The Renault Scenic worth having is a petrol with a lever handbrake; steer clear of a 2001 to 2010 1.5 dCi, because its Delphi high-pressure fuel pump can break up and spread metal through the fuel system.
2 known faults, 1 rated high severity in our database; owners report 42.8 mpg, 81% of the official figure. Everything below is built from that data and the archived owner history, not from a press car.
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Check a Renault Scenic advert (free) →A petrol Scenic with a lever handbrake is the safer buy in every era, because it sidesteps the two faults that decide most purchases. The 1.5 dCi diesel sold between 2001 and 2010 uses a Delphi high-pressure pump that can fail inside between 60,000 and 120,000 miles, sending swarf right through the fuel system. The electronic parking brake fitted to plenty of cars from 2002 to 2016 can stick on, refuse to apply or fail its MOT.
The Scenic II (2003 to 2009) is where most of the electrical complaints land. Several items point to instrument clusters dying when the car's only 4 years old, front window regulators failing again and again, and door locks that won't open or won't lock. That isn't a reason to skip one outright, but it's a reason to test every electric function before you pay, and to favour a car without the electronic handbrake.
There's less on record for the Scenic III (2009 to 2016), and that isn't the same as a clean record. Owners have reported 1.5 dCi timing belts snapping early, one on a 2011 car at 36,000 miles and one on a 2009 Grand Scenic at 48,500 miles, and a 2009 or 2010 1.5 dCi still falls inside the Delphi pump years. A manual with a lever handbrake, as fitted to lower-grade cars, keeps the risks down.
Petrol is the lesser risk, because the one High fault on record belongs to the 1.5 dCi diesel from 2001 to 2010. Its Delphi pump can come apart internally, and the signs are a flashing glow plug or engine light, misfires, stalling or a car that won't start. The metal doesn't stay in the pump either: it spreads through the entire fuel system, which is what turns a pump failure into a much bigger job.
On the petrols, water getting into the ignition coils can knock them out, and if one's gone it's worth replacing all four so another doesn't follow. The 1.4 and 1.6 16v feel short of pace in a loaded MPV. Non air conditioned cars with K4J or K4M engines were recalled in 2002 because heat from the catalytic converter could damage the brake assist pipe, leaving a hard pedal.
The 1.9 dCi isn't covered by the pump fault, but it has its own weak points. An EGR valve that sticks shut raises exhaust temperatures enough to wreck the turbo bearings, glow plugs fail and bring up a 'Check injection' warning, and clutch cylinders on the diesels have been flagged. On the 1.5 dCi the cambelt is due every 72,000 miles or 5 years, whichever comes first.
A manual gearbox is the safer pick, as long as the clutch feels right. Early automatics had more failures in 2002, with the front drive clutch drum splitting and coolant from the radiator's fluid cooler getting into the transmission. On the Scenic III there are single reports of the EDC dual-clutch automatic wearing out at 64,000 miles and of an automatic's control unit failing at 43,000 miles.
Before anything else, apply and release the electronic handbrake several times. If it hesitates, won't hold, won't release or shows a 'Check Parking Brake' message, the system's failing, and one owner of a 2007 car paid £600 to have it fixed. On the drive, feel for rear brakes that drag after the handbrake's been released.
Try every electric window, the central locking from each door and the boot, and the air conditioning, which should blow properly cold. Watch the dash throughout: a clock resetting itself, a blank display or a mileage that jumps are signs the instrument cluster's failing. A 'Check injection' warning after a cold start points to glow plugs on a diesel, though on a car with a battery 4 years old or more that can be all it is.
Pull back the carpets in the front footwells. A wet floor on a sunroof car usually means blocked drain tubes behind the wheelarch liners, and a fishy smell inside points to a leaking heater matrix. Check the power steering rack for leaks, the air conditioning condenser at the front for stone damage, and the tyres, since heavy wear has been reported at the rear and on 17 inch wheels.
Ask for the receipt for the last 1.5 dCi cambelt change, and check the water pump and tensioner were done with it; one owner's 2009 1.5 dCi broke its belt at 85,000 miles after a change at 51,000 that didn't mention the pump. On a 1999 to 2003 car, ask for proof the door mirror switch was replaced under recall, since water in that switch has caused fires.
Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.
Buy a petrol one with a lever handbrake and skip the 1.5 dCi, which carries the Delphi pump fault for this whole period, typically between 60,000 and 120,000 miles. These years span the facelifted first Scenic up to 2003 and the Scenic II from 2003, and the Scenic II earned a five-star Euro NCAP rating. Both share a habit of electric windows and other electrics giving up with age.
On the early cars (2001 to 2003), check the gearbox carefully, manual or auto. A flywheel sensor connection can fail and immobilise the car, wiring looms have suffered from poor insulation, and plastic front wings can distort and leave gaps around the headlights. A diesel return pipe that could chafe and leak was recalled in 2001 on F9Q and dCi engines, and electric window mechanisms can pack up after 5 to 6 years.
The Scenic II's problems are mostly electrical wear rather than engine-killers, the 1.5 dCi aside. Instrument clusters can go blank from about 4 years old, front window regulators and door locks fail repeatedly, and one owner's car needed three new steering columns under warranty for the keyless lock. The electronic parking brake can give up around 4 years old, and one owner of a 2006 car at 64,500 miles paid £881.47 for clutch work in a year of bills.
On a Scenic II 1.9 dCi, a sticking EGR valve can take out the turbo, and there's a single report of a 1.5 dCi throwing a rod in a 7 year old car. Long engine mounting bolts have fractured, so listen for knocks when pulling away. Ask whether the June 2006 recall to check the rear seatbelt mountings was done, and don't shrug off a dead or flickering dash as a minor fault.
Real-world economy on this generation: Renault Scenic 41.2 mpg, Renault Scenic 43.3 mpg.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
Paste any Renault Scenic advert and we check it against the faults, the MOT record and these figures in seconds.
Check an advert now (free) →Owners report 42.8 mpg across the Renault Scenic engines with data, about 81% of the official figure, from 944 submissions.
Renault Scenic Real MPG by engine →It's a sensible, practical car that doesn't feel dull to live with. The cabin's cleverly laid out, with storage cubbies all over the place and a sturdy rear parcel shelf that works on two levels, so there's somewhere to put the clutter a family carries around.
The boot's big and square, so buggies, bags and boxes go in without a fight and there's no awkward shape to pack around. The body shell is galvanised, which gives the metal real protection against rust on a car that's now this old.
The Renault Scenic worth having is a petrol with a lever handbrake; steer clear of a 2001 to 2010 1.5 dCi, because its Delphi high-pressure fuel pump can break up and spread metal through the fuel system. Our database holds 2 known Renault Scenic faults, 1 rated high severity, and the sections above say which generation and engine carry them.
Before anything else, apply and release the electronic handbrake several times. Read the MOT history for repeat advisories and ask for invoices for any work the seller mentions. Then paste the advert into the free check, which reads it against every known Renault Scenic fault before you travel.
Owners report 42.8 mpg on average, about 81% of the official figure, from 944 submissions. Belt (1.5 DCI, K9K): 72,000 miles or 5 years, whichever comes first, so budget for it if the history does not show it done. The known faults page lists a rough repair cost against each fault. Renault Scenic Real MPG by engine.
If you used the Honest John car-by-car reviews before the site closed in 2026, this is where the Renault Scenic buying advice now lives. It is written from the archived owner reports and model notes (archived page, 123 items read for this model), our own known-faults database, the confirmed service intervals and the Real MPG figures. Every number on the page comes from that data, not from the text. The same data feeds our free advert check.
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