Jeep Renegade MOT pass rate & common failures
146,092 MOT tests on the Jeep Renegade (1980–2023) give it an 84.4% pass rate. That is 2.0 percentage points worse than small SUVs of a similar age, which fail at 13.6%. Its most common failure areas are tyres, lighting & signalling and steering.
Best and worst Renegade years
Ranked across Renegade years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
Build year matters more than the headline suggests: 2021 cars pass 91.8% of the time while 2015 cars manage 80.1%, a 11.7-point spread.
No single area dominates — tyres (6.2%) and lighting & signalling (6.0%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are track rod end, tread depth and position lamp — track rod end alone was recorded 6,874 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 30.5% versus 6.8%.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 3.9pp more often than petrol ones (17.3% vs 13.4%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 24.7% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 11.4% of tests failed in 2021 against 20.0% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Renegade model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 36,235 | 80.1% | 19.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 62,264 | 83.8% | 16.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 23,073 | 87.0% | 13.1% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 12,870 | 89.0% | 11.0% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 7,537 | 91.2% | 8.8% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 2,727 | 91.7% | 8.3% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 1,206 | 91.8% | 8.2% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 118 | 89.8% | 10.2% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 6.2% | 8,993 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 6.0% | 8,757 |
| 3 | Steering | 3.8% | 5,477 |
| 4 | Suspension | 3.3% | 4,756 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 3.1% | 4,513 |
| 6 | Brakes | 2.4% | 3,497 |
| 7 | Visibility | 1.9% | 2,849 |
| 8 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.8% | 1,109 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Track rod end | 6,874 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 5,716 |
| 3 | Position lamp | 5,428 |
| 4 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 4,083 |
| 5 | Tyre pressure monitoring system | 2,994 |
| 6 | Headlamp aim | 2,551 |
| 7 | Washers | 2,231 |
| 8 | Brake pads | 1,874 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 24.7% | 36,033 |
| 2 | Brakes | 18.5% | 27,079 |
| 3 | Suspension | 8.5% | 12,392 |
| 4 | Other defects | 8.3% | 12,072 |
| 5 | Steering | 5.2% | 7,549 |
| 6 | Visibility | 4.1% | 5,956 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 25,916 | 6.8% |
| 30-60k | 67,876 | 14.1% |
| 60-90k | 39,555 | 20.6% |
| 90-120k | 10,356 | 25.2% |
| 120-150k | 1,946 | 27.7% |
| 150k+ | 429 | 30.5% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 80,883 | 17.3% |
| Petrol | 65,201 | 13.4% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 25,827 | 11.4% |
| 2022 | 28,074 | 12.7% |
| 2023 | 29,402 | 14.8% |
| 2024 | 31,057 | 17.9% |
| 2025 | 31,732 | 20.0% |
What to check before buying a Jeep Renegade
- Tyres (6.2% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
- Lighting & signalling (6.0% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Steering (3.8% of tests): Play, leaks or worn track rod ends — affects handling and is a safety item. Typical repair: £150–£500.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Jeep Renegade?
84.4% of the 146,092 Jeep Renegade MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 15.6% fail rate, across model years 1980–2023.
What does the Jeep Renegade most often fail its MOT on?
Tyres, recorded in 6.2% of tests, then lighting & signalling (6.0%).
Which Renegade years are best and worst for MOT results?
2021 has the best pass rate at 91.8% and 2015 the weakest at 80.1%, from 1,206 and 36,235 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Renegade MOT results?
Fail rates run at 6.8% for cars in the 0-30k band and 30.5% for 150k+, a 23.8-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Renegade more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 13.4% of the time against 17.3% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 146,092 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.