2016 Renault Trafic SL27 Business + DCI 1.6L Diesel · HY66 VNH

The 2016 Renault Trafic SL27 Business + DCI has demonstrated an inconsistent roadworthiness profile across its ten-year history, beginning with a minor registration lamp fault in February 2023 followed by a series of MOT results that alternated between passing and failing through mid-2025. The most recent test on 2025-09-01 resulted in a pass with no recorded defects, indicating current compliance with legal standards, yet the prior failures in April 2024 and July 2025 signal underlying reliability challenges that persisted despite subsequent inspections. While the latest assessment confirms the car meets MOT requirements, the pattern of intermittent failures and a lingering minor advisory suggests that the vehicle's mechanical health requires close scrutiny rather than assuming stability simply because the last test was successful. At 138,963 recorded miles on a 2016 model, the vehicle accumulates approximately 13,896 miles annually, a rate that is notably higher than typical for its age and raises questions about the actual driving pattern versus stored mileage. The gap between the April 2024 pass and the September 2025 pass spans nearly eleven months without any recorded MOT entries, creating a window during which potential degradation in suspension bushings, brake components, or drivetrain parts could have progressed unnoticed. This extended interval between official assessments coincides with the earlier failures in 2024 and 2025, which may indicate that the car experienced accelerated wear during periods when it was either heavily used or stored for extended intervals, leaving residual fatigue in critical structural elements. Based on the available MOT history, the buyer should pay particular attention to the registration lamp issue identified in 2023, which typically reflects a faulty indicator circuit or bulb replacement requirement that should be verified during a test drive. More broadly, given the high mileage and irregular service history, a thorough physical inspection is warranted to check for rust on the subframe and wheel arches, softness in suspension linkages such as control arm bushings or coil spring mounts, and any sign of brake pad wear or rotor thinning. The absence of detailed commentary on suspension or brake systems in the MOT summaries means these areas represent the primary unknowns that could manifest under normal driving conditions. Because the official records contain only a single minor advisory (the registration lamp) and no descriptions of broader system failures, the safest approach is to commission a private pre-purchase inspection focused on the chassis, suspension, and braking components. The buyer should also confirm whether the 138,963 miles represent true operational mileage or include long periods of immobility, as this distinction affects the interpretation of wear patterns. Ultimately, while the September 2025 MOT passed, the combination of high mileage, past test failures, and limited diagnostic detail necessitates independent verification of the vehicle's mechanical condition before committing to purchase.