Affordable Qashqai alternative with French styling flair
The Kadjar (2015-2022) shared its platform with the Nissan Qashqai but undercut it on price, making it a popular UK choice for buyers wanting crossover style on a budget. Now replaced by the Austral, used Kadjars offer strong value from around £7,000-£14,000. It earned a Used Car Expert Rating of B with good marks for reliability and running costs. Pre-February 2018 cars benefit from Renault's four-year warranty.
We track 7 known issues across the Renault Kadjar range, with 1 classified as significant. Knowing which variants and configurations to approach with caution can save you from expensive surprises after purchase.
Found a Renault Kadjar? Enter the reg to see which of our 7 known issues apply to that exact car, plus full MOT history and mileage checks.
HFE (2015–2022) — Petrol options included the 1.2 TCe, 1.2 TCe, 1.2 TCe, 1.3 TCe, 1.3 TCe, 1.3 TCe, 1.6 Petrol, with 1.5 dCi, 1.5 dCi, 1.6 dCi on the diesel side. We track 7 known issues on this generation, with 1 classified as significant. The most significant concern is Turbo failure (£800–£1,200 to address).
The 1.2 TCe turbocharged engine uses a small turbocharger with wastegate actuator that suffers from oil contamination and carbon build-up. The turbo oil feed lines are particularly narrow and prone to blockage, leading to bearing failure and shaft play. This is compounded by extended service intervals and stop-start driving patterns common in urban use. Failure typically manifests as loss of boost pressure, blue smoke from the exhaust, or complete loss of power. Replacement requires a new or remanufactured turbocharger unit.
Complete turbo failure results in significant power loss making the car unsafe for motorway use. Oil contamination from failed seals can damage the catalytic converter and intercooler system. Total repair costs range from £800-£1,500 including labour. The car remains driveable but with severely reduced performance.
During a test drive, check for hesitation, lack of power or unusual whining from the turbo area. Watch for blue or white smoke from the exhaust under hard acceleration. Check the oil condition and service history — turbos rely on clean oil.
The diesel particulate filter on 1.5 dCi and 1.6 dCi engines becomes blocked when used predominantly for short journeys that prevent natural regeneration cycles. The system relies on sustained high exhaust temperatures achieved during motorway driving to burn off accumulated soot. Urban driving patterns common with crossover vehicles lead to incomplete regeneration and eventual DPF blockage. The problem is driving-dependent rather than a design fault but requires intervention once blockage occurs.
A completely blocked DPF requires professional cleaning or replacement. Cleaning costs £150-300 while replacement ranges from £500-1500. Continued driving with a blocked DPF can damage other emission control components and trigger limp-mode limiting vehicle performance to 2000 RPM.
Ask about the car's typical usage — short urban journeys prevent DPF regeneration. Check for DPF warning lights and ask about any previous regeneration issues. A forced regeneration at a garage costs far less than a DPF replacement.
The rubber dust covers protecting suspension ball joints and CV joints deteriorate at 276.8 times the fleet average rate, particularly on 1.6 dCi variants. MOT data shows 4,913 failures across multiple mileage bands with the issue worsening over time. The covers split or perish allowing water and debris to contaminate the joint grease, leading to accelerated wear and eventual joint failure. This appears to be a material quality issue affecting the rubber compounds used.
Torn dust covers allow water and dirt to enter the joints leading to accelerated wear and eventual failure. Joint replacement typically costs £100-200 per corner for ball joints or £200-400 for CV joints including labour. While not immediately dangerous, worn joints affect handling precision and will eventually fail MOT tests.
Listen for knocking, clunking or rattling over bumps during the test drive. Inspect the underside for corroded or cracked suspension components. Check the MOT history for suspension-related advisories, which often predict future failures.
The malfunction indicator lamp (engine management light) illuminates at 6 dCi diesel variants. Common triggers include DPF regeneration issues, lambda sensor faults, and EGR valve problems. While often emissions-related rather than indicating immediate mechanical failure, the light causes MOT failure and requires diagnostic investigation.
An illuminated MIL causes automatic MOT failure regardless of the underlying cause. Diagnostic costs range from £50-100 with repair costs varying from £100-800 depending on the root cause. Common fixes include lambda sensor replacement, EGR cleaning, or DPF regeneration. The car remains safe to drive but will fail MOT testing.
Check all electrical functions systematically: windows, mirrors, lights, infotainment, heated seats, air conditioning. Look for any warning lights on the dashboard. A diagnostic scan before purchase can reveal stored fault codes.
Brake discs become excessively weakened or fractured at 328.7 times the fleet average rate, with the issue worsening over time according to MOT data. Most failures occur on relatively low mileage vehicles (0-60k miles) suggesting a material quality issue rather than normal wear. The problem affects 2,500 vehicles across all engine variants with consistent occurrence over five years. Premature disc cracking or excessive corrosion leads to MOT failure and requires replacement earlier than expected.
Cracked or excessively worn discs cause MOT failure and reduce braking effectiveness. Replacement costs vary from £150-400 per axle depending on disc size and quality. Severely damaged discs can fail catastrophically causing complete loss of braking on that wheel. The issue typically requires replacement rather than repair.
Check brake disc condition for lipping or scoring. Test braking at moderate speed for pulling to one side or vibration through the steering wheel. Review MOT advisories for brake-related items.
For the full breakdown of all 7 tracked issues with repair costs, see the Renault Kadjar common problems page.
Based on 323k real DVSA MOT tests, the Renault Kadjar fails more often than average on several items. The biggest outlier is parking brake inefficient at 22x the fleet average, followed by body panel or body component (11x).
When viewing a specific car, check its MOT history for recurring advisories in these categories. See the full Renault Kadjar MOT failure breakdown for data at every mileage point.
Routine servicing (oil and filter change every 12k miles) typically costs £80–£120 at an independent garage.
See the full Renault Kadjar service schedule for every interval and cost breakdown.
The Renault Kadjar is a reasonable used buy provided you check for the issues outlined above. None of the problems we track are insurmountable, but they do reward buyers who inspect thoroughly and verify the service history before committing. 2019-2021 with the 1.3 TCe 140 petrol engine and manual gearbox. The 2018 facelift brought better infotainment and interior quality. Avoid early 2015-2016 cars with the 1.2 TCe 130, which is prone to timing chain problems. The 1.5 dCi 115 diesel suits high-mileage drivers but check DPF health. Post-2018 models dropped to a three-year warranty, so pre-Feb 2018 cars with transferable four-year cover are a smart buy.
Before committing, check the car's full MOT history, verify the service record is complete, and if possible arrange a specialist inspection. Enter any registration into our free report to see the complete picture.
Get Car Wise maintains a database of known mechanical issues for every popular car on UK roads, tracking the faults that owners, specialists and DVSA data reveal.
When you run a report on a specific Renault Kadjar, we cross-reference the exact variant, engine and age against our database of 7 known issues. Combined with full MOT history analysis, mileage verification and DVLA data, you get a complete picture before viewing.
Enter the registration for MOT history, mileage verification, known faults for that exact variant, and a Get Car Wise Score.
This guide was compiled from independent expert reviews, DVSA MOT data, specialist workshops and our own database of 7 known Renault Kadjar issues. We are not affiliated with any source listed.