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Renault Clio, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

326,840 Renault Clios are licensed in the UK, the 24th most common model on the road. In 2025 they passed 57% of initial MOT tests, 15.3 points below the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific Clio? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Renault Clio at the MOT

57% of 306,750 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Clio 519th of 575 models. Renault Clios aged 3 to 5 years passed 81.1% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 48.7%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Renault Clio57%
  • All Renault modelsThe Clio is 5.5 pts behind62.5%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Renault Clio tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years32,589 tests81.1%
  • 6 to 10 years106,481 tests60.2%
  • 11 years and over161,102 tests48.7%

Where Clios fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Renault Clio tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment26.7%
  • Suspension23.4%
  • Brakes15%
  • Tyres9.4%
  • Visibility8.1%

The items testers recorded most often were coil spring fractured or broken (8.4%), ball joint excessively worn (7.1%) and position lamp not working (5.2%).

The MOT page lists every common Clio MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Renault Clio MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Clio's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

    Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.26.7% of Clio failure items

  2. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.23.4% of Clio failure items

  3. Brakes

    Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing.15% of Clio failure items

Renault Clios in the UK

326,840 were licensed at the end of June 2026, more than any other Renault. The number licensed has fallen 46% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−46%from 605,195 licensed
Typical year of first use
2015half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2015 or earlier
First registered in 2025
15,881against 26,585 in 2015
Declared off the road
58,02415% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Renault Clios since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2014605,195
End of 2015571,945
End of 2016539,172
End of 2017499,179
End of 2018466,932
End of 2019438,605
End of 2020408,282
End of 2021382,821
End of 2022365,652
End of 2023353,277
End of 2024344,262
End of 2025334,934
End of June 2026326,840

How old they are

Licensed Renault Clios by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 19,213 were first used before 2006.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
202514,93115,881
202416,93917,658
202312,24813,143
20227,4138,129
20219,0639,534
202010,76711,392
201916,28417,379
201819,20520,662
201718,59420,232
201621,91023,896
201523,72026,585
201425,163
201319,174
201213,432
201115,249
201019,804
200913,533
200812,020
200714,120
200610,267

23,720 Clios first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 89% of the 26,585 first registered that year.

Clio engines and fuel

1.2 litre engines made up 41% of Renault Clio MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.5 litre at 20%. Petrol accounts for 73% of licensed Clios and diesel for 18%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 306,722 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.2 litre41%
  • 1.5 litre20.4%
  • 0.9 litre19.5%
  • 1.0 litre7.7%
  • 1.6 litre5%

Fuel type, licensed Clios

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol239,59373%
Diesel58,56218%
Hybrid electric28,6679%
Gas18<0.1%

Renault Clio recalls

24 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Renault Clio. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Clio is affected.

  1. Mar 2026 R/2026/096

    Front lower arm Bolts

    Clios built Oct 2025 · 43 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    For certain vehicles and as a preventative measure there is concern involving the locking nuts in the area of the front suspension lower arm ball joints for where loosening of the fixings cannot be ruled out.
    Remedy
    Check of the tightening of the front suspension lower arm ball joint nuts and if necessary replace both nuts

  2. Dec 2025 R/2026/094

    Injection Computer Software Update

    Clios built Sep 2022 to Jul 2025 · 52,468 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    For certain vehicles reprogramming of the injection computer is required. Without this software update it could lead to breakdown or the vehicle failing to start.
    Remedy
    Reprogramme the injection computer

  3. Feb 2020 R/2020/023

    'power steering failure' message displayed on dashboard

    Clios built Jun 2019 to Oct 2019 · 72 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The message power steering failure displayed on the vehicles dashboard and a down grading of the power steering assistance
    Remedy
    The steering column will be replaced

  4. Jan 2020 R/2020/015

    Contact between the positive alternator wiring and the alternator casing could cause an electrical short circuit

    Clios built Jul 2019 · 39 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Contact between the positive alternator wiring and the alternator casing which could cause an electrical short circuit.
    Remedy
    Modify the wiring route and if necessary replace the alternator

  5. Apr 2018 R/2018/094

    Dipped headlight may fail to light the road ahead to sufficient level

    19 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Headlight (dipped beam) may not adjust correctly when switched on and therefore not light the road ahead sufficiently.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles make an adjustment of the headlight beam sensor.

  6. Jan 2018 R/2018/024

    Central hinge in rear seats may fail under load

    Clios built May 2012 to Jul 2017 · 412 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    In the event of heavy breaking such as an emergency stop or an impact with heavy luggage in the boot the rear seats central hinge may break. There would be no prior warning to the customer. In extreme circumstances may cause the luggage to enter the passage compartment.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and fit a reinforcing bracket.

  7. Mar 2017 R/2016/192

    Wipers may not perform as intended

    Clios built Nov 2012 to Jul 2015 · 68,552 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    In sub-zero weather conditions the front windscreen blades arms may become frozen to the screen. In extreme circumstances when the wipers are activated the wiper arm linkage may weaken detach or bend. Should the linkage break or bend the wipers will not clear the screen effectively.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and replace the wiper linkage with a more robustly designed linkage.

  8. Dec 2016 R/2016/281

    Rear wheel may detach

    Clios built Feb 2016 · 415 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    One of the rear axle bolts retaining the stub axle carrier on the left and/or right side may not have been correctly tightened.This could allow the stub axle to separate from it's mounting.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles check bolt tightness. If necessary or if bolt(s) is/are missing replace the axle assembly.
How to check a specific Clio for recalls

Clio vs similar cars

Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.

Other Renault models

The most-tested Renault models in 2025, against the Clio's 57% MOT pass rate.

All 16 Renault models

Renault Clio FAQs

How many Renault Clios are there in the UK?

326,840 Renault Clios were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 58,024 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Renault Clio reliable?

MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 57% first-time pass rate for the Renault Clio across 306,750 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Renault Clio had any recalls?

24 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Renault Clio. The most recent was published in March 2026. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used Renault Clio?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension and brakes. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a Renault Clio's history?

Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.

Already found a Clio?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Renault history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Renault VIN check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.