Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Renault Kangoo 2008: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 53 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2008 Renault Kangoo were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Individual sidelight or tail light (front).

Summary

A 2008 Renault Kangoo passed first time about 3 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2007 and 2009 model years.

At a glance

How 2,544 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
53 in every 100
Did not pass first time
47 in every 1001,194 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
17 yearsabout 82,060 miles
First tests counted
2,544

What failed most often

  1. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)10 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Drive shaft joints and boots (front)10 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Windscreen washers9 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 2008 Renault Kangoo 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.

Suspension

Two faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (front): 16 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,193 of 1,194 failed first attempts (99.9%) 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.

Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (front)

Failed on 66 first tests16 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Excessive wear in an anti-roll bar linkage pin or bush is Major. If the pin or bush is likely to become detached, it is graded Dangerous. The wording is DVSA's general one for a suspension pin, bush or joint.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 112 first tests, 13 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-roll bar linkage (front)

Failed on 54 first tests16 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

An anti-roll bar linkage is graded Dangerous when a suspension component is missing, likely to become detached, fractured or likely to fail. Insecure attachment that impairs directional stability is graded Dangerous too. Excessive damage or corrosion that seriously weakens the part is Major, and so is plain insecure attachment to the chassis or axle.

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

Steering

Two faults. The strongest is the steering rack (front): 15 times as often as on similar cars.

Steering rack (front)

Failed on 101 first tests15 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

Steering gear casing retaining devices dangerously loose, or visible relative movement to the chassis or bodywork, is graded Dangerous. A casing not properly attached, or fractured, is Major, but a fracture that affects the stability or attachment of the casing is Dangerous. A gaiter damaged but still keeping dirt out is Minor, and Major once missing or no longer doing so.

Track rod end (front)

Failed on 105 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play is Major, and one worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment is graded Dangerous. A dust cover that is damaged but still keeps dirt out is Minor, and one missing or no longer keeping dirt out is Major. Testers must tell wear from a joint's built-in clearance or spring loading.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 35 first tests, 2.3 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.

Brakes

Three faults. The strongest is the brake performance (plate test, rear): 4.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake performance (plate test, rear)

Failed on 28 first tests4.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Braking effort that is inadequate at a wheel, a brake grabbing severely and a binding brake are among the Major failures. A wheel with no recorded effort is graded Dangerous. If a vehicle fails any aspect of the plate test, the check should be repeated to confirm the result.

Brake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 95 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

Handbrake lever

Failed on 24 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A parking brake lever pivot or ratchet mechanism that is obviously worn is graded Minor. It is Major when worn to the extent that the brake may inadvertently release, and also when the ratchet is not holding correctly. A lever must have obvious excessive travel before being rejected.

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

Lamps and electrical

Two faults. The strongest is the number plate lights (rear): 2.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Number plate lights (rear)

Failed on 102 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Registration plate lamps must light up the rear registration plate and operate at the same time as the position lamps. A missing or inoperative lamp is Major when the plate has only one lamp or all its lamps are not working, and Minor when the plate has several lamps or light sources and not all have failed. A lamp throwing direct white light to the rear is also Minor.

Horn

Failed on 43 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A horn that does not work, or is likely to be confused with an emergency vehicle siren, is graded Major. Gongs, bells, sirens and anything with more than one tone, which includes a horn that alternates between its notes, are not allowed, except a gong, bell or siren on vehicles first used before a set date. Sound defects are Minor for named cases such as a bell or harsh sound, and Major under a general row.

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

Seat belts and restraints

One fault: airbag warning light, 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Airbag warning light

Failed on 63 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

The airbag warning lamp (SRS MIL in DVSA's wording) is failed only if it indicates a system malfunction, which is Major. A lamp lit to show the passenger airbag is disabled is not to be regarded as a defect. Dashboard messages are not a defect in their own right, though they can help the tester confirm a malfunction.

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

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.

Macpherson strut (front)

Noted on 29 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Wheel bearings (rear)

Noted on 24 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Flexible brake hoses (rear)

Noted on 64 first tests2.2 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
53in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
7in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
40in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 53.1% of 2,544 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 60.4%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 40 not fixed make the 47 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol1,47363,058 miles5653
Diesel1,069121,426 miles4953

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.

4060801002005200820152020Older carsNewer cars
40608010020082020Newer 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, 54 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200250 in every 100634
200348 in every 100947
200450 in every 1001,475
200549 in every 1001,833
200651 in every 1002,128
200752 in every 1002,743
2008 This car53 in every 1002,544
200948 in every 1001,850
201046 in every 1004,122
201147 in every 1004,550
201251 in every 1002,876
201347 in every 1002,099
201450 in every 1002,970
201552 in every 1003,715
201656 in every 1003,207
201757 in every 1002,258
201862 in every 1002,304
201965 in every 1002,975
202069 in every 1001,927
202171 in every 1001,823
202285 in every 100509

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2008 Kangoo.

Of 2008 Kangoo vehicles with under 50,000 miles, 66 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 132,000 miles or more, 47 in every 100 did.

Under 50,000501 tests
66
50,000–71,000521 tests
55
71,000–96,000 Typical car505 tests
50
96,000–132,000504 tests
48
132,000 and over508 tests
47

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol63,058 miles5653
Diesel121,426 miles4953

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 121,426 against 63,058). 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 50,00071,000–96,000132,000 and over
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)0.85.39.4
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)3.64.46.7
Windscreen washers4.23.24.5
Track rod end (front)3.44.05.3
Number plate lights2.84.45.7

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

When a car fails

25in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

51in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

12in 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.

A 2008 Renault Kangoo passed first time about 3 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2007 and 2009 model years. In 2025, 53.1% of 2,544 first MOTs on the 2008 Renault Kangoo passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 60.4%. Among 1,194 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Steering rack (front) appears more often than on similar cars (8.5% of those tests; 101 observed failures; about 15× 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 2008 Renault Kangoo at the first attempt were Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (10.5%), Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (10.3%) and Windscreen washers (9.5%), 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: Steering rack (front) (8.5% of those tests; 101 observed failures; about 15× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Steering rack (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (8.5% of those tests; 101 observed failures; about 15× 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 2008 Renault Kangoo include Steering rack (front), Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (front), Anti-roll bar linkage (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 2008 Renault Kangoo (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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