Model Reports 8 min read Updated 11 Sep 2026 DVSA open data · 2,182 tests analysed

Renault Zoe 2019: reliability & common MOT faults

747 first-attempt MOT failures were recorded on the 2019 Renault Zoe in 2025. The items recorded most often on them were Ball joint (front) and Tyres — Condition (front). Figures are among first-attempt failed MOT tests, not among all tests.

2019 Zoes break the Zoe's own run — at 65.8% they land 9.4 pp below the midpoint of the 2018 and 2020 cars either side.

First-attempt pass

65.8%

of 2,182 first tests (2025)

First tests

2,182

test year 2025

Failed first attempts

747

failed first-attempt tests

Most common fail

40.4%

Ball joint (front)

MOT pass rates

First-attempt and official-style rates among class 4 first tests of the year.

First-attempt pass

65.8%

of 2,182 first tests (2025)

Official-style pass

70.7%

incl. same-day PRS fixes

First tests

2,182

class 4 · first MOT of the year

Typical age 6.0 yrs · median mileage 32,656 mi

vs 2024: -4.2 pp first-attempt

Note:

  • Class 4 cars · first MOT of the year per vehicle · P/PRS/F outcomes (2025 data).
  • PRS (fixed at the station the same day) counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate.
  • Raw outcomes for this cohort — not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix.
  • MOT doesn't test engine or gearbox internals.

Common faults

Failure patterns that show up more often on this registration year than on similar cars.

These MOT failure patterns show up more often on this registration year than on similar cars of the same class, age, and mileage.

Shares below are measured across the 747 failed first attempts in 2025 that the age-and-mileage comparison can be computed on.

Standout: Ball joint (front) — 40.4% of this year's failed first attempts

Recorded on 302 of those tests. It tops the table on elevation — about 27× more often than on similar cars of the same age and mileage. On this year it is also the commonest failure, so it answers both questions at once. The full ranked list is in the table below.

Fault pattern Location Failures vs similar cars Share of fails Confidence
Ball joint (front)
Suspension > Suspension arms > Ball joint
 Front 302 ×27 40.4% Strong
Linkage ball joints (front)
Suspension > Anti-roll bars > Linkage ball joints
 Front 68 ×24 9.1% Likely
Individual direction indicators (rear)
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment > Direction indicators > Flashing type > Individual direction indicators
 Rear 29 ×12 3.9% Possible
Stop lamp (rear)
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment > Stop lamp
 Rear 40 ×4.5 5.4% Likely
Service brake performance (rear)
Brakes > Brake performance > Service brake performance > Rbt > Service brake performance
 Rear 20 ×2.8 2.7% Possible
Rbt (sp)
Brakes > Brake performance > Parking brake efficiency (sp) > Rbt (sp)
 Any 24 ×2.7 3.2% Possible
Headlamp
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment > Headlamps > Headlamp
 Any 35 ×2.2 4.7% Possible

Only patterns that clear minimum sample and elevation thresholds are shown (at least 20 failures and about 2.0× more often than similar cars).

Note: Rates and comparisons are among first-attempt failed tests, not all MOTs. Patterns come from MOT defect codes — not manufacturer service bulletins, recalls, or a diagnosis of any individual car. Failures and advisories are listed separately.

Advisories

Notes recorded at the test that appear more often than on similar cars.

Advisory notes recorded on failed first-attempt tests that appear more often than on similar cars.

Advisory pattern Location Notes vs similar cars Share Confidence
Linkage ball joints (front)
Suspension > Anti-roll bars > Linkage ball joints
 Front 46 ×24 6.2% Likely
Individual direction indicators (rear)
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment > Direction indicators > Flashing type > Individual direction indicators
 Rear 32 ×20 4.3% Possible
Ball joint (front)
Suspension > Suspension arms > Ball joint
 Front 51 ×11 6.8% Strong
Service brake performance (rear)
Brakes > Brake performance > Service brake performance > Rbt > Service brake performance
 Rear 28 ×4.4 3.7% Possible
Note: Advisories are not a fail rate — they flag issues noted at the test, often before they become failures.

If you are buying one

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

This year underperforms the Zoe's own age curve. If the years listed below are in budget, they are the stronger buy on this evidence.

Other Zoe years worth knowing about

Newer cars always pass more often, so a plain "best year" list would just rank by age. These are the years that beat or miss the trend their own neighbouring years set — the only age-adjusted signal this data supports.

Year vs the years either side First-attempt pass (rises with newer cars) First tests
2020 Zoe +8.8 pp better 84.9% 5,904
2022 Zoe +2.8 pp better 89.4% 5,387

What to check on a 2019 Zoe

The items that failed 2019 Zoes most often, as a share of the year's failed first attempts. This is what goes wrong, not what is unusual — the table further up the page covers that.

  • Ball joint (front) — recorded on 40.4% of failed first attempts
  • Tyres — Condition (front) — recorded on 15.0% of failed first attempts
  • Linkage ball joints (front) — recorded on 9.1% of failed first attempts

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line. 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.

2019 Zoes break the Zoe's own run — at 65.8% they land 9.4 pp below the midpoint of the 2018 and 2020 cars either side. In 2025, 65.8% of 2,182 first MOTs on the 2019 Renault Zoe passed first time (PRS — items fixed at the station the same day — counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 70.7%. Among 747 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Ball joint (front) appears more often than on…
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that failed 2019 Renault Zoes most often at the first attempt were Ball joint (front) (40.4%), Tyres — Condition (front) (15.0%) and Linkage ball joints (front) (9.1%) — each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong on the car. It is a different question from which patterns are unusual for the class, which the common-faults tab…
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Ball joint (front) (40.4% of those tests; 302 observed failures; about 27× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Ball joint (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (40.4% of those tests; 302 observed failures; about 27× 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 check point, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2019 Renault Zoe include Ball joint (front), Linkage ball joints (front), Individual direction indicators (rear). These patterns show up more often than on similar cars after we filter out sparse noise — not a full list of every possible fault on an 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 2019 Renault Zoe (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.
  • We never invent pass rates, star scores, or ranks when those data marts are missing.

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

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