 2 times as often
A split rubber boot on a joint or driveshaft. The joint may still be sound, but dirt and water get in once the boot is open.
Turn the wheels to full lock and look behind them for greasy splits in the rubber concertina.
-
Brake light out
8.2% of failures 6.8% expected somewhat more often
A brake light not working, from a bulb, a poor earth, or the switch on the pedal.
Reverse up to a wall or window at dusk and press the pedal to see all three lamps light.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Renault Clio, on 45.0% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 34.2%.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 45.0% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 43.0% |
| Brakes | 24.1% |
| Tyres | 18.8% |
| Visibility | 18.5% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 14.3% |
| Steering | 12.7% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.2% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
60.5% of Renault Clio tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Renault Clios, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 20.2% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 12.8% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 11.2% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 9.3% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.3% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 5.2% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 4.8% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint has slight play Suspension | 4.0% |
| Road wheels: slightly distorted Road wheels | 4.0% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 3.5% |
| Track rod end: ball joint has slight play Steering | 3.3% |
| Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories | 2.9% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Renault Clio gets older
A 2022 Renault Clio failed 11.9% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2002 one failed 45.0%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Renault Clio 11.9% failed, from 7,806 tests
- Tyre worn through to the cords 21.3%
- Cut tyre 16.0%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 15.1%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 9.4%
- Worn brake pads 7.1%
- Headlamp aim set too low 6.2%
2002 Renault Clio 45.0% failed, from 2,528 tests
- Headlamp aim out of line 11.8%
- Number plate lamp out 11.3%
- Steering fault 11.3%
- Split joint boot 11.1%
- Airbag light on 10.6%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 9.6%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Renault Clio problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Renault Clio?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Coil spring: fractured or broken” is the most common: it appears on 20.1% of failed Renault Clio tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 45.0% of failed tests.
How often does a Renault Clio fail its MOT?
43.0% of Renault Clio tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 306,492 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 29 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Renault Clio than on other cars?
Yes. “Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn” appears on 15.8% of its failures against 5.5% for cars of the same age, and “Coil spring: fractured or broken” appears on 20.1% of its failures against 9.2% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Renault Clio aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 306,492 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.