Renault Trafic MOT pass rate & common failures
The Renault Trafic appears in 672,424 MOT tests spanning model years 1982–2025, and 72.5% of them passed. Vans of a similar age fail 23.5% of the time, so this is 3.9pp worse than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are suspension, lighting & signalling and brakes.
Best and worst Trafic years
Ranked across Trafic 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 2019 (82.1% pass rate); the weakest is 1993 (64.8%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — suspension (15.0%) and lighting & signalling (14.4%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are track rod end, ball joint and position lamp — track rod end alone was recorded 63,622 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 12.8% in the 0-30k band and 31.4% in the 150k+ band, a 18.6-point spread — more than double.
The diesel cars hold up better: 27.4% fail against 34.5% for petrol, a 7.2-point gap across 672,413 tests.
Brakes is the most common advisory, noted on 30.6% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 26.7% of tests failed in 2021 against 28.3% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Trafic model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 31 | 67.7% | 32.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1983 | 30 | 50.0% | 50.0% | Brakes |
| 1984 | 100 | 70.0% | 30.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1985 | 315 | 65.4% | 34.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1986 | 252 | 67.5% | 32.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1987 | 400 | 66.0% | 34.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1988 | 695 | 62.6% | 37.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1989 | 975 | 66.9% | 33.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1990 | 999 | 65.3% | 34.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1991 | 898 | 62.0% | 38.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1992 | 1,162 | 65.8% | 34.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1993 | 1,297 | 64.8% | 35.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1994 | 1,065 | 66.8% | 33.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1995 | 1,187 | 65.9% | 34.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1996 | 1,244 | 68.2% | 31.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1997 | 862 | 66.0% | 34.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1998 | 303 | 66.7% | 33.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1999 | 81 | 69.1% | 30.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 125 | 67.2% | 32.8% | Brakes |
| 2001 | 479 | 67.0% | 33.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 5,204 | 67.5% | 32.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 11,764 | 66.6% | 33.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 18,667 | 66.9% | 33.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 22,990 | 68.0% | 32.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 30,914 | 67.3% | 32.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 33,250 | 68.0% | 32.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 30,727 | 68.7% | 31.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 22,412 | 68.5% | 31.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 38,407 | 68.3% | 31.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 46,241 | 67.4% | 32.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 32,369 | 69.5% | 30.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 30,246 | 71.0% | 29.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 46,911 | 72.0% | 28.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 72,208 | 74.1% | 25.9% | Suspension |
| 2016 | 79,828 | 76.6% | 23.4% | Suspension |
| 2017 | 57,718 | 78.2% | 21.8% | Suspension |
| 2018 | 44,656 | 80.8% | 19.3% | Suspension |
| 2019 | 33,321 | 82.1% | 17.9% | Suspension |
| 2020 | 1,768 | 81.6% | 18.4% | Suspension |
| 2021 | 290 | 81.7% | 18.3% | Suspension |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 15.0% | 101,066 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 14.4% | 96,908 |
| 3 | Brakes | 10.4% | 70,182 |
| 4 | Steering | 8.5% | 57,045 |
| 5 | Visibility | 5.6% | 37,435 |
| 6 | Tyres | 4.5% | 29,986 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 4.1% | 27,432 |
| 8 | Emissions & environmental | 3.7% | 25,100 |
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 | 63,622 |
| 2 | Ball joint | 41,679 |
| 3 | Position lamp | 34,860 |
| 4 | Rbt (sp) | 26,567 |
| 5 | Headlamp aim | 25,769 |
| 6 | Linkage ball joints | 25,262 |
| 7 | Stop lamp | 24,716 |
| 8 | Coil spring | 22,791 |
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 | 30.6% | 205,410 |
| 2 | Suspension | 24.5% | 164,628 |
| 3 | Tyres | 21.7% | 146,033 |
| 4 | Other defects | 11.6% | 77,992 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 10.5% | 70,353 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 10.3% | 69,330 |
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 | 24,595 | 12.8% |
| 30-60k | 87,591 | 19.7% |
| 60-90k | 132,114 | 25.6% |
| 90-120k | 138,385 | 28.9% |
| 120-150k | 121,194 | 30.9% |
| 150k+ | 167,079 | 31.4% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 663,899 | 27.4% |
| Petrol | 8,514 | 34.5% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 138,939 | 26.7% |
| 2022 | 143,105 | 26.8% |
| 2023 | 138,422 | 27.6% |
| 2024 | 130,214 | 28.2% |
| 2025 | 121,744 | 28.3% |
What to check before buying a Renault Trafic
- Suspension (15.0% 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 (14.4% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (10.4% 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 Trafic?
72.5% of the 672,424 Renault Trafic MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 27.5% fail rate, across model years 1982–2025.
What does the Renault Trafic most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 15.0% of tests, then lighting & signalling (14.4%).
Which Trafic years are best and worst for MOT results?
2019 has the best pass rate at 82.1% and 1993 the weakest at 64.8%, from 33,321 and 1,297 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Trafic MOT results?
Fail rates run at 12.8% for cars in the 0-30k band and 31.4% for 150k+, a 18.6-point difference.
Is the diesel or petrol Trafic more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the diesel fails 27.4% of the time against 34.5% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 672,424 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.