Pass rate
68.9%
Below average — 3.7 pts behind the 72.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 1,660 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £64–£169
2003 Renault Master MOT pass rate
- 2003
- Van
- typical 124,370 mi
Most common fault
Brakes
27.9% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2025 99.0% pass
- Avoid 2001 65.7% pass
Across the 26 years on record, a spread of 33.3 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 58.6%
- Typical mileage
- 124k mi
The 2003 Renault Master MOT pass rate is 68.9% of its MOT tests — 3.7 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 27.9% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Renault Master does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Brakes: 1.3× the national share
Brakes make up 27.9% of everything recorded on the 2003 Renault Master, against 20.9% nationally — 7.0 points above. Have the discs and pads measured rather than glanced at, and ask whether the handbrake holds on a slope.
- Falls short of its own age and mileage. Like-for-like, vans this age and mileage expect about 72.6%; this one manages 68.9% — 3.7 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 29% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Renault Master? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2003 Renault Master compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.6%, so this figure is 3.7 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 58.6%. The median 2003 Renault Master in this dataset had covered 124,370 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 68.4% of the time, April–September 69.3%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 7.71% of tests.
- 1,660 recorded tests behind this page.
- 68.9% overall pass rate, 58.6% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Renault Master, the average is 77.7% — best year 2025 (99.0%), worst 2001 (65.7%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 1,660
- Typical mileage (median)
- 124,370 mi
- Make and model
- Renault Master
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Number Plate Lamp
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Master MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 59% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Master
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South West | 312 | 67.3% |
| South East | 229 | 69.4% |
| North West | 171 | 67.8% |
| Scotland | 163 | 65.0% |
| West Midlands | 158 | 74.7% |
| Wales | 152 | 63.2% |
| Yorkshire | 134 | 70.1% |
| East of England | 117 | 73.5% |
| East Midlands | 110 | 70.0% |
| North East | 105 | 70.5% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2003 Master
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2003 Master
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the lights 7.7% of tests
“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.
-
Check the steering 6.0% of tests
“steering rack gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt”
With the wheels straight, rock the steering wheel gently with the engine off — more than about an inch of free play before the wheels move is worth investigating. Split rack gaiters are cheap to replace and commonly recorded.
-
Check the windscreen 5.0% of tests
“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.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2003 Master through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £64–£169 — and 29% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £64–£169
- Cheapest common item: rear fog lamp not working
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 50%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 29%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 1,660 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the Master, side by side
26 model years on record, from 2000 to 2025. Across them the pass rate runs from 65.7% to 99.0% — a spread of 33.3 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 65.9% steering rack gaiter missing or…
- 2001 65.7% component mounting prescribed…
- 2002 67.4% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2003 68.9%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2004 68.7% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2005 72.8% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2006 73.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 75.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 73.4% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2009 73.1% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2010 72.8% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 74.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2012 79.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2013 80.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2014 81.8% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2015 81.8% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2016 84.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2017 86.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2018 87.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2019 85.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2020 86.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2021 86.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2022 90.7% headlamp aim too high
- 2023 93.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2024 88.2% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2025 99.0% has a cut in excess of the…
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2003 Renault Master with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2003 vans with a similar record
- Fiat Scudo 68.9%
- Volkswagen Caddy 69.1%
- Peugeot Partner 68.6%
- Ford Transit 69.4%
- Peugeot Expert 69.5%
- Citroen Dispatch 67.9%
Closest pass rates among 2003 vans with at least 1,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. Full rankings: best vans and worst vans for MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2003 Renault Master 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 5,216 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 1,468 | 27.90% | 20.89% | +7.01 |
| Suspension | 912 | 17.30% | 20.98% | −3.68 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 779 | 14.80% | 12.21% | +2.59 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 446 | 8.50% | 5.57% | +2.93 |
| Tyres | 396 | 7.50% | 19.76% | −12.26 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 353 | 6.70% | 5.52% | +1.18 |
| Steering | 297 | 5.60% | 2.57% | +3.03 |
| Visibility | 260 | 4.90% | 4.97% | −0.07 |
| Non-component advisories | 209 | 4.00% | 4.18% | −0.18 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 96 | 1.80% | 1.76% | +0.04 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 7.7% | £5–20 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 7.0% | £45–110 |
| Steering rack gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Steering | Major | 6.0% | £120–300 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 5.4% | £80–250 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 5.0% | £80–200 |
| Steering rack gaiter damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt Steering | Minor | 4.5% | £120–300 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 3.4% | £180–450 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 3.3% | £18–45 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.3% | £5–25 |
| Rear fog lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.2% | £3–15 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 18.4% | £45–110 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 17.4% | £200–700 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 14.9% | £80–180 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 11.4% | £45–95 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 11.1% | £18–45 |
| Non-component advisories Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories | Advisory | 9.6% | £120–300 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 24 | 79.2% | 18,733 mi |
| 30-60k | 136 | 72.8% | 48,374 mi |
| 60-90k | 238 | 71.4% | 74,896 mi |
| 90-120k | 342 | 70.2% | 105,778 mi |
| 120k+ | 889 | 67.4% | 171,288 mi |
Source: 1,660 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2003 Master MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2003 Renault Master?
68.9% of the 1,660 2003 Renault Master tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.6% for cars first used in 2003. First-attempt pass rate: 58.6%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2003 Renault Master?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (7.71%), rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (6.99%), steering rack gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (6.02%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2003 Renault Master MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 79.2% of the time, falling to 67.4% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2003 Renault Master in this dataset had covered 124,370 mi.
Does the season affect the 2003 Renault Master MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 68.4% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 69.3%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.