Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Renault Megane 2003: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 55 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2003 Renault Megane were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Windscreen washers.

Summary

The 2003 Renault Megane follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 1,021 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
55 in every 100
Did not pass first time
45 in every 100464 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
22 yearsabout 95,773 miles
First tests counted
1,021

What failed most often

  1. Windscreen washers13 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Drive shaft joints and boots (front)12 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 2003 Renault Megane 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.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: hazard warning switch, 17 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 461 of 464 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.

Hazard warning switch

Failed on 24 first tests17 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A hazard warning switch that is inoperative is Major, while one that is faulty or insecure is Minor. The lamps must work from one switch only, with the engine or ignition switch both on and off.

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

Suspension

One fault: suspension arm ball joint (front), 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm ball joint (front)

Failed on 49 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible 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 25 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.

Visibility

One fault: windscreen washers, 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Windscreen washers

Failed on 59 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Windscreen washers that are not working, or do not provide sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, are graded Major. They must provide enough fluid for the wipers to clear the windscreen effectively. Vehicles with an opening windscreen, or some other adequate view to the front, left and right, are not inspected for washers.

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.

Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 22 first tests4.4 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake discs (rear)

Noted on 83 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

Suspension arm (front)

Noted on 26 first tests2.4 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
10in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
35in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 54.6% of 1,021 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 64.5%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 10 fixed and the 35 not fixed make the 45 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020002003201020152020Older carsNewer cars
4060801002000200320102020Newer 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
200059 in every 100481
200156 in every 1001,062
200257 in every 1001,570
2003 This car55 in every 1001,021
200453 in every 100709
200550 in every 1001,357
200648 in every 1002,212
200749 in every 1003,895
200849 in every 1003,777
200947 in every 1006,649
201048 in every 10012,546
201149 in every 10010,694
201251 in every 1007,660
201352 in every 1006,378
201451 in every 1006,391
201557 in every 1006,005
201666 in every 1004,841
201770 in every 1004,856
201875 in every 1001,869
201977 in every 1002,357
202080 in every 100993
202184 in every 100718
202283 in every 1001,230

FAQs

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

The 2003 Renault Megane follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Windscreen washers, about 13 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 54.6% of 1,021 first MOTs on the 2003 Renault Megane passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 64.5%. Among 464 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Hazard warning switch appears more often than on similar cars (5.2% of those tests; 24 observed failures; about 17× 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 2003 Renault Megane at the first attempt were Windscreen washers (12.8%) and Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (11.7%), 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: Hazard warning switch (5.2% of those tests; 24 observed failures; about 17× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Hazard warning switch shows up more often than on similar cars (5.2% of those tests; 24 observed failures; about 17× 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 2003 Renault Megane include Hazard warning switch, Suspension arm ball joint (front), Windscreen washers. 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 2003 Renault Megane (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.

Check any vehicle’s MOT history

Full MOT history, mileage records, and reliability insights for any UK vehicle.

Run a free check