2025 MOT results
Renault Zoe common problems
The most common reason a Renault Zoe fails its MOT is a worn steering or suspension joint, on 21.3% of its 5,760 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 4 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a worn steering or suspension joint at 21.3% of failures against 2.9% expected; a weak or uneven footbrake at 3.5% of failures against 1.1% expected; a brake light out at 5.3% of failures against 2.8% expected.
- Tests in 2025 26,988 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 21.3% 5,760 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 6.2% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 41.3% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Renault Zoe MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Renault Zoe 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 (11 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 |
|---|---|
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 21.3% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 14.4% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 11.8% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 8.0% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 6.3% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 6.3% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.3% |
| Linkage ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 4.5% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.2% |
| Individual direction indicators: incorrect colour Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.8% |
| Service brake performance: excessively binding Brakes | 3.5% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.4% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Worn steering or suspension joint
21.3% of failures 2.9% expected 7.3 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.
-
Cut tyre
14.4% of failures 10.4% expected somewhat more often
A cut in the tyre deep or long enough to reach the structure underneath, usually from a kerb or debris.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
-
Tyre worn through to the cords
11.8% of failures 6.6% expected 1.8 times as often
The tyre is worn or damaged far enough to expose the cords underneath, which is a dangerous defect.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
8.0% of failures 10.2% expected somewhat less often
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
-
Washers that do not work
6.3% of failures 4.7% expected somewhat more often
The washers cannot deliver enough liquid to clean the windscreen with the wipers.
Top the bottle up and check both jets reach the glass; the pump is often fine and the jet blocked.
-
Broken coil spring
6.3% of failures 5.3% expected somewhat more 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.
Which parts of the car fail
Tyres is the area that most often fails a Renault Zoe, on 40.0% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is suspension, on 35.9% against 17.7% expected.
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 |
|---|---|
| Tyres | 40.0% |
| Suspension | 35.9% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 25.6% |
| Brakes | 12.7% |
| Visibility | 11.9% |
| Steering | 2.8% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 2.0% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
41.3% of Renault Zoe tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Renault Zoes, 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 | 17.7% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 9.4% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 8.6% |
| Tyres: cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 2.9% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 2.4% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 2.2% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint has slight play Suspension | 2.1% |
| Road wheels: slightly distorted Road wheels | 2.1% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 1.7% |
| Individual direction indicators: slightly discoloured Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 1.6% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 1.6% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 1.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Renault Zoe problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Renault Zoe?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn” is the most common: it appears on 21.3% of failed Renault Zoe tests. Across categories, tyres is the area that most often fails one, on 40.0% of failed tests.
How often does a Renault Zoe fail its MOT?
21.3% of Renault Zoe tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 26,988 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 20 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Renault Zoe than on other cars?
Yes. “Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn” appears on 21.3% of its failures against 2.9% for cars of the same age, and “Service brake performance: excessively binding” appears on 3.5% of its failures against 1.1% 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 Zoe 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 | 26,988 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.