Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 103,962 tests

Pass rate climbs 13.6 points across the cohorts — newer Kangoo examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 92,475

Pass

64.8%

Fail

28.9%

PRS

5.8%

Avg mileage at test

106,612 mi

2018–2020 cohort 9,676

Pass

73.6%

Fail

18.4%

PRS

7.5%

Avg mileage at test

59,547 mi

2021+ cohort 1,811

Pass

78.4%

Fail

14.0%

PRS

6.7%

Avg mileage at test

39,556 mi

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

Generations on file · 3

Renault Kangoo · UK market

Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.

The picture

Renault Kangoo: challenging MOT record across 78,950 tests

The Renault Kangoo is a diesel-powered van sold in the UK market across multiple generations, covering a broad date range in the test population.

MOT data from 78,950 tests puts this van on a 65.2% first-time pass rate, well below the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 97,785 miles. The most common fail item is failed number plate light, followed by cracked or discoloured windscreen.

The Kangoo's pass rate warrants caution in the used market. Factor in likely first-test remedial work on the common failure items and get a pre-purchase inspection that covers the specific items this van trips on most.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 12–20

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 →

12–20

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

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

01

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

8,950 occurrences · 8.6% of tests
02

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

5,500 occurrences · 5.3% of tests
03

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

4,931 occurrences · 4.7% of tests
04

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play

4,558 occurrences · 4.4% of tests
05

Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded

4,482 occurrences · 4.3% of tests
06

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

3,932 occurrences · 3.8% of tests
07

A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

3,835 occurrences · 3.7% of tests
08

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

3,061 occurrences · 2.9% of tests
09

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps

2,808 occurrences · 2.7% of tests
10

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

2,752 occurrences · 2.6% 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

£128–£365

If every one of this Kangoo'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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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 13.6-point gap between bands means the year you buy Renault Kangoo has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

78.4%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 78.4% — a 13.6-point improvement. Tests in this band average 39,556 miles — roughly 67K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, 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

64.8%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 64.8% pass rate against a fleet average of 78.4% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, and constant velocity boot split or insecure, no…. Average mileage on test for this band is 106,612 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (78.4% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (64.8% pass). That's a 13.6-point spread across 92,475 older tests and 1,811 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

H7 / W21W bulb pack

A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.

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My Motor World · affiliate

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Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

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Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

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Recall history

17 UK recalls on record.

The Kangoo has 17 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Kangoo?

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 Kangoo 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.