MOT cost .
Renault Kadjar
MOT 2023
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Renault

Kadjar

78,274 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Kadjars pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 6.2 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,988 tracked models — a confident result.

Pass

81.9%

Pass-after-fix

4.3%

Fail

13.4%

Avg miles

44,514

Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%

The picture

Kadjar Passes 81.9% — Brake Pads and Rust Hit Early

From 78,274 tests, the Renault Kadjar passes first time 81.9% of the time at a relatively low average mileage of 44,514. Brake pads worn below 1.5mm and tyre tread are the most common failure causes — not unusual, but notable given how little distance most Kadjars have covered. A 2015 car needed fresh rear discs and pads at 40,000 miles, costing £325. That is early for a compact SUV.

The TCe automatic has drawn complaints about juddering when pulling away, with owners reporting the need to reach nearly 1,900 rpm before the car moves cleanly. Infotainment system failures — a flat screen within weeks of delivery on a 2019 facelift car — are a separate nuisance. Overall the Kadjar passes well, but keep an eye on brakes and check for the TCe gearbox stutter on a test drive.

Top ten reasons for rejection.

  1. 01

    a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

    2,263 occurrences · 2.9% of tests

  2. 02

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    2,230 occurrences · 2.8% of tests

  3. 03

    A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED

    1,493 occurrences · 1.9% of tests

  4. 04

    A tyre cords visible or damaged

    1,486 occurrences · 1.9% of tests

  5. 05

    A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

    1,384 occurrences · 1.8% of tests

  6. 06

    Wiper blade defective

    1,336 occurrences · 1.7% of tests

  7. 07

    Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

    1,317 occurrences · 1.7% of tests

  8. 08

    A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

    1,304 occurrences · 1.7% of tests

  9. 09

    A tyre seriously damaged

    1,213 occurrences · 1.5% of tests

  10. 10

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

    875 occurrences · 1.1% 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 5 failures

£218–£465

If every one of this Kadjar'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.

Item 01 · Amazon UK

Brake pad measurement gauge

Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.

Search Amazon UK

Item 02 · 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

Item 03 · Amazon UK

Headlight restoration kit

Yellowed lenses fail the light-output test. A restoration kit lifts the haze in an afternoon for £20.

Search Amazon UK

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.

Recent owner-reported faults

  1. 10 Jul 2020

    Report of 2017 Kadjar TCE auto juddering when starting. Reader says "I have to reach 18/1900rpm before the car will move and then it jerks very violently when the electronic handbrake disengages". * Terms and Conditions * Privacy * Cookies * Advertise on this site * Contact * Mobile) Website of the Year 2016, 2017 & 2018

  2. 17 Nov 2019

    Problems reported with the infotainment system of a March 2019 facelift Renault Kadjar. Purchased on a PCP. After six weeks the infotainment system "flat lined". The dealer reset it and then again after approximately eight weeks the same fault occurred. Dealer reset it again, and said if it occurred again, a new computer would be ordered. Fault happened again so, true to word, new infotainment system ordered and fitted.

  3. 2 Oct 2019

    Report of rusted rear brake discs on 2015 Renault Kadjar at 40,000 miles. Fresh discs and pads required at £325.

  4. 10 Jul 2019

    Report that stone damage to the a/c condenser of a January 2017 Renault Kadjar meant that the system lost its refrigerant. Not covered by warranty, of course. May be a case for owners fitting a stainless steel stone shield in front of the condenser.

  5. 3 Jul 2019

    Report of 1,332cc engine block of new June 2019 Renault Kadjar GT 1.3 TCe cracking at 700 miles, losing all its oil. Engine written off by the dealer and a new engine to be fitted under warranty.

  6. 22 May 2019

    Clutch problems with 2016 Renault Kadjar now at 24k miles: "I have a 2016 Kadjar clutch cylinder already been changed when car had 10k on the clock with the previous owner, I have the car since last May, done just 10K again and now the clutch is already gone."

  7. 4 Feb 2019

    Report of 2018 Renault Kadjar. Five months old, now on its third satnav/infotainment system.

  8. 4 Sep 2018

    Report of noise seemingly from the front wheels of a 2015/65 Renault Kadjar 1.6 dCi 4WD at 42,000 miles. Turned out to be both front wheel bearings which Renault replaced at no charge under the four year warranty.

  9. 6 Jun 2018

    Report of problem with 6-speed manual transmission of Renault Kadjar 1.6 sCi, purchased at 7000 miles now at 10,000 miles. Gears became very stiff to get out of second and sixth. Then it jammed in second and owner had to stop to use both hands to get of gear.

  10. 1 Apr 2018

    Report of front 19-inch 45 profile Continental Eco Contact tyres down to 2mm on Renault Kadjar 1.6 dCi 130 Signature 2WD at 16,600 miles.

  11. 5 Sep 2017

    DAB signal sometimes lost in R-Link system of 2016 Kadjar Signature. Sometimes can be brought back by switching on and off. Sometimes can be lost for an entire 300 mile journey, necessitating use of FM instead.

  12. 28 Jul 2017

    EDC of new Kadjar 1.2 TCe 130 Signature S Nav EDC bought on 10th May has repeatedly failed despite three attempts by the dealer to fix it. Renault refused to allow the dealer to accept rejection until a new clutch pack has been tried.

Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 14 reports indexed, top 12 shown

Buying or keeping a Kadjar?

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 Kadjar 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.