Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 47,485 tests

Pass rate climbs 14.6 points across the cohorts — newer Renegade examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 39,746

Pass

77.6%

Fail

18.0%

PRS

4.0%

Avg mileage at test

64,473 mi

2018–2020 cohort 6,819

Pass

87.2%

Fail

9.5%

PRS

3.0%

Avg mileage at test

35,753 mi

2021+ cohort 920

Pass

92.2%

Fail

6.6%

PRS

1.1%

Avg mileage at test

22,757 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

The picture

Jeep Renegade: solid MOT record across 29,505 tests

The Jeep Renegade is a subcompact crossover SUV produced by Stellantis under their Jeep marque. It was first shown to the public in March 2014 at the Geneva Motor Show and production started in late August of that year.

MOT data from 29,505 tests puts this car on a 81.2% first-time pass rate, above the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 52,680 miles. The most common fail item is steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, followed by tyre tread below the legal limit.

Honest John owner records point to turbocharger reliability concerns as the recurring problems to check before buying used.

Buyers weighing up a used Renegade should treat the failure breakdown as a pre-purchase checklist. The pass rate is reasonable, but the gap between first attempt and a clean sheet narrows with age and mileage.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 16–26

Around the UK fleet average for insurance cost. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.

Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →

16–26

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated

2,878 occurrences · 6.1% of tests
02

Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

1,467 occurrences · 3.1% of tests
03

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

1,343 occurrences · 2.8% of tests
04

Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

1,269 occurrences · 2.7% of tests
05

A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

1,019 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
06

A tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative

593 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
07

Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction

572 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
08

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

486 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
09

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

467 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
10

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play

464 occurrences · 1.0% of tests

Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.

Worst-case fix budget · top 3 failures

£220–£575

If every one of this Renegade's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 14.6-point gap between bands means the year you buy Jeep Renegade has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

92.2%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 92.2% — a 14.6-point improvement. Tests in this band average 22,757 miles — roughly 42K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: has a cut in excess of the…, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.

Band to be cautious about

77.6%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 77.6% pass rate against a fleet average of 92.2% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt, ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm. Average mileage on test for this band is 64,473 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (92.2% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (77.6% pass). That's a 14.6-point spread across 39,746 older tests and 920 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.

Item 01 · Amazon UK

Digital tyre-tread depth gauge

Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Motor World

Motor World Chrysler Jeep Grand Cherokee 2005-2014 Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

View at My Motor World →

Motor World

Motor World Jeep Commander 2006- Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

View at My Motor World →

Motor World

Motor World Jeep Compass 2008-2018 Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

View at My Motor World →

Motor World

Motor World Jeep Grand Cheroke 2014- Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

View at My Motor World →

Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

Get a quote →

Owner reports · Honest John

What owners actually report.

Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.

What's good

The Jeep Renegade offers a more credible off-road option for those who want or need to head further on unmade roads. All Renegades come with hybrid power, and the more powerful versions are plug-in models that can cover up to 26 miles on battery power alone. Decent to drive and refined, this Jeep is spacious and well screwed together to be an intriguing alternative to a MINI Countryman.

Where it falls short

Firm and bouncy ride. Below par refinement.

Recent owner-reported faults

4 Dec 2019
(for 2019 Facelift Renegade) 82% Adult Occupant; 84% Child Occupant; 55% Vulnerable Road Users (pedestrians, cyclists, etc.); 58% Safety Assist. [![Image 24: Top 5 Mouse Repellent
2 Oct 2019
Report of paint defects on 2018 Jeep Renegade at 4,000 miles. Paintwork started to blister and peel off to the primer on the bonnet so owner immediately contacted Jeep. The dealer body shop tried to fob owner off with a story about bird droppings. But owner had kept the car immaculate. Took a long fight to get the paint rectified and now the roof has started to suffer the same problem.
30 Aug 2019
Further report of failed turbo on 2016 Jeep Renegade at 36,000 miles and 3 months out ofg warranty. Dealer initially quoted £2,000, since reduced to £880 "as a gesture of goodwill".
28 Jul 2019
Report of extremely high oil consumption from 2016 Jeep Renegade 1.4 Longitude, bought in July 2017 from a Jeep dealer at 2,800 miles and still under Jeep warranty until October 2019. Required top ups 5 time between services. Supplying dealer said normal oil consumption. Servicing dealer says not normal.
12 Mar 2019
Another report of turbo failure, this on a September 2014 Renegade 1.6 Multijet diesel 120HP at 49,500km. (Was replaced under warranty.)
19 Aug 2018
Report of turbo failure on Jeep Renegade bought used from Jeep dealer 12 months previously, now out of warranty. Has intermittent Turbo failure. At the same time the Cruise Control and Stop -Start are disabled. Jeep dealer said that the Turbo is leaking and has failed and it will cost £3,500 to replace.
29 Jan 2018
Apparent fault with accelerator pedal switch of 2016 Jeep Renegade 1.4 MultiAir 140 Start/Stop Longitude. Owner says "up to say 40mph it’s quite punchy, but hit the motorway, and it feels like really hard work to get up to 70. Whereas if I accelerate just using the + button on the cruise control it feels like it accelerates quicker." Suggests a fault with the accelerator pedal switch.
15 Sep 2017
First report of any problems with a Jeep Renegade, which is good in itself. This one is a 2015 2.0 diesel AWD, bought 2nd hand at a year old from a non-Jeep dealer. Has suffered two battery faults and a random (still undiagnosed) engine fault. Now the clutch has failed at 18,000 miles and the Jeep dealer says the Dual Mass Flywheel is also damaged. Reduced his quote to replace from £1,800 to £1,500.

Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 8 reports indexed

Recall history

8 UK recalls on record.

The Renegade has 8 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Renegade?

Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.

If you own a Renegade and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.