Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Renault Scenic 2005: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 49 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2005 Renault Scenic were passes.

Summary

With 558 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2005 Renault Scenic differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist.

At a glance

How 558 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
49 in every 100
Did not pass first time
51 in every 100286 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
20 yearsabout 65,970 miles
First tests counted
558

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 2005 Renault Scenic 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 suspension arm ball joint (front): 4.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 279 of 286 failed first attempts (97.6%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like. 2.4% of failures are excluded because no mileage was recorded, so treat these shares as indicative for this model year.

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.

Suspension arm ball joint (front)

Failed on 43 first tests4.0 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.

Coil spring (rear)

Failed on 20 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

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

Steering

One fault: track rod end (front), 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Track rod end (front)

Failed on 26 first tests2.8 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.

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

Body and structure

One fault: drive shaft joints and boots (front), 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

Failed on 36 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsPossible 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.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: headlight (front), 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Headlight (front)

Failed on 29 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

On vehicles first used on or after a set date, a halogen headlamp unit converted to take HID or LED bulbs fails for light source and lamp not compatible, which is Major. A complete unit built with those light sources is not failed for that. The precise position of the lamps is not part of the inspection beyond a visual look to see that they sit at about the same height and distance from each side.

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.

Shock absorbers (rear)

Noted on 35 first tests4.7 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Non-component advisories (front)

Noted on 47 first tests3.7 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake discs (rear)

Noted on 47 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

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
49in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
9in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
42in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 48.7% of 558 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 57.7%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 9 fixed and the 42 not fixed make the 51 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

406080100200520102015Older carsNewer cars
40608010020052010Newer 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, 47 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200355 in every 100354
200453 in every 100403
2005 This car49 in every 100558
200649 in every 1001,370
200748 in every 1002,022
200847 in every 1001,877
200950 in every 1001,520
201051 in every 1004,946
201153 in every 1003,452
201257 in every 1002,346
201355 in every 1002,646
201457 in every 1002,919
201562 in every 1002,883
201669 in every 1001,015
201774 in every 1001,028
201879 in every 100545

FAQs

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

With 558 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2005 Renault Scenic differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist. In 2025, 48.7% of 558 first MOTs on the 2005 Renault Scenic passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 57.7%. Among 286 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Suspension arm ball joint (front) appears more often than on similar cars (15.4% of those tests; 43 observed failures; about 4.0× 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.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Suspension arm ball joint (front) (15.4% of those tests; 43 observed failures; about 4.0× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Suspension arm ball joint (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (15.4% of those tests; 43 observed failures; about 4.0× 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 2005 Renault Scenic include Suspension arm ball joint (front), Coil spring (rear), Track rod end (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 2005 Renault Scenic (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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