Renault Modus Reliability: MOT Pass Rate by Year & Engine

Verdict

The Renault Modus passes its MOT first time on 50.3% of tests, 11.3 points lower than a typical car of the same age and mileage (61.5%). That puts it ahead of 11% of cars on UK roads once age and mileage are taken into account.

By year of first registration, the 2006 Modus does best (beats 11% of cars) and the 2005 worst (beats 11%).

Of its engines, the 1.5 Diesel does best (beats 14%) and the 1.6 Petrol worst (beats 7%).

Better than average on body & structure.

Watch these weak spots

Lights & electrics1.6×as often as a typical car

Suspension1.7×as often as a typical car

Coil springs3.2×as often as a typical car

Sidelights2.3×as often as a typical car

MOT pass rate by age

First-time pass rate at each MOT by the car’s age in years.

Renault ModusTypical car, same age & mileage

Best and worst years

By year of first registration, ranked against all cars on UK roads after adjusting for age and mileage. Green = better than half of cars.

Beats 12%

Beats 11%

Beats 11%

Beats 12%

Beats 13%

Beats 16%

Beats 8%

Beats 2%

Engines

All years, most common first. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.

Engine	Years	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Petrol	2004–2011	40,480	52.8%	Beats 7%	E
1.5 Diesel	2004–2011	37,107	48.4%	Beats 14%	E
1.1 Petrol	2004–2011	32,012	52.4%	Beats 11%	E
1.4 Petrol	2004–2007	29,839	46.7%	Beats 11%	E

Where it fails

Each area compared with a typical car of the same age and mileage, in points of pass rate. Tap or hover an area to see what to check.

Better than typicalTypicalWorse than typical

Lights: 27.5% of tests fail on lights & electrics, against 17.4% for a typical car of the same age and mileage. Walk round the car with every light on, including brake, fog and number plate lights.

Every MOT area

Share of tests failing on each area, against a typical car of the same age and mileage (black line).

Lights & electrics

27.5% vs 17.4%

Suspension

23.0% vs 13.9%

Brakes

12.4% vs 9.9%

Tyres

7.7% vs 6.7%

Steering

6.9% vs 2.7%

Visibility

5.7% vs 6.5%

Seat belts & airbags

3.8% vs 1.6%

Emissions & leaks

3.8% vs 4.7%

Body & structure

3.7% vs 5.6%

Wheels

0.4% vs 0.4%

Buying one or MOT due? Check these

Coil springs 3.2× typical
Look behind each wheel for a snapped coil (often the bottom one) and listen for clunks over bumps.
Sidelights 2.3× typical
Walk around with the lights on: bulb failures are the easiest MOT fails to avoid.
Track rod ends 3.4× typical
Feel for play or knocking in the steering and check for wear on the inner edges of the front tyres.
Suspension ball joints 2.7× typical
Listen for knocks over speed bumps and feel for wandering or vague steering.
Headlight bulbs & units 1.9× typical
Check dipped and main beam on both sides.
Headlight aim 1.6× typical
Park facing a wall at night: both dipped beams should sit level and dip to the left.

Pass rate by mileage

First-time pass rate by mileage at the test.

Renault ModusTypical car

Most common MOT failures

Item	This car	Typical	vs typical
Coil springs	11.3%	3.5%	3.2×
Sidelights	9.7%	4.2%	2.3×
Headlight aim	7.2%	4.6%	1.6×
Brake lights	6.5%	3.6%	1.8×
Headlight bulbs & units	6.1%	3.3%	1.9×
Track rod ends	5.9%	1.7%	3.4×
Suspension ball joints	4.8%	1.8%	2.7×
Tyre damage & cracking	3.8%	3.6%	1.1×
Tyre tread depth	3.5%	2.7%	1.3×
Handbrake performance	3.3%	2.1%	1.6×

Specific defects found

Tester wording for the most frequent failure items, per 1,000 tests.

Defect	per 1,000
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened	113.0
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements	71.6
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn	66.5
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning	64.5
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play	58.2
A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED	45.3
A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc	44.2
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning	43.3

Check another car

Pick a make and model to see its MOT pass rate, best and worst years and weak spots.

Every year and engine

Tap a year to see its engines. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.

2011 Renault Modus3 engines56.6% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.6 Petrol	7,835	57.4%	Beats 2%	E
1.5 Diesel	2,249	51.8%	Beats 4%	E
1.1 Petrol	1,506	59.4%	Beats 3%	E

2010 Renault Modus3 engines56.0% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.1 Petrol	5,789	57.2%	Beats 11%	E
1.5 Diesel	5,257	52.3%	Beats 7%	E
1.6 Petrol	3,194	60.0%	Beats 6%	E

2009 Renault Modus3 engines56.9% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.1 Petrol	4,393	56.6%	Beats 15%	E
1.5 Diesel	2,569	53.3%	Beats 17%	E
1.6 Petrol	1,900	62.4%	Beats 18%	E

2008 Renault Modus3 engines52.1% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.1 Petrol	8,324	51.8%	Beats 12%	E
1.5 Diesel	5,122	50.0%	Beats 17%	E
1.6 Petrol	3,911	55.2%	Beats 11%	E

2007 Renault Modus4 engines51.3% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.5 Diesel	5,465	50.3%	Beats 18%	E
1.4 Petrol	4,784	50.6%	Beats 12%	E
1.6 Petrol	4,734	53.5%	Beats 8%	E
1.1 Petrol	3,992	50.9%	Beats 11%	E

2006 Renault Modus4 engines48.1% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.4 Petrol	8,983	48.6%	Beats 12%	E
1.6 Petrol	6,182	49.4%	Beats 7%	E
1.5 Diesel	5,771	46.9%	Beats 17%	E
1.1 Petrol	3,188	46.3%	Beats 8%	E

2005 Renault Modus4 engines45.7% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.4 Petrol	11,833	44.8%	Beats 10%	E
1.6 Petrol	10,811	47.5%	Beats 9%	E
1.5 Diesel	8,321	44.2%	Beats 16%	E
1.1 Petrol	3,553	46.6%	Beats 12%	E

2004 Renault Modus4 engines44.4% passE

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.4 Petrol	4,239	43.6%	Beats 10%	E
1.5 Diesel	2,353	41.8%	Beats 15%	E
1.6 Petrol	1,913	46.5%	Beats 9%	E
1.1 Petrol	1,267	48.5%	Beats 18%	E

FAQ

What is the Renault Modus MOT pass rate?

50.3% of MOT tests on the Renault Modus were passed first time, based on 139,438 tests between 2018 and 2026 of cars first registered 2004–2011. A typical car of the same age and mileage passes 61.5% of the time.

Is the Renault Modus reliable?

On MOT results it rates E (poor): it passes first time less often than a typical car of the same age and mileage and does better than 11% of cars on UK roads. MOT results cover safety and emissions items, not every kind of breakdown.

Which Renault Modus year is best?

Among years with enough data, the 2006 Modus does best for its age and mileage: it beats 11% of cars on UK roads. The 2005 does worst: it beats 11%.

Which Renault Modus engine is best?

Across all years, the 1.5 Diesel does best: it beats 14% of cars on UK roads. The 1.6 Petrol does worst: it beats 7%.

What are the most common MOT failures on the Renault Modus?

The most common failure items are coil springs, sidelights, headlight aim. Compared with similar cars, coil springs comes up 3.2× as often.

How we calculate this. We use official MOT results for cars tested in Great Britain from 2018 to 2026. Each car is compared with typical cars of the same age and mileage, so old and new cars are judged fairly; “pts” are percentage points above or below them. Differences also reflect how cars are used and maintained, not only how they are built.

Renault Modus reliability

Verdict

Watch these weak spots

MOT pass rate by age

Best and worst years

Engines

Where it fails

Every MOT area

Buying one or MOT due? Check these

Pass rate by mileage

Most common MOT failures

Specific defects found

Every year and engine

FAQ