Is the Renault Scenic reliable?

On MOT evidence the Renault Scenic is well below average. It passes 61.8% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 83% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Renault Scenic?

The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 28.2% of failed Renault Scenic tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Renault Scenic?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 28.6% of all Renault Scenic tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Renault Scenic usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 87,907 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Which Renault Scenic years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Renault Scenic cars first registered 2017–2019 do best at 76.6%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 51.3%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.

Does a Renault Scenic get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 76.6% of Renault Scenic tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 51.3%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Renault Scenic models petrol or diesel?

Of the Renault Scenic cars tested, 64% are diesel, 36% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Renault Scenic MOT pass rate & common failures

From 34,458 recorded MOT tests of the Renault Scenic, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Renault Scenic passes 61.8% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is well below average. Based on 34,458 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, which appears in 28.2% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 87,907 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

61.8%national average72.3%unadjusted56.4%range covered83%

The Scenic is 10.5 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well below average. The unadjusted figure is 56.4%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Renault Scenic tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened28.2%
3,567 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
2.A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play16.5%
2,081 occurrencesBall joint worn explained
3.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning16.0%
2,023 occurrencesLamp not working explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn14.0%
1,766 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc12.3%
1,554 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
6.Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning11.3%
1,432 occurrencesStop lamp not working explained
7.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements9.4%
1,192 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
8.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn9.1%
1,147 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
9.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.6%
1,091 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
10.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen6.5%
822 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Renault Scenic tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements28.6%
9,851 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured24.9%
8,589 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged16.1%
5,562 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded12.5%
4,294 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm11.6%
4,001 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
6.Play in steering rack inner joint(s)8.8%
3,040 tests
7.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened8.0%
2,758 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
8.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.8%
2,332 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Renault Scenic

The 18 other defects testers recorded on this model, beyond the most common listed above. Each links to what it means and what it takes to put right.

Known faults

Renault Scenic common problems, by part and by year

The same failure record read the way a buyer asks the question: which parts wear out on a Scenic, when they start, and how each registration year compares — including the steps that mark a generation change.

Scenic common problems and results by year

How wear changes the picture

Scenic pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Renault Scenic passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 6 to 8 was first used in 2017–2019.

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201977%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201662%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201355%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier51%

Read this as an age curve rather than a verdict on particular model years. Nearly every car passes less often as it gets older, so a newer Scenic outscoring an older one says more about wear than about how that year’s cars were built. Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Scenic fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 87,907
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel64.2%
Petrol35.7%

Trim names grouped into this model (5)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

SCENIC DCI
SCENIC DYNAMIQUE S D110
SCENIC ICONIC BLUE DCI AUTO
SCENIC SIGNATURE BLUE DCI AUTO
SCENIC TECHNO E-TECH EV

Check a specific Renault Scenic

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Renault models

Renault Clio — 59.1% adjusted
Renault Captur — 70.8% adjusted
Renault Trafic — 62.9% adjusted
Renault Megane — 63.3% adjusted
Renault Kadjar — 74.0% adjusted
Renault Kangoo — 59.0% adjusted
All Renault models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Ford Grand C-Max — 68.6% adjusted, ranked 187
Mercedes-Benz GLE — 87.6% adjusted, ranked 11
Volkswagen Sharan — 74.2% adjusted, ranked 119
Porsche Macan — 89.5% adjusted, ranked 2

Common questions

Is the Renault Scenic reliable?: On MOT evidence the Renault Scenic is well below average. It passes 61.8% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 83% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Renault Scenic?: The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 28.2% of failed Renault Scenic tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Renault Scenic?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 28.6% of all Renault Scenic tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Renault Scenic usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 87,907 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Which Renault Scenic years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Renault Scenic cars first registered 2017–2019 do best at 76.6%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 51.3%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.
Does a Renault Scenic get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 76.6% of Renault Scenic tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 51.3%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Renault Scenic models petrol or diesel?: Of the Renault Scenic cars tested, 64% are diesel, 36% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.