Renault Laguna MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 28 model years and 78,761 tests, the Renault Laguna passes its MOT 70.7% of the time. That is 3.8 percentage points worse than large family cars of a similar age, which fail at 25.5%. Its most common failure areas are suspension, lighting & signalling and brakes.
Best and worst Laguna years
Ranked across Laguna 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: 2012 cars pass 73.4% of the time while 2003 cars manage 67.8%, a 5.6-point spread.
No single area dominates — suspension (16.9%) and lighting & signalling (16.4%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are coil spring, position lamp and headlamp aim — coil spring alone was recorded 7,862 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 31.1% versus 21.3%.
Fuel type barely separates them — diesel fails 29.1% of the time against 29.7% for petrol.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: brakes was flagged on 36.5% of tests without failing them.
How it compares
By model year
Every Laguna model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 68 | 76.5% | 23.5% | Emissions & environmental |
| 1995 | 68 | 69.1% | 30.9% | Suspension |
| 1996 | 182 | 71.4% | 28.6% | Suspension |
| 1997 | 255 | 76.1% | 23.9% | Suspension |
| 1998 | 324 | 72.5% | 27.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1999 | 566 | 70.9% | 29.1% | Suspension |
| 2000 | 952 | 72.9% | 27.1% | Suspension |
| 2001 | 601 | 70.0% | 29.9% | Brakes |
| 2002 | 1,622 | 71.8% | 28.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 2,762 | 67.8% | 32.1% | Suspension |
| 2004 | 3,821 | 68.8% | 31.2% | Suspension |
| 2005 | 3,994 | 68.6% | 31.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 4,516 | 69.4% | 30.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 8,519 | 68.7% | 31.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 16,132 | 70.7% | 29.3% | Suspension |
| 2009 | 9,279 | 71.1% | 28.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 12,632 | 71.3% | 28.7% | Suspension |
| 2011 | 10,532 | 73.2% | 26.8% | Suspension |
| 2012 | 1,885 | 73.4% | 26.6% | Suspension |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 16.9% | 13,330 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 16.4% | 12,896 |
| 3 | Brakes | 10.7% | 8,403 |
| 4 | Body, structure & corrosion | 6.1% | 4,791 |
| 5 | Tyres | 5.6% | 4,402 |
| 6 | Visibility | 4.2% | 3,284 |
| 7 | Steering | 2.9% | 2,310 |
| 8 | Emissions & environmental | 2.5% | 1,960 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coil spring | 7,862 |
| 2 | Position lamp | 5,822 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 4,341 |
| 4 | Joints | 4,231 |
| 5 | Headlamp | 3,377 |
| 6 | Pins and bushes | 2,951 |
| 7 | Ball joint | 2,896 |
| 8 | Rigid brake pipes | 2,563 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 36.5% | 28,771 |
| 2 | Suspension | 32.7% | 25,785 |
| 3 | Tyres | 29.0% | 22,857 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 17.8% | 13,989 |
| 5 | Other defects | 13.1% | 10,282 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 8.5% | 6,691 |
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 | 746 | 21.3% |
| 30-60k | 5,835 | 24.4% |
| 60-90k | 16,858 | 27.8% |
| 90-120k | 22,353 | 29.6% |
| 120-150k | 18,091 | 30.5% |
| 150k+ | 14,631 | 31.1% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 58,548 | 29.1% |
| Petrol | 20,205 | 29.7% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 22,441 | 29.9% |
| 2022 | 18,566 | 29.1% |
| 2023 | 15,503 | 29.5% |
| 2024 | 12,348 | 28.6% |
| 2025 | 9,903 | 28.9% |
What to check before buying a Renault Laguna
- Suspension (16.9% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
- Lighting & signalling (16.4% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (10.7% 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 Laguna?
70.7% of the 78,761 Renault Laguna MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 29.3% fail rate, across model years 1994–2021.
What does the Renault Laguna most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 16.9% of tests, then lighting & signalling (16.4%).
Which Laguna years are best and worst for MOT results?
2012 has the best pass rate at 73.4% and 2003 the weakest at 67.8%, from 1,885 and 2,762 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Laguna MOT results?
Fail rates run at 21.3% for cars in the 0-30k band and 31.1% for 150k+, a 9.8-point difference.
Is the diesel or petrol Laguna more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the diesel fails 29.1% of the time against 29.7% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 78,761 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.