Renault Kadjar MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Renault Kadjar MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Renault Kadjar passed on its first attempt in 81.6%, and its overall record sits +3.3 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Renault Kadjar in the 2023–2025 data: 237,203 tests across 8 model years (2015–2022). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Renault Kadjar MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Renault Kadjar, the Suspension section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Renault Kadjar's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Renault Kadjar DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Renault Kadjar, each with how many of the model's 237,203 tests it was noted on.

• "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 6,499 Renault Kadjar tests, 2.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 6,360 Renault Kadjar tests, 2.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp not working on dipped beam" (Major) — noted on about 5,955 Renault Kadjar tests, 2.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick" (Major) — noted on about 4,293 Renault Kadjar tests, 1.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 3,695 Renault Kadjar tests, 1.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 3,178 Renault Kadjar tests, 1.3% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Renault Kadjar Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Renault Kadjar model year on record is 2021 (92.2% across 3,359 tests), and the weakest is 2015 (78.8%). The gap between them is 13.4 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Renault Kadjar reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.9 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Renault Kadjar Owners

These checks follow this Renault Kadjar's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Renault Kadjar.

• the suspension joints — “ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated”

  With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.

• the lights — “registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”

  Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.

• the brakes — “brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick”

  Look through the spokes of each wheel at the pad — less than 3mm of friction material, or a lip on the disc edge, is the usual failure. Check the handbrake holds on a slope with a few clicks, not at the top of its travel.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Renault Kadjar. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Renault Kadjar is most common

Across every Kadjar model year on record (2015–2022): 101,371 Renault Kadjar cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 237,197 tests. Glasgow (G) has the most, with 3,666 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.

The twenty areas with the most Renault Kadjar cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →

Frequently Asked Questions: Renault Kadjar MOT & Reliability