Pass rate, every year
14,579 tests across 7 model years, 2008–2020.
+1.1 pts vs the national average
Pass rate, every year
14,579 tests across 7 model years, 2008–2020.
+1.1 pts vs the national average
Best year to buy
2020 90.8%
The strongest of the 7 years on record. See the 2020 page →
Worst year to buy
2010 67.9%
22.9 points below the 2020 peak. See the 2010 page →
The Renault Koleos MOT pass rate is 82.1%, +1.1 percentage points above the UK average. That is 14,579 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2008 and 2020. This page lists the most common Renault Koleos MOT failures by category, names the best and worst model years, and finishes with a pre-MOT checklist you can run at home.
The Renault Koleos passed on its first attempt in 78.9%, and its overall record sits +1.1 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Renault Koleos in the 2023–2025 data: 14,579 tests across 7 model years (2008–2020). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.
| Measure | This model |
|---|---|
| Tests analysed | 14,579 |
| Overall pass rate | 82.1% |
| Passed on first attempt | 78.9% |
| Average mileage at test | 76,922 mi |
| Model years covered | 2008–2020 (7 years) |
| Versus UK national average | +1.1 pts above |
Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.
Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Renault Koleos, the Suspension section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.
| Inspection section | Share of failures |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 25% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 20% |
| Visibility | 17% |
| Steering | 13% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 9% |
| Tyres | 6% |
| Brakes | 6% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 5% |
Shares are over the Renault Koleos's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.
Around 25% of the recorded Renault Koleos failures fall in the Suspension section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Ball joint excessively worn" (2.4%), "Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn" (2.0%), "Suspension arm corroded and seriously weakened" (1.0%) among the Renault Koleos's suspension faults.
Around 20% of the recorded Renault Koleos failures fall in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (2.3%), "Position lamp not working" (2.1%), "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (0.3%) among the Renault Koleos's lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment faults.
Around 17% of the recorded Renault Koleos failures fall in the Visibility section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (2.2%), "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (1.0%), "Wipers blade defective" (1.0%) among the Renault Koleos's visibility faults.
The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Renault Koleos, each with how many of the model's 14,579 tests it was noted on.
The strongest Renault Koleos model year on record is 2020 (90.8% across 1,544 tests), and the weakest is 2010 (67.9%). The gap between them is 22.9 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.
Renault Koleos reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 5.0 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 Koleos | 1,544 | 90.8% |
| 2019 Koleos | 3,281 | 88.4% |
| 2018 Koleos | 3,041 | 88.2% |
| 2017 Koleos | 2,293 | 85.1% |
| 2010 Koleos | 308 | 67.9% |
| 2009 Koleos | 3,153 | 68.8% |
| 2008 Koleos | 959 | 68.6% |
Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.
These checks follow this Renault Koleos's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Renault Koleos.
the suspension joints — “track rod end ball joint has excessive play”
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 windscreen — “windscreen damaged”
Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.
Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Renault Koleos. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.
Across every Koleos model year on record (2008–2020): 6,751 Renault Koleos cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 14,578 tests. Sheffield (S) has the most, with 178 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.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sheffield (S) | 178 | 83.1% |
| 2 | Birmingham (B) | 164 | 86.0% |
| 3 | Swansea (SA) | 151 | 82.3% |
| 4 | Glasgow (G) | 150 | 83.9% |
| 5 | Cardiff (CF) | 139 | 84.1% |
| 6 | Peterborough (PE) | 135 | 83.3% |
| 7 | Warrington (WA) | 123 | 84.6% |
| 8 | Northampton (NN) | 118 | 77.4% |
| 9 | Basildon (SS) | 117 | 91.3% |
| 10 | Nottingham (NG) | 114 | 79.2% |
| 11 | Doncaster (DN) | 109 | 81.7% |
| 12 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 106 | 85.2% |
| 13 | Manchester (M) | 100 | 86.0% |
| 14 | Norwich (NR) | 97 | 84.9% |
| 15 | Romford (RM) | 92 | 92.3% |
| 16 | Wakefield (WF) | 90 | 81.3% |
| 17 | Exeter (EX) | 89 | 81.9% |
| 18 | Derby (DE) | 89 | 89.0% |
| 19 | Liverpool (L) | 87 | 86.1% |
| 20 | Wolverhampton (WV) | 87 | 87.3% |
The twenty areas with the most Renault Koleos 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 →
82.1% of the 14,579 recorded Renault Koleos MOT tests ended in a pass, +1.1 percentage points above the national average. 78.9% of those passed on the first attempt.
2020 is the strongest Renault Koleos year on record at 90.8%, while 2010 is the weakest at 67.9%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.
The most recorded Renault Koleos failures are "Track rod end ball joint has excessive play" and "Ball joint excessively worn" — together around 6% of tests, mostly in the Steering section.