FIGURE 1 // WHERE IT WEARSRenault Zoe
Top three failure systems, annotated from 4,196 failed first-time tests. Arrows point to where the defect is found on the car.
Suspension joints fail the Renault Zoe 2.2× as often as they fail a petrol or diesel car
22,057 inspections in a single year make the ZOE the best-documented electric car. Suspension cause 30.6% of its failures; suspension take 2.2× the share they take on petrol and diesel cars of the same age.
First-time test findings
The three-year vs ten-year picture
AT THREE YEARS OLD9.8%
ZOE failure rate. Petrol cars of the same age fail 8.2%.
AT TEN YEARS OLD36.1%
ZOE failure rate, against 22.6% for petrol.
At three years old the Renault Zoe fails 9.8% of the time, over the 8.2% of a petrol car the same age. By 10 years that reaches 36.1%. Suspension cause 30.6% of its failures.
FIGURE 2 // SUSPENSION ARM AND BUSH2,089 certificates in 2024
The joint that wears out first
Suspension take 30.6% of the defects that fail this car, 2.2× the share seen on petrol and diesel cars of the same age. The most common item in that group is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", recorded 2,089 times in 2024.
SECTION // SUSPENSION CONCENTRATIONYear 3 crossover
Where the curve bends
The crossover with petrol happens around year 3. From there the ZOE's failure rate climbs faster than the petrol fleet, and the defect list explains why.
Source: DVSA MOT defect items, 2024 test year.
What to check
Have the suspension joints, bushes and springs checked on a lift. On this car it is a leading cause of failure and it is not visible from the outside. Check tyre age and tread across the full width, inner edge included. Electric cars wear tyres faster; a cheap mismatched set on a used car tells you how it was run. Check headlamp aim and every lamp before the test. It is the cheapest failure on the list and the easiest to avoid. Ask for the full MOT history by registration on the free DVSA service: advisories are next year's failures.
3 inspection points:
✓ Suspension joints and bushes on a lift
✓ Tyre inner-edge wear and age
✓ Headlamp aim and every lamp
FIGURE 3 // FAILURE RATE BY AGEvs petrol, diesel and all electric cars
Points hidden where fewer than 50 cars of that age were tested. Dashed lines are the same-age petrol and diesel fleets.
Data sheet
- Inspections
- 22,057
- Passed
- 17,113
- Failed
- 4,196
- Passed after repair
- 748
- Failure rate
- 19.0% (all EV 12.0%)
- Average age
- 5.0 years
- Best year
- 3 yrs · 9.8%
- Worst year
- 10 yrs · 36.1%
- Top cause
- Suspension 30.6%
TABLE 1 // WHAT FAILS, BY SYSTEMshare of failing defects
| System | This car (mark = petrol/diesel) | Share | vs petrol/diesel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 30.4% | 1.3× more | |
| Suspension | 30.6% | 2.2× more | |
| Brakes | 10.7% | 1.7× less | |
| Visibility | 5.3% | 2.2× less | |
| Lighting | 18.0% | in line | |
| Steering | 1.5% | 2.1× less | |
| Body | 1.0% | 4.1× less |
TABLE 2 // TOP DEFECTS ON THE CERTIFICATE
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn2,089
- A tyre seriously damaged1,252
- A tyre cords visible or damaged723
- Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements508
- A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED330
- A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened282
Wording as printed by the tester, from the DVSA inspection manual.
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Where it holds up
- Brakes fail less often than on petrol and diesel cars (10.7% of defects vs 18.7%)
- Visibility fail less often than on petrol and diesel cars (5.3% of defects vs 11.9%)
- Steering fail less often than on petrol and diesel cars (1.5% of defects vs 3.1%)
- Body fail less often than on petrol and diesel cars (1.0% of defects vs 4.1%)
Where it fails
- Suspension take a bigger share of failures than on petrol and diesel cars of the same age (30.6% vs 13.6%)
- At three years old it fails 9.8% of the time, above the 8.2% of petrol cars the same age
VERSIONS SEEN IN THE TESTSas recorded
- ZOE9,599
- ZOE I GT LN RAPID CHARGE ZE 503,312
- ZOE GT LINE RAPID CHARGE EV 502,034
- ZOE I GT LINE ZE 501,545
- ZOE ICONIC RAPID CHARGE EV 501,465
- ZOE I ICONC RAPID CHARGE ZE 501,368
- ZOE I ICONIC ZE 501,277
- ZOE I PLAY ZE 50504
OWNER REPORTS // MATCHED TO RECORDED DEFECTS0 read · 0 matched
No owner discussion has been matched to this car's recorded defects yet. Reports are re-collected every quarter; the figures on this page do not depend on them.
Summaries written by us, never quotes; every entry links to its source. Owner reports have no denominator and never feed the failure rate.
SIMILAR CARS IN THE DATAclosest rate and age, other brands
Nissan e-NV20019.3% fail · 6,054 testsTesla Model X18.3% fail · 6,208 testsCitroen Berlingo18.5% fail · 216 testsNissan Leaf15.4% fail · 49,764 tests
OTHER RENAULT ELECTRIC CARS
Three things the data shows
- 22,057 inspections in 2024 make this one of the best-documented electric cars in the data.
- Suspension take 2.2× the share of failures they take on petrol and diesel cars of the same age.
- Failure rate rises from 9.8% at 3 years to 36.1% at 10: a steep ageing curve.
LIMITS // WHAT THE INSPECTION DOES NOT TELL YOU
No battery health, no motor, no charging performance. The test covers brakes, suspension, steering, tyres, lights, visibility and structure. A car with a badly degraded battery passes as long as it stops and steers. Read this page as evidence about the chassis, not the powertrain. Cars are tested from their third year, so the newest model years are missing; every figure carries its sample size for that reason. Full methodology.
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