Renault Clio common problems: what fails, and how often

01

Which faults fail Renault Clios at the MOT?

A failed test lists every fault it found, including any the test centre fixed on the spot, and these failure items are what the table counts. The Clio's twelve most frequent, each as a share of all its failure items:

Coil springs led by a clear margin, with 3,127 recorded in the month. Lamps fill four places, joints two and tyres two. Almost everything here is a part that wears or rusts and can be replaced, which matters when you come to judge a particular car.

02

Are old cars the reason so many Clios fail?

Partly, but not fully. The Clios tested were old on average: 11,706 of the 29,118 tests, more than in any other band, were on cars of 15 or more. Yet compared only with cars of the same age, the Clio still failed more often in every band.

Among Clios aged 3 to 5, 16.3% failed first time, where all cars and light vans of that age managed 12.8%; that group is small, at 621 tests, so treat its figure with the most caution. At 6 to 8 years the Clio rate was 30.1% (national: 18.1%), from 3,743 tests. The biggest gap came at 9 to 11, with 43.6% of 6,915 Clios failing against 26.6% nationally. At 12 to 14 the figures were 49.5% from 6,023 tests (34.9%), and at 15 and over 51.7% (41.2%).

Two rules shape every figure here: only first attempts count, with retests set aside, and a car that passed only after repairs at the test centre is treated the same as one that failed. Our guide to the most common MOT failures gives the method in full and compares all 14 models.

03

Is high mileage behind the Clio's record?

No: the Clios tested had covered fewer miles than average at every age, so hard use is not the reason.

• Aged 3 to 5: 33,950 miles on average for a Clio, against 38,187 for all cars and light vans.
• Aged 6 to 8: 46,907, against 55,582.
• Aged 9 to 11: 66,932, against 76,786.
• Aged 12 to 14: 82,143, against 93,592.
• Aged 15 and over: 88,941, against 108,155.

Petrol cars made up 78.6% of the Clio tests and diesels 21.4%. The oldest Clio tested dated from 1992 and the newest from 2023; 2014 was the commonest year of first registration, ahead of 2015 and 2010. Cars the data records as a Clio Iconic TCe or a Clio RS Line TCe count too.

MOT results describe how each car was on the day of its test, after years of use and maintenance by many owners. They show how often Clios failed, not why, and they are no verdict on how the car was built.

04

Where on a Clio do the failures come from?

Sorted by area, the Clio's failure items look much like any car's, with a few differences (all cars and light vans in brackets):

• Above the average: lights, reflectors and electrics 26.9% (24.9%), suspension 23.9% (21.4%) and steering 5.4% (3.7%).
• About level: brakes 14.9% (14.8%), visibility 7.6% (7.3%), and body, chassis and structure 6.4% (6.4%).
• Below the average: tyres 9.1% (12.6%), and noise, emissions and leaks 3.3% (5.9%).

What marks the Clio out, then, is the rate rather than the type of fault. Its list reads like any car's, only it fills up faster.

05

What should a Clio buyer know about coil springs?

They carry the car's weight at each corner, and a failed one is the Clio's most frequent item, 8.5% of all its failure items. In the DVSA's list of defects, the item covers a spring that has snapped and one that rust or wear has seriously weakened. Both are major defects, so either fails the test.

Rust often shows first as an advisory. "Coil spring: corroded" was the Clio's fifth most frequent advisory, 4.2% of the total, and it is the stage before a spring weakened by rust fails outright.

You cannot always spot a snapped spring from outside the car. Clues are a corner that sits lower than its neighbours, or a knock from that corner over bumps. Where a Clio's record mentions a spring, either as an advisory or a fail, find out which springs were changed and when, and ask to see the bill.

06

How do Clio joints, lamps and boots fail the test?

• Joints. Excessive wear fails a suspension ball joint (7.0%). Each front wheel is steered through a track rod end (4.0%), a ball joint at the outer end of the linkage; wear or free play there fails too, and from the driver's seat it can feel like a knock or a vague, wandering steer.
• Headlamp aim (6.3%). Testers set beam-setting equipment in front of each headlamp. They may correct the aim slightly as part of the test, but they may not carry out repairs.
• Lamps that do not light. Position lamps (5.4%), stop lamps (3.4%) and headlamps (2.6%) fail when missing or dead, and a lamp built from several light sources fails once more than half are out. A single brake light out is a major defect; every brake light out is dangerous.
• Washers (4.3%). They must supply enough fluid for the wipers to clear the screen, so even an empty reservoir can lead to a major defect.
• Drive shaft boots (4.2%). The rubber cover over the constant velocity joint at each end of a drive shaft fails when it is missing, split or loose enough to let dirt in.
• Brake pipes (2.4%). The manual accepts that a metal pipe whose wall has lost a third of its thickness to corrosion or damage is bad enough to fail.

07

Which advisories should worry a Clio buyer?

An advisory records a part that passed while showing wear or rust. The table lists the Clio's most frequent next to the fail each one can turn into:

The ones to press the seller on are the springs, the brake pipes and the joints, because each is also among the model's most frequent fails. An advisory that turns up at test after test has usually been left alone. For the difference between an advisory and a minor, major or dangerous defect, see our guide to MOT advisories.

08

How should you view a used Renault Clio?

1. Before the viewing, read the car's full MOT history; the free look-up at the foot of this page brings up every test from the registration alone. Underline each entry for the springs, the steering and suspension joints, the brake pipes and the lamps, and see which advisories repeat from one year to the next.
2. When you get there, walk round the parked car on a flat surface and compare how high each corner sits: if one is lower, suspect a spring.
3. Kneel by each wheel with a torch. Look up at the coil spring for a break or heavy rust, then behind the front wheels at the drive shaft boots for splits or flung grease.
4. Turn the steering from lock to lock, then drive slowly on full lock, listening for knocks or clicks from worn steering or drive shaft joints.
5. Ask a helper to watch from outside as you switch on each lamp in turn, front and rear, then press the brake pedal and work the indicators.
6. Test the wipers with a squirt of washer fluid. Then go round the tyres, checking the tread across the full width and the sidewalls for cracks, cuts and bulges.
7. If the history advises on corroded brake pipes, ask whether they have been renewed; the pipes run underneath and are hard to judge without a ramp, so an inspection may be worth paying for.

Before you settle on a price, ask about any spring, joint or brake pipe advisory in the history: those parts also sit high on the Clio's list of failures.

For the full viewing routine, paperwork and interior included, use our used car checklist.

The test drive checklist lists what else to listen and feel for once you are moving.

09

What will the MOT history not show about a Clio?

Recalls run separately from the MOT. The manufacturer carries out the work, and GOV.UK says owners do not usually pay for the repairs or parts. On the free look-up the recall line reads Outstanding, All fixed, None found or Not available, as reported by the DVSA, and GOV.UK offers a recall check of its own. Settle any outstanding recall with the seller before money changes hands.

The MOT also leaves the engine, clutch and gearbox unexamined, as GOV.UK makes clear, so a test drive and the service record still matter. Nor does an MOT history mention finance owed on the car, an insurance write-off or a stolen marker. A full car check by registration covers them.

10

Should a high fail rate put you off a Clio?

Not on its own, but it means checking closely. No other model of the 14 had a higher overall rate, and in no age band did the Clio do as well as the average. Those results reflect wear, corrosion and upkeep on the day of each test, so take them as a reason to read the history line by line, not as a verdict on the design.

Springs, joints, lamps and washers can all be replaced, and you can ask about every one of them. A Clio whose recent tests show those parts dealt with, and no advisory carried from year to year, is a very different buy from one that collects the same warnings at every test.