Renault

Which year Renault 18 Auto is most reliable?

Based on 5,228 vehicles (1980–1985) and millions of DVLA MOT records.

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The 18 Auto is a relatively young model so the dataset is still maturing. All years are closely matched — differences are real but smaller than you'd see on a model with 10+ years of data.
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Not just "newer is more reliable"
These rankings compare each year at the same mileage point. Verdicts are also relative to this model's own average, not a universal scale. That's the difference between "old cars wear out" and "this year is genuinely more or less reliable."
Best year in dataset
1983
Highest pass rate at 0.1% — the strongest performer across 1,065 18 Autos
Worth extra checks
1980
Lowest pass rate at 0.0% — years are closely matched but this one trails the rest
See common failures for 1980 →
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Dataset
5,228
vehicles · 1980–1985 · millions of MOT records
CarHunch sweet spot — 1980–1982
These years hit the reliability-to-value sweet spot: a 0.0–0.0% pass rate, well above this model's median, but old enough to have depreciated significantly from peak price. If budget matters alongside reliability, start your search here.

Pass rate by year

Year Pass rate Vehicles
1985
0.0%
136
1984
0.0%
534
1983
0.1%
1,065
1982
0.0%
913
1981
0.0%
869
1980
0.0%
1,711

Click any year to see full MOT history, common faults and comparisons for those cars. Verdicts are relative to this model's own average — a good Land Rover year is judged differently from a good Toyota year.

How is this measured?

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What "pass rate" means

The percentage of all MOT tests that resulted in a pass — counted across a car's whole life, not just its first test. Higher means fewer failures over time.

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Mileage groups built from real data

We split this model's real-world mileage history into 5 equal groups — so each slice contains the same number of cars, not an arbitrary round number like "0–30,000 miles."

Does age still matter?

Yes. A low-mileage 20-year-old car has still had 20 years of weather, perishing rubber, and ageing electrics. Comparing at the same mileage narrows the gap between old and new — but doesn't erase it entirely.

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Why this beats surveys

Our figures come from the DVLA's national MOT database — over 50 million real test results from accredited garages, with no opinions involved. Most reliability guides are based on owner surveys with a few hundred responses per model.

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