Here’s a two-part story that I will deliver in reverse order. That’s because every year, I get involved in a bit of real-life data-mining from various MOT testing centres around the UK. It shines an inspection lamp on which cars failed their first MOT test, just three years after they were originally registered. It’s always great to see statistics that are based on real results and, in my experience, the MOT test doesn’t lie.
The Renault Mégane isn’t aspirational but a budget choice, and that partly explains its poor performance; and that’s even more true of its distant cousin, the Dacia Sandero. With an eye-widening 23% failure rate putting the Mégane at the very bottom of the pile, is it worth buying a middle-order Renault?
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Probably not, but I was still drawn to a 2000 Mégane 1.6 RT with 80,000 miles at £395 with a full MOT. Three previous owners, petrol power and a manual gearbox: perfect. I really should be looking at a more recent model, though, so how about a 2018 1.5 dCi Sport Tourer Dynamique? That’s a diesel estate in English. At 35,000 miles with a full history and, most importantly, an MOT, it will cost you £9995 and officially deliver a whopping 76mpg combined. It’s practical, smart and ready for work.
And that brings us to the Sandero, which is almost the epitome of the cheap and cheaply made cars that fail more often. It sounds like a cliché, but owners of cars built to a price expect them to go the extra mile. It’s always better to shop at a dealer for one that has been fully checked and prepared.
With that in mind, I came across a 2018 Sandero 1.0 SCe with 15,000 miles and a pukka warranty from a main dealer at £6300. That’s a petrol runabout that should exceed 50mpg.
Hard-used vehicles are the ones that can suffer at MOT time. This explains why medium and large people-carriers, such as the Seat Alhambra (with a 21% first-time failure rate) and the Ford Galaxy (19%) show up on the naughty list.
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I recently failed a Mini Clubman on its first test due to a stop lamp bulb. The bulb was a special main-dealer only part which cost over £40....
Failure data from first MOT's is pretty inconsistent. More interesting to look at well-used 10 year old vehicles where definite trends emerge. Some suprisingly 'premium' models are on their last legs, whereas most Japanese and Korean models sail through with barely an advisory....
Thisf MOT 'survey' is more about the Department of Transport seeking some positive publicity than anything else, and it has certainly succeeded. I had no idea that a Ferrari was the best car to own if you wanted a guaranteed first time pass! More seriously the data just reflects ownership profiles and usage rather than vehicle quality. It certainly wouldn't put me off buying a Megane - though I can think of plenty of other stuff that would!