Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Renault Scenic 2012: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 57 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2012 Renault Scenic were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Coil spring (rear).

Summary

At the same mileage, a diesel 2012 Renault Scenic passed first time more often than a petrol one: 58 in every 100 against 53 in every 100.

At a glance

How 2,346 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
57 in every 100
Did not pass first time
43 in every 1001,019 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
13 yearsabout 88,516 miles
First tests counted
2,346

What failed most often

  1. Coil spring (rear)16 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Track rod end (front)13 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front)11 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 2012 Renault Scenic vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. 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 ball joints (front): 4.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,012 of 1,019 failed first attempts (99.3%) 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 ball joints (front)

Failed on 113 first tests4.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Excessive wear on an anti-roll bar linkage ball joint is Major. A joint 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 75 first tests, 4.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Coil spring (rear)

Failed on 158 first tests3.6 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.

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

Lamps and electrical

Two faults. The strongest is the rear fog light: 3.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Rear fog light

Failed on 38 first tests3.4 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A missing obligatory rear fog lamp, one that is not working, or one that does not emit a steady red light is graded Major. A rear fog lamp adversely affected by the operation of any other lamp is Major too. The manual allows it to go out when main beam is switched on or when dipped beam headlamps are switched off.

Individual direction indicators (rear)

Failed on 67 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Direction indicators must be amber, though vehicles first used before a set date may have white at the front and red at the rear when the indicators are combined with stop or position lamps, and sequential or dynamic ones are not a reason to fail. A lamp that is missing, inoperative or has more than half of a multiple light source not functioning is graded Major. A flashing rate outside the permitted range is graded Minor.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 56 first tests, 3.2 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.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: diesel engine warning light, 3.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel engine warning light

Failed on 55 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

An engine malfunction indicator lamp that is illuminated to show a malfunction is graded Major on a diesel, but only on the diesels the test covers, which depends on the vehicle type and when it was first used. DVSA lists it under exhaust emissions for compression ignition engines, and the detail line for the row also names an inoperative lamp.

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

Brakes

One wear pattern: brake discs (rear), 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake discs (rear)

Failed on 34 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A brake disc or drum must be significantly worn before it is rejected, and being worn below the manufacturer's recommended limits is not a reason in itself. Significantly and obviously worn is Major, as is contamination with oil or grease. A disc or drum that is fractured, insecure, seriously weakened or missing is graded Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 162 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.

Steering

One fault: track rod end (front), 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Track rod end (front)

Failed on 132 first tests2.7 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 39 first tests, 2.5 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.

Seat belt condition (front)

Noted on 21 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Noted on 80 first tests2.1 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
57in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
5in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
38in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 56.6% of 2,346 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 62.4%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 5 fixed and the 38 not fixed make the 43 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Diesel1,80590,793 miles5758
Petrol54179,706 miles5453

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.

406080100200520122015Older carsNewer cars
4060801002012Older carsNewer 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, 55 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200355 in every 100354
200453 in every 100403
200549 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
2012 This car57 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

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2012 Scenic.

Of 2012 Scenic vehicles with under 65,000 miles, 62 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 116,000 miles or more, 51 in every 100 did.

Under 65,000463 tests
62
65,000–82,000477 tests
59
82,000–96,000 Typical car464 tests
55
96,000–116,000457 tests
57
116,000 and over473 tests
51

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Diesel90,793 miles5858
Petrol79,706 miles5453

Figures are in every 100 first tests. At the same mileage, diesel passed more often (58 against 53 in every 100).

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 65,00082,000–96,000116,000 and over
Coil spring (rear)8.06.95.9
Track rod end (front)4.56.07.4
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front)3.97.14.7
Suspension arm ball joint (front)1.35.24.2
Brake light2.44.53.2

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

When a car fails

32in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

43in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

8in 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.

At the same mileage, a diesel 2012 Renault Scenic passed first time more often than a petrol one: 58 in every 100 against 53 in every 100. In 2025, 56.6% of 2,346 first MOTs on the 2012 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 62.4%. Among 1,019 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front) appears more often than on similar cars (11.2% of those tests; 113 observed failures; about 4.2× 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 2012 Renault Scenic at the first attempt were Coil spring (rear) (15.6%), Track rod end (front) (13.0%) and Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front) (11.2%), 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: Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front) (11.2% of those tests; 113 observed failures; about 4.2× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (11.2% of those tests; 113 observed failures; about 4.2× 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 2012 Renault Scenic include Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front), Coil spring (rear), Rear fog light. 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 2012 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.

Check any vehicle’s MOT history

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

Run a free check