Expert answer

Hi Tom,

Yes, it is. Renault has really gotten on top of the quality issues that plagued the brand in the early 2000s and the fact that the engine (and pretty much all the bits you can’t see) are shared with Nissan should tell you a lot about their potential reliability.

We have heard of that 1.5 engine blowing turbos, but it seems to be a relatively rare issue. Nonetheless, as it ages you should definitely keep an eye on the various electrical and electronic systems as they can throw up niggling problems. That said, if you stick to the service schedule, it should be fine.

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Hi Colm,

They’re not bad, but there’s a reason that they’re cheap. Nonetheless, the Megane is a decent and solid car and reliability and quality are far, far better than was once the case with Renault.

I would be very wary of buying without a complete and full service history though, and with the 1.5 dCi diesel engine you need to keep an eye out for a blown turbo (symptoms include black or blue smoke, sluggish power delivery) or engine management system issues (surging or uneven running).

The real reason that they’re cheap though is because, in 2009-2010, Renault Ireland pursued an aggressive strategy of heavy discounting to try and grab as big a slice of the market as possible. It was the classic stack them high sell them cheap idea, and while it racked up some impressive sales figures, it did some terrible damage to residual values. At this stage, the worst of the depreciation will have been and gone, but remember if you’re buying it cheap today, you’ll be trading it in cheap when you’re finished with it.

READ: 2009 Renault Megane review

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Hi John,

It probably depends what year you’re talking about, but if you mean the current models then I’d say there’s not an awful lot in it in reliability terms. I’d suggest that the Fiesta will just shade the Clio in overall reliability but there won’t be a huge difference. If we’re talking much older versions, then it’s the Fiesta by miles.

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Hi Jinesh,

It depends on what kind of size you need. If it’s a compact seven seater, then the best on the market are the Volkswagen Touran, the Toyota Verso and the Kia Carens, but it’s worth looking at the Citroen C4 Picasso too, and maybe even the new Renault Scenic, which goes on sale in the New Year.

If it’s a larger car you need, then the two best choices, by far, are the Ford S-Max and the SEAT Alhambra.

Here are our reviews to help you decide:

Volkswagen Touran review

Toyota Verso review

Kia Carens review

Citroen Grand C4 Picasso review

Renault Grand Scenic review

SEAT Alhambra review

Ford S-Max review

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Hi David,

The Renault Laguna Coupe was indeed a very small-selling car in Ireland. Being launched into the teeth of a recession didn’t help, and nor did being a big, expensive French car to be honest. We can only find four on sale in Ireland at the moment, and none of those are the Monaco GP Edition. I think a trip to the UK might be your best bet…

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Hi F D,

It's simply because the UK market generally doesn't like compact four -door saloons. It's much more of a hatchback and estate market, so Toyota hasn't sold the Corolla in the UK since the Auris came along. It's the same reason you won't find a Renault Fluence or an Astra Saloon on sale there either. 

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Hi Seamus,

The Skoda and SEAT are basically the same car with different badges. Neither are especially sophisticated, but they're roomy and pleasant to drive and very affordable. Personally I prefer the hatchback versions,  but that's just me. Both are preferable to the Fluence, which has never been a very satisfying car and which is about to be replaced by a new saloon version of the Renault Megane.

Relevant reviews:

SEAT Toledo review

Skoda Rapid review

Renault Fluence review

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Hi Lurdes,

OK, lots to deal with here. Let’s go through it piece by piece. Theoretically, you will always get better value buying second hand than buying new. 'Buy at three, sell at five' (years old) is the rule of thumb to maximise your value and minimise your exposure to depreciation. But, you’ve been burned in the past by unreliable cars (been there, I feel your pain) so I would say that buying new is actually the best thing for you this time around, especially as you want to hold on to the car for an extended period.

Of the two cars you’ve mentioned, the Toyota Verso should be the most reliable. Nothing much wrong with the Ford, but if reliability is your priority then always buy Japanese. Happily, a manual 1.6 diesel Verso seven-seater is just inside your budget, at €29,100 and there is currently a €3,000 trade-in offer on that model, which means you’ll get a lot more for your old Scenic than you would if you traded it in normally.

There is only one hybrid people carrier so far, and that’s the Toyota Prius+, but to be honest, we couldn’t recommend it. For a start, a new one will bust through your €30k budget barrier, but beyond that it’s a disappointing car – far too thirsty unless all of your mileage is done in town at low speeds. The Verso is a far more versatile car.

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Hi Martin,

It'll be more of a thorough facelift, but Volkswagen may well decide to break out the Mk8 badges. Expect to see a major interior update with a big central touch screen (with gesture control) and some new and updated engines - including, possibly, a new family of 1.5 TDI three-cylinder diesels. 

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Hi Malcolm,

It should have both, as part of the standard Renault Anti Intrusion Device (RAID) system.