Renault
Grand Espace
3,192 MOT tests analysed. runs below the UK fleet average — here's where Grand Espaces pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 12.7 points below the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — buyers should expect more first-time fails than the typical UK car.
Pass
64.8%
Pass-after-fix
5.0%
Fail
29.5%
Avg miles
124,455
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Diesel cars registered before September 2015 are typically pre-Euro 6 — subject to daily charges in London ULEZ (£12.50), Birmingham CAZ (£8), Bristol CAZ (£9), and Glasgow LEZ. Daily charges if driven in the zone: London £12.50 · Birmingham £8.00 · Bristol £9.00 .
The picture
Grand Espace: a below-average pass rate worth digging into
Across 2,620 MOT tests, the Grand Espace returns 64.7% first-time pass — well below the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a worn steering ball joint. A broken or weak spring and a number-plate lamp out round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 119,894, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
ABI Insurance Group
Group 8–24
Below the fleet average — generally reasonable to insure. 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 →
8–24
out of 50
Top ten reasons for rejection.
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- 01
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
164 occurrences · 5.1% of tests
- 02
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
157 occurrences · 4.9% of tests
- 03
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
130 occurrences · 4.1% of tests
- 04
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
129 occurrences · 4.0% of tests
- 05
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated
127 occurrences · 4.0% of tests
- 06
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
106 occurrences · 3.3% of tests
- 07
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
96 occurrences · 3.0% of tests
- 08
Warning device shows system malfunction
79 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
- 09
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
78 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
- 10
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
75 occurrences · 2.3% 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
£168–£515
If every one of this Grand Espace'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 →
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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.
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Parts & supplies for this fix
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Buying or keeping a Grand Espace?
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 Grand Espace 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.