Renault Kadjar MOT pass rate & common failures
The Renault Kadjar appears in 363,691 MOT tests spanning model years 2005–2023, and 85.9% of them passed. Against mid-size SUVs of a similar age (11.8% fail rate), the Kadjar comes out 2.3pp worse. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, tyres and brakes.
Best and worst Kadjar years
Ranked across Kadjar 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
The strongest year on this record is 2021 (92.3% pass rate); the weakest is 2015 (81.3%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (6.0%) and tyres (6.0%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp, tread depth and brake pads — headlamp alone was recorded 13,118 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 8.0% in the 0-30k band and 24.4% in the 150k+ band, a 16.4-point spread — more than double.
The petrol cars hold up better: 12.2% fail against 15.7% for diesel, a 3.6-point gap across 363,691 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 26.7% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 10.1% of tests failed in 2021 against 18.1% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Kadjar model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 18,446 | 81.3% | 18.7% | Suspension |
| 2016 | 113,602 | 83.4% | 16.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 84,143 | 86.3% | 13.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 63,283 | 87.2% | 12.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 52,713 | 88.6% | 11.4% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 27,310 | 89.5% | 10.5% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 3,440 | 92.3% | 7.7% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 750 | 92.7% | 7.3% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 6.0% | 21,860 |
| 2 | Tyres | 6.0% | 21,815 |
| 3 | Brakes | 3.4% | 12,405 |
| 4 | Suspension | 3.3% | 12,096 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.2% | 11,766 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 1.0% | 3,492 |
| 7 | Steering | 0.6% | 2,089 |
| 8 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.4% | 1,395 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Headlamp | 13,118 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 11,833 |
| 3 | Brake pads | 11,625 |
| 4 | Wipers | 10,393 |
| 5 | Headlamp aim | 8,864 |
| 6 | Coil spring | 4,815 |
| 7 | Ball joint | 3,843 |
| 8 | Washers | 3,813 |
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 | 26.7% | 97,143 |
| 2 | Brakes | 20.5% | 74,566 |
| 3 | Other defects | 9.1% | 33,017 |
| 4 | Suspension | 7.4% | 27,062 |
| 5 | Visibility | 2.9% | 10,538 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 2.7% | 9,679 |
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 | 94,078 | 8.0% |
| 30-60k | 174,211 | 14.1% |
| 60-90k | 74,452 | 19.1% |
| 90-120k | 17,135 | 22.9% |
| 120-150k | 3,060 | 25.3% |
| 150k+ | 693 | 24.4% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 198,071 | 15.7% |
| Petrol | 165,620 | 12.2% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 54,159 | 10.1% |
| 2022 | 68,101 | 11.6% |
| 2023 | 78,011 | 13.4% |
| 2024 | 80,095 | 15.4% |
| 2025 | 83,325 | 18.1% |
What to check before buying a Renault Kadjar
- 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.
- Tyres (6.0% 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.
- Brakes (3.4% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
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 Renault Kadjar?
85.9% of the 363,691 Renault Kadjar MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 14.1% fail rate, across model years 2005–2023.
What does the Renault Kadjar most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 6.0% of tests, then tyres (6.0%).
Which Kadjar years are best and worst for MOT results?
2021 has the best pass rate at 92.3% and 2015 the weakest at 81.3%, from 3,440 and 18,446 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Kadjar MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.0% for cars in the 0-30k band and 24.4% for 150k+, a 16.4-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Kadjar more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 12.2% of the time against 15.7% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 363,691 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.