Renault
17,752 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Zoes pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 3.8 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
73.7%
Pass-after-fix
3.6%
Fail
22.4%
Avg miles
40,737
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 17,722 tests
Pass rate climbs 3.5 points across the cohorts — newer Zoe examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
72.4%
Fail
23.7%
PRS
3.5%
Avg mileage at test
45,636 mi
Pass
75.9%
Fail
20.1%
PRS
3.7%
Avg mileage at test
32,368 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
The Renault Zoe is a electric-powered car sold in the UK market across multiple generations, covering a broad date range in the test population.
MOT data from 12,179 tests puts this car on a 75.1% first-time pass rate, roughly in line with the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 36,434 miles. The most common fail item is worn suspension pin or bush, followed by damaged tyre sidewall or structure.
Initially, in the UK, monthly battery hire costs from £70 (9,000 miles/36 month contract), inclusive of comprehensive breakdown assistance (which covers flat batteries).
Buyers weighing up a used Zoe 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
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 →
16–22
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A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
1,539 occurrences · 8.7% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
427 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
408 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
312 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
282 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
222 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
222 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements
213 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
199 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
186 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 4 failures
£300–£815
If every one of this Zoe'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
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 3.5-point gap between bands means the year you buy Renault Zoe has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
75.9%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 75.9% — a 3.5-point improvement. Tests in this band average 32,368 miles — roughly 13K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: ball joint excessively worn, has ply or cords exposed — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. The stricter post-2018 MOT test rules meant manufacturers had to tighten up emissions and electrical checks, but this band still shows far fewer major failures on suspension and bodywork than the older fleet.
Band to be cautious about
72.4%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 72.4% pass rate against a fleet average of 75.9% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: ball joint excessively worn, has a cut in excess of the…, and has ply or cords exposed. Average mileage on test for this band is 45,636 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (75.9% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (72.4% pass). That's a 3.5-point spread across 11,225 older tests and 6,497 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
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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Owner reports · Honest John
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
Regenerative braking recovers practically all of the energy otherwise wasted during braking, without any significant impact on ZOE’s on-road dynamics. The car offers a smooth drive with no jarring electric motor braking.
Where it falls short
Initially, in the UK, monthly battery hire costs from £70 (9,000 miles/36 month contract), inclusive of comprehensive breakdown assistance (which covers flat batteries).
Recall history
The Zoe has 6 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.
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 Zoe 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.
