MOT performance
Renault Clio diesel: MOT pass rate and common failures
Of 137,374 MOT tests on diesel Renault Clios in 2023–2024 (on average 9.7 years old at test, median 76,783 miles), 55.2% passed first time, against 57.3% of 524,118 petrol Renault Clio tests. Allowing for age, mileage and fuel, diesel Renault Clios failed 50% more often than comparable cars — 1.50× against 1.39× for the Renault Clio as a whole.
137,374 MOT tests on 70,244 vehicles, 2023–2024 · Source: DVSA (Open Government Licence) · Analysis: 73 Auto
Check a specific car's MOT history and running costsAt a glance
| Figure | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| First-time pass rate | 55.2% | ±0.3 pts (95%), n = 137,374 |
| All Renault Clios | 57.0% | n = 663,662 |
| Failures vs similar cars | 1.50× | same age, mileage and fuel = 1.00; Renault Clio overall 1.39× |
| Tests with a dangerous defect | 11.3% | n = 137,374 |
| Average age at test | 9.7 years | n = 137,374 |
| Registration years covered | 1992–2021 | DVSA first-use date |
Diesel against the other Renault Clio fuels
Official DVSA test results by fuel, with 73 Auto's adjusted ratio (failures against cars of the same age, mileage and fuel). The diesel cars were tested 1.5 years younger on average than the petrol ones, so the raw pass rates partly reflect age; the adjusted column doesn't.
| Fuel | Tests | Average age | First-time pass | vs similar cars | Dangerous |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 524,118 | 11.2 yrs | 57.3% | +36% | 9.7% |
| Diesel | 137,374 | 9.7 yrs | 55.2% | +50% | 11.3% |
| Hybrid | 2,166 | 2.3 yrs | 88.4% | +29% | 5.1% |
Where diesel Renault Clios differ
- Seat belts and airbags: diesel Renault Clios failed 25% less often than the Renault Clio overall, relative to comparable cars (1.57× vs 2.10×).
- Noise, emissions and leaks: diesel Renault Clios failed 23% more often than the Renault Clio overall, relative to comparable cars (0.98× vs 0.80×).
| Area | Diesel (vs similar) | All Renault Clios (vs similar) |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 21.8% (+123%) | 19.3% (+91%) |
| Lights, reflectors and electrical | 18.0% (+62%) | 19.1% (+50%) |
| Brakes | 12.4% (+68%) | 10.6% (+45%) |
| Tyres | 9.6% (+39%) | 8.1% (+27%) |
| Driver's view of the road | 7.0% (+56%) | 8.0% (+55%) |
| Body, chassis and structure | 5.3% (+45%) | 5.2% (+31%) |
| Steering | 5.1% (+140%) | 6.0% (+199%) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 2.8% (-2%) | 3.0% (-20%) |
| Seat belts and airbags | 1.7% (+57%) | 2.3% (+110%) |
| Road wheels | 0.5% (+8%) | 0.4% (+3%) |
| Registration plates and VIN | 0.3% (-30%) | 0.3% (-18%) |
Most common diesel Renault Clio failure items
| Item | Area | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 9.24% |
| Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn | Suspension | 9.09% |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights, reflectors and electrical | 4.88% |
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play | Steering | 4.13% |
| Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Body, chassis and structure | 3.94% |
Pass rate by age, by fuel
| Age at test (years) | diesel pass rate (tests) | petrol pass rate (tests) |
|---|---|---|
| 3-4 | 75.7% (7,411) | 82.1% (49,677) |
| 5-6 | 67.8% (19,586) | 73.0% (56,332) |
| 7-8 | 57.9% (33,789) | 61.1% (60,008) |
| 9-10 | 52.6% (28,241) | 56.0% (61,296) |
| 11-12 | 46.8% (13,845) | 48.7% (57,731) |
| 13-15 | 44.8% (20,209) | 47.5% (98,162) |
| 16+ | 47.3% (13,641) | 47.9% (126,984) |
Renault Clio by registration year
Registration-year pages cover every fuel of that year.
- 2000 Renault Clio · 50.0%
- 2001 Renault Clio · 51.8%
- 2002 Renault Clio · 52.2%
- 2003 Renault Clio · 48.6%
- 2004 Renault Clio · 48.2%
- 2005 Renault Clio · 47.7%
- 2006 Renault Clio · 46.6%
- 2007 Renault Clio · 46.7%
- 2008 Renault Clio · 46.9%
- 2009 Renault Clio · 47.3%
- 2010 Renault Clio · 47.2%
- 2011 Renault Clio · 46.7%
- 2012 Renault Clio · 48.0%
- 2013 Renault Clio · 56.0%
- 2014 Renault Clio · 55.4%
- 2015 Renault Clio · 58.3%
- 2016 Renault Clio · 61.8%
- 2017 Renault Clio · 70.6%
- 2018 Renault Clio · 76.6%
- 2019 Renault Clio · 79.3%
- 2020 Renault Clio · 84.3%
- 2021 Renault Clio · 87.1%
What this does and doesn't tell you
Fuel is DVSA's recorded fuel type; plug-in and self-charging hybrids are grouped as hybrid. A difference between fuels can come from the engines themselves, or from how the cars are used — diesels typically cover more miles, and the adjusted ratio allows for mileage band but not for every difference in use. For one car, its own MOT history is the better guide: see MOT check.
Check a specific diesel Renault Clio
Enter a UK registration to see that car's own MOT history and what it is likely to cost to own. Your first check is free and shows the vehicle summary and its headline ownership cost. The category-by-category breakdown is part of a paid check.
UK number plate or 17-character VIN
About this data. These are MOT test results, not a measure of mechanical reliability: a car's MOT outcome reflects its condition on the day, which depends on how it has been maintained and driven as well as how it was built. Figures cover class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans), normal tests only (retests excluded), outcomes pass, fail and pass after rectification at the station; vehicles at least 2.5 years old at test. Tests from 2023-01-01 to 2024-12-30. “Compared with similar cars” means compared with the national rate for cars of the same age, mileage band and fuel. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Makes and models are matched to 73 Auto's vehicle catalogue; tests that can't be matched are left out rather than guessed. See how the MOT figures are produced.