Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Renault Clio 2015: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 55 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2015 Renault Clio were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Suspension arm ball joint (front).

Summary

The 2015 Renault Clio follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 22,966 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
55 in every 100
Did not pass first time
45 in every 10010,345 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
10 yearsabout 67,070 miles
First tests counted
22,966

What failed most often

  1. Suspension arm ball joint (front)23 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Coil spring (front)18 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Drive shaft joints and boots (front)14 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2015 Renault Clio vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Brakes

Five faults. The strongest is the rigid brake pipes (front): 11 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 10,288 of 10,345 failed first attempts (99.4%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Rigid brake pipes (front)

Failed on 471 first tests11 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

Chafing, corrosion or damage to a rigid brake pipe justifies rejection once its wall thickness is reduced by a set amount, although DVSA accepts this is not easy to determine. If a tester is not sure, the benefit of the doubt applies. A leaking pipe or connection is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic system and Major on an air system.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 1,669 first tests, 13 times as often as on similar cars.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Failed on 475 first tests7.5 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

Chafing, corrosion or damage to a rigid brake pipe justifies rejection once its wall thickness is reduced by a set amount, although DVSA accepts this is not easy to determine. If a tester is not sure, the benefit of the doubt applies. A leaking pipe or connection is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic system and Major on an air system.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 1,183 first tests, 6.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 809 first tests3.9 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A wheel with no recorded braking effort on the roller test is graded Dangerous. Inadequate effort, a brake grabbing severely, abnormal lag and excessive fluctuation in effort are each Major. So is significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied, which indicates a binding brake.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 552 first tests, 2.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Handbrake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 228 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A parking brake that is inoperative on one side is Major. When tested on the road, the failure is the vehicle deviating excessively from a straight line. Vehicles whose parking brake was already tested as the secondary brake are not tested again for this.

Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)

Failed on 775 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A parking brake with efficiency below the minimum requirement is Major, and graded Dangerous where efficiency is less than half of the required value. On a roller brake tester, the requirement counts as met if more than half of the wheels of a brake system lock. The check applies only to vehicles whose parking brake was not already tested as the secondary brake.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Body and structure

One fault: drive shaft joints and boots (front), 4.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

Failed on 1,446 first tests4.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A constant velocity boot that is only severely deteriorated is Minor. It is Major once it is missing, split or insecure so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. A transmission joint excessively worn is Major, and graded Dangerous when it is so worn it is likely to fail.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Suspension

Two faults. The strongest is the suspension arm ball joint (front): 4.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm ball joint (front)

Failed on 2,324 first tests4.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A suspension arm ball joint is failed under the general suspension pin, bush or joint wording. Excessively worn is Major, and likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 444 first tests, 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Coil spring (front)

Failed on 1,903 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 176 first tests, 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Wheel condition (front)

Noted on 341 first tests4.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake performance (plate test, rear)

Noted on 144 first tests3.6 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

Handbrake efficiency on trikes, quads and pre-1968 vehicles (decelerometer test)

Noted on 20 first tests3.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Wheel condition (rear)

Noted on 151 first tests3.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Handbrake efficiency on trikes, quads and pre-1968 vehicles (roller test)

Noted on 33 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake pedal

Noted on 87 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
55in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
6in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
39in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 55.0% of 22,966 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 60.6%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 6 fixed and the 39 not fixed make the 45 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol13,64861,466 miles5554
Diesel9,31877,095 miles5456

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

40608010020002005201020152020Older carsNewer cars
4060801002000201020152020Older cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 57 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
199953 in every 100352
200052 in every 100723
200154 in every 1001,453
200254 in every 1002,429
200351 in every 1003,712
200450 in every 1005,667
200550 in every 1006,971
200648 in every 10011,297
200746 in every 10015,443
200846 in every 10012,941
200946 in every 10014,127
201046 in every 10020,410
201145 in every 10015,582
201246 in every 10013,335
201353 in every 10018,839
201452 in every 10024,737
2015 This car55 in every 10022,966
201656 in every 10021,346
201763 in every 10018,461
201868 in every 10018,935
201973 in every 10016,484
202083 in every 10010,443
202185 in every 1008,884
202288 in every 1007,466

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2015 Clio.

Of 2015 Clio vehicles with under 47,000 miles, 67 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 90,000 miles or more, 47 in every 100 did.

Under 47,0004,637 tests
67
47,000–61,0004,561 tests
58
61,000–74,000 Typical car4,619 tests
53
74,000–90,0004,380 tests
50
90,000 and over4,649 tests
47

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol61,466 miles5554
Diesel77,095 miles5456

Figures are in every 100 first tests. At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.

What to check at your mileage

How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.

Under 47,00061,000–74,00090,000 and over
Suspension arm ball joint (front)6.811.011.6
Coil spring (front)8.18.77.2
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)2.16.49.9
Tyre condition (front)3.04.54.7
Brake performance (roller test, rear)2.53.93.9

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

33in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

41in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

10in every 100

of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

The 2015 Renault Clio follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Suspension arm ball joint (front), about 23 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 55.0% of 22,966 first MOTs on the 2015 Renault Clio passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 60.6%. Among 10,345 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Rigid brake pipes (front) appears more often than on similar cars (4.6% of those tests; 471 observed failures; about 11× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2015 Renault Clio at the first attempt were Suspension arm ball joint (front) (22.6%), Coil spring (front) (18.5%) and Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (14.1%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Rigid brake pipes (front) (4.6% of those tests; 471 observed failures; about 11× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Rigid brake pipes (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (4.6% of those tests; 471 observed failures; about 11× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2015 Renault Clio include Rigid brake pipes (front), Drive shaft joints and boots (front), Suspension arm ball joint (front). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2015 Renault Clio (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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