2009 Renault Twingo — MOT failures & pass rate
The 2009 Renault Twingo passed 72.5% of its 11,168 recorded MOT tests. City cars of a similar age fail 25.7% of the time, so this is 1.8pp worse than the group it competes with. Failures cluster in suspension, lighting & signalling and brakes.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — suspension (13.8%) and lighting & signalling (11.7%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are coil spring, track rod end and position lamp — coil spring alone was recorded 725 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 33.3% versus 15.8%.
Brakes is the most common advisory, noted on 33.6% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 26.4% of tests failed in 2021 against 29.1% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 13.8% | 1,537 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 11.7% | 1,310 |
| 3 | Brakes | 8.5% | 950 |
| 4 | Steering | 5.8% | 644 |
| 5 | Visibility | 5.7% | 640 |
| 6 | Tyres | 5.5% | 614 |
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 | 725 |
| 2 | Track rod end | 680 |
| 3 | Position lamp | 648 |
| 4 | Rigid brake pipes | 525 |
| 5 | Catalyst emissions | 491 |
| 6 | Washers | 412 |
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 | 33.6% | 3,754 |
| 2 | Tyres | 28.0% | 3,129 |
| 3 | Suspension | 27.9% | 3,112 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 15.5% | 1,729 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 14.0% | 1,563 |
| 6 | Other defects | 8.7% | 969 |
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 | 836 | 15.8% |
| 30-60k | 2,900 | 23.4% |
| 60-90k | 4,462 | 29.9% |
| 90-120k | 2,294 | 31.2% |
| 120-150k | 550 | 30.7% |
| 150k+ | 111 | 33.3% |
Failure rate by age
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2,439 | 26.4% |
| 2022 | 2,390 | 27.1% |
| 2023 | 2,274 | 26.7% |
| 2024 | 2,137 | 28.6% |
| 2025 | 1,928 | 29.1% |
What to check before buying a 2009 Twingo
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: suspension accounted for 13.8% of tests. Start there.
- Suspension (13.8% 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 (11.7% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (8.5% 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
How many 2009 Renault Twingos pass their MOT?
72.5% of the 11,168 2009 Renault Twingo MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 27.5% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2009 Renault Twingo?
Suspension, recorded in 13.8% of tests, followed by lighting & signalling (11.7%).
Does the 2009 Twingo get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 15.8% in the 0-30k band to 33.3% in the 150k+ band.
Methodology & source. Based on 11,168 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.