Renault Clio - Reliability and safety

The fifth-generation Renault Clio is the safest yet. It was crash tested by Euro NCAP in 2019 and not only was it awarded the industry body’s maximum five-star rating, it received 96 and 89 per cent scores in the adult and child occupant protection categories. The Clio’s 75 per cent score for its safety assistance technology is also impressive. By contrast, the Vauxhall Corsa and Peugeot 208 both got four-star NCAP ratings.

Part of the Clio’s success in this area is down to its impressive range of active safety features. All trim levels get standard automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition and emergency brake assist. Base model Evolution comes with rear parking sensors, while mid-range Techno cars get parking sensors at the front and rear, plus a reversing camera. Top-of-the-range Esprit Alpine trim goes even further by adding blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert to warn you of vehicles crossing your path when reversing, and adaptive cruise control.

However, it seems neither the Clio nor Renault made a particularly good impression on owners who completed the 2023 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey. For the second year in a row, the Clio failed to crack our list of the best cars to own, which is based on the results of the Driver Power survey. Its sister car, the Renault Captur, did however, and finished 34th (out of 75 cars). Renault itself finished in 29th place out of 32 brands in the best car manufacturers rankings – down from 24th spot in 2022.

Warranty

Renault provides a typical three-year/60,000-mile warranty, which is significantly shorter than the five-year/unlimited mileage warranty Hyundai customers get. 

Of course, Renault offers customers the chance to buy an extended warranty for their car, providing cover for up to three additional years or until you hit 100,000 miles on the odometer, whichever comes first.

Servicing

Renault’s EasyLife servicing plans allow owners to spread the cost of scheduled maintenance over several monthly instalments or pay it off in one go. 

You can choose between three years or 30,000 miles or four years and 40,000 miles of cover. The latter choice can be had with just an MOT or an MOT and an additional year of warranty cover for a little bit extra.