Are Renault cars expensive to maintain?
The term “expensive to maintain” is all relative to what your specific vehicle is and which segment it competes with. It would be unfair to compare the price of maintaining a Lamborghini versus a Suzuki as both brands cater for very different automotive audiences and are vastly different in terms of initial pricing.
Therefore the annual Kinsey Report, fastidiously compiled by the late, great Malcolm Kinsey is such a valuable resource. Let us look at the findings from the 2020 edition of the report in terms of several Renault models when compared to key rivals. In this report, there are figures for the Kwid, Sandero and Duster, three models which make up a large portion of the brand's local sales numbers.
| 2020 AA KINSEY REPORT | CITY CARS AND ENTRY-LEVEL | ||||||
| PARTS DESCRIPTION | RENAULT | FORD | DATSUN | * HYUNDAI | VW | HONDA | |
| PRICES INCLUDE VAT | KWID 1.0 | FIGO 1.5 TREND | GO 1.2 | ATOZ | POLO VIVO 1.4 | AMAZE 1.2 | |
| EXPRESSION | HATCH | LUX | 1.1 MOTION | COMFORTLINE | TREND | ||
| RETAIL SELLING PRICE | R | 156,900.00 | 218,500.00 | 182,300.00 | 165,900.00 | 225,200.00 | 190,700.00 |
| PARTS BASKET AS % OF SELLING PRICE | 40.15% | 29.23% | 35.91% | 39.90% | 34.72% | 41.61% | |
| AIR FILTER | R | 143.83 | 281.75 | 128.21 | 220.55 | 226.55 | 350.50 |
| OIL FILTER | R | 84.33 | 142.93 | 81.42 | 120.52 | 191.48 | 109.20 |
| POLLEN FILTER | R | 154.69 | 181.88 | 435.54 | 241.71 | 553.15 | N/A |
| SPARK PLUG EACH | R | 68.80 | 91.71 | 64.30 | 236.30 | 76.71 | 75.00 |
| GLOW PLUG EACH | R | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| R/H WIPER BLADE | R | 217.29 | 132.25 | 139.60 | 768.40 | 234.60 | 351.64 |
| FRONT BRAKE PADS | R | 1,034.76 | 1,324.80 | 1,724.32 | 1,384.08 | 1,004.53 | 1,733.96 |
| REAR BRAKE PADS/SHOES | R | 1,344.60 | 1,012.86 | 1,140.67 | 1,084.76 | 1,454.75 | 835.25 |
| SUB TOTAL: A | R | 3,048.30 | 3,168.18 | 3,714.06 | 4,056.32 | 3,741.77 | 3,455.55 |
| CAM BELT / TIMING CHAIN | R | 1,825.59 | 897.00 | 1,165.87 | 725.66 | 1,299.50 | 1,122.26 |
| FRONT BRAKE DISC | R | 1,754.96 | 1,156.31 | 1,827.75 | 1,627.38 | 1,134.48 | 1,145.75 |
| REAR BRAKE DRUM / DISC | R | 2,414.45 | 945.01 | 1,171.94 | 1,271.47 | 1,730.75 | 980.75 |
| FRONT SHOCKABSORBER / STRUT | R | 1,544.55 | 1,391.38 | 1,124.90 | 1,911.96 | 1,134.48 | 1,688.97 |
| REAR SHOCKABSORBER / STRUT | R | 1,544.55 | 1,359.30 | 665.94 | 1,790.09 | 1,851.50 | 1,595.07 |
| FAN BELT | R | 366.69 | 438.15 | 479.77 | 233.68 | 959.10 | 500.38 |
| SUB TOTAL : B | R | 9,450.79 | 6,187.15 | 6,436.17 | 7,560.24 | 8,109.81 | 7,033.18 |
| BONNET | R | 5,033.10 | 4,156.46 | 3,685.49 | 4,603.34 | 6,428.50 | 7,312.31 |
| FRONT BUMPER SKIN | R | 2,475.16 | 1,844.60 | 2,677.29 | 1,617.60 | 2,415.00 | 2,122.46 |
| GRILLE | R | 961.64 | 2,954.04 | 2,070.08 | 1,010.60 | 2,024.00 | 3,188.95 |
| L/H FRONT FENDER | R | 1,212.74 | 1,320.67 | 2,434.02 | 1,358.63 | 1,558.25 | 2,158.38 |
| WHEEL RIM | R | 1,321.36 | 4,636.44 | 651.95 | 1,697.76 | 817.08 | 1,192.50 |
| L/H HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY | R | 2,179.91 | 2,688.73 | 2,554.12 | 4,651.12 | 3,174.00 | 2,556.90 |
| FRONT WINDSCREEN | R | 2,264.50 | 3,079.93 | 2,456.61 | 5,240.64 | 1,667.50 | 3,075.55 |
| AIRCON CONDENSOR | R | 5,449.77 | 3,808.56 | 4,209.75 | 3,764.08 | 6,773.50 | 2,347.35 |
| RADIATOR | R | 3,119.32 | 2,975.25 | 3,195.05 | 2,931.26 | 1,305.25 | 3,158.92 |
| R/H FRONT DOOR | R | 3,763.79 | 6,754.12 | 6,983.50 | 7,821.58 | 6,313.50 | 9,388.54 |
| R/H REAR DOOR | R | 3,763.79 | 3,682.86 | 6,607.30 | 7,510.56 | 7,774.00 | 8,526.56 |
| R/H FRONT WINDOW GLASS | R | 1,862.57 | 652.74 | 822.10 | 835.46 | 778.55 | 2,069.11 |
| REAR BUMPER SKIN | R | 2,196.45 | 1,693.95 | 3,590.89 | 1,617.60 | 2,857.75 | 3,716.35 |
| L/H REAR FENDER | R | 5,559.46 | 6,032.91 | 5,917.43 | 1,963.88 | 8,360.50 | 8,288.30 |
| BOOT LID / TAILGATE | R | 5,798.83 | 5,333.70 | 5,032.96 | 5,549.19 | 8,865.15 | 6,511.20 |
| L/H TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY | R | 1,179.62 | 1,581.03 | 989.03 | 1,066.94 | 1,788.25 | 1,891.10 |
| REAR WINDSCREEN | R | 2,348.91 | 1,314.78 | 1,431.84 | 1,332.39 | 3,435.00 | 1,360.57 |
| BATTERY CHARGER (electric) | R | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| BATTERY DRIVE | R | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| SUB TOTAL: C | R | 50,490.92 | 54,510.77 | 55,309.41 | 54,572.63 | 66,335.78 | 68,865.05 |
| TOTAL A + B + C | R | 62,990.01 | 63,866.10 | 65,459.64 | 66,189.19 | 78,187.36 | 79,353.78 |
As we can see in the city/budget car category, the popular Renault Kwid performed admirably, being the cheapest among its competitors if we look at the total parts basket.
| 2020 AA KINSEY REPORT | SUPER MINI | ||||||
| PARTS DESCRIPTION | HYUNDAI | TOYOTA | FORD | RENAULT | TOYOTA | VW | |
| PRICES INCLUDE VAT | i20 1.2 | STARLET 1.4 | FIESTA 1.0 T | SANDERO 66KW | YARIS 1.5 XS | POLO 1.0 TSi | |
| FLUID | XS | TREND HATCH | EXPRESSION | COMFORTLINE | |||
| RETAIL SELLING PRICE | R | 272,900.00 | 215,200.00 | 305,300.00 | 209,900.00 | 291,200.00 | 309,300.00 |
| PARTS BASKET AS % OF SELLING PRICE | 33.28% | 42.21% | 29.90% | 47.45% | 35.40% | 37.14% | |
| AIR FILTER | R | 374.60 | 290.33 | 281.75 | 236.96 | 532.10 | 288.65 |
| OIL FILTER | R | 127.42 | 167.90 | 142.89 | 139.69 | 275.02 | 156.93 |
| POLLEN FILTER | R | 363.26 | 527.74 | 313.95 | 237.99 | 533.88 | 444.48 |
| SPARK PLUG EACH | R | 209.63 | 89.07 | 357.65 | 212.12 | 453.03 | 232.30 |
| GLOW PLUG EACH | R | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| R/H WIPER BLADE | R | 1,181.51 | 257.13 | 299.00 | 327.76 | 117.92 | 510.03 |
| FRONT BRAKE PADS | R | 1,947.23 | 1,066.94 | 1,736.50 | 1,118.95 | 646.09 | 1,037.30 |
| REAR BRAKE PADS/SHOES | R | 1246.88 | 751.71 | 1,762.74 | 1,695.38 | 984.97 | 3,220.00 |
| SUB TOTAL: A | R | 5,450.53 | 3,150.82 | 4,894.48 | 3,968.85 | 3,543.01 | 5,889.69 |
| CAM BELT / TIMING CHAIN | R | 2,148.42 | 1,692.68 | 1,897.50 | 3,925.36 | 1,176.24 | 1,063.18 |
| FRONT BRAKE DISC | R | 1,844.35 | 2,471.68 | 1,804.35 | 2,389.42 | 2,221.18 | 309.35 |
| REAR BRAKE DRUM / DISC | R | 2,787.30 | 2,149.18 | 1,614.60 | 2,595.68 | 1,460.09 | 1,449.00 |
| FRONT SHOCKABSORBER / STRUT | R | 2,427.60 | 940.68 | 3,332.32 | 1,541.62 | 2,127.56 | 2,041.25 |
| REAR SHOCKABSORBER / STRUT | R | 1,689.24 | 352.80 | 2,415.37 | 1,359.81 | 681.75 | 1,868.75 |
| FAN BELT | R | 1,127.90 | 649.49 | 616.86 | 701.80 | 994.70 | 616.98 |
| SUB TOTAL : B | R | 12,024.81 | 8,256.51 | 11,681.00 | 12,513.69 | 8,661.52 | 7,348.51 |
| BONNET | R | 5,025.66 | 3,984.05 | 4,668.44 | 5,792.62 | 5,718.89 | 6,704.50 |
| FRONT BUMPER SKIN | R | 2,500.36 | 2,757.45 | 4,453.13 | 4,201.72 | 3,235.94 | 2,915.25 |
| GRILLE | R | 1,340.08 | 2,542.50 | 3,807.65 | 1,879.82 | 2,254.94 | 6,003.00 |
| L/H FRONT FENDER | R | 1,685.23 | 2,686.35 | 1,452.45 | 2,253.80 | 2,481.14 | 4,151.50 |
| WHEEL RIM | R | 1,825.37 | 7,545.56 | 5,140.20 | 2,166.82 | 7,811.09 | 11,488.50 |
| L/H HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY | R | 5,525.57 | 3,745.29 | 4,529.26 | 4,390.85 | 8,663.47 | 5,560.25 |
| FRONT WINDSCREEN | R | 4,470.28 | 3,307.20 | 4,809.77 | 2,707.93 | 4,195.27 | 2,024.00 |
| AIRCON CONDENSOR | R | 5,982.46 | 6,531.71 | 3,589.31 | 9,132.50 | 6,189.08 | 4,680.50 |
| RADIATOR | R | 3,981.33 | 6,978.88 | 1,766.40 | 4,629.45 | 7,036.77 | 4,030.75 |
| R/H FRONT DOOR | R | 9,760.23 | 6,095.41 | 7,730.88 | 7,386.16 | 8,397.98 | 8,855.00 |
| R/H REAR DOOR | R | 4,817.71 | 5,691.29 | 7,193.25 | 7,386.16 | 9,058.57 | 12,719.00 |
| R/H FRONT WINDOW GLASS | R | 2,326.24 | 1,067.28 | 1,335.15 | 1,386.38 | 2,202.13 | 939.55 |
| REAR BUMPER SKIN | R | 2,328.21 | 2,559.66 | 5,709.16 | 4,346.23 | 4,536.96 | 6,980.50 |
| L/H REAR FENDER | R | 5,023.50 | 9,163.98 | 4,019.78 | 10,395.95 | 5,568.64 | 8,107.50 |
| BOOT LID / TAILGATE | R | 8,419.23 | 5,514.91 | 6,831.00 | 8,765.16 | 6,189.25 | 8,222.50 |
| L/H TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY | R | 5,160.00 | 1,533.28 | 3,035.40 | 1,664.59 | 1,698.26 | 1,345.50 |
| REAR WINDSCREEN | R | 2,418.84 | 7,714.58 | 4,628.75 | 4,639.02 | 5,648.90 | 6,911.50 |
| BATTERY CHARGER (electric) | R | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| BATTERY DRIVE | R | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| SUB TOTAL: C | 72,590.30 | 79,419.38 | 74,699.98 | 83,125.16 | 90,887.28 | 101,639.30 | |
| TOTAL : A + B + C | R | 90,065.64 | 90,826.71 | 91,275.46 | 99,607.70 | 103,091.81 | 114,877.50 |
In the supermini category, the now discontinued Renault Sandero performed well, placing fourth, even if its parts basket was nearly 50% of the vehicle's new list price.
| 2020 AA KINSEY REPORT | COMPACT CROSSOVER | ||||||
| PARTS DESCRIPTION | MAHINDRA | HAVAL | CITROEN C3 | TOYOTA | FORD | RENAULT | |
| PRICES INCLUDE VAT | KUV 100 | H 2 1.5 T | AIRCROSS 1.2 | RUSH 1.5 | ECO SPORT 1.0 T | DUSTER 1.6 | |
| NXT | LUXURY | FEEL | MAN | TREND | EXPRESSION | ||
| RETAIL SELLING PRICE | R | 190,999.00 | 314,900.00 | 366,900.00 | 330,700.00 | 329,000.00 | 278,900.00 |
| PARTS BASKET AS % OF SELLING PRICE | 42.82% | 29.81% | 27.87% | 31.78% | 32.50% | 42.02% | |
| AIR FILTER | R | 348.68 | 219.36 | 195.01 | 372.47 | 281.75 | 236.96 |
| OIL FILTER | R | 321.96 | 115.58 | 153.22 | 246.41 | 105.70 | 139.69 |
| POLLEN FILTER | R | 272.74 | 204.93 | 218.81 | 749.77 | 313.95 | 237.99 |
| SPARK PLUG EACH | R | 121.11 | 176.35 | 199.08 | 426.59 | 357.65 | 243.19 |
| GLOW PLUG EACH | R | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| R/H WIPER BLADE | R | 314.86 | 773.19 | 380.36 | 219.88 | 513.57 | 327.76 |
| FRONT BRAKE PADS | R | 1,671.12 | 1,017.76 | 1,821.30 | 1,620.11 | 1,442.10 | 1,107.71 |
| REAR BRAKE PADS/SHOES | R | 731.12 | 1,234.64 | 1,192.14 | 2,708.61 | 1,590.94 | 1,580.18 |
| SUB TOTAL: A | R | 3,781.59 | 3,741.81 | 4,159.92 | 6,343.84 | 4,605.66 | 3,873.48 |
| CAM BELT / TIMING CHAIN | R | 1,256.56 | 557.65 | 901.94 | 1,176.24 | 1,897.50 | 3,757.25 |
| FRONT BRAKE DISC | R | 1,289.10 | 1,624.59 | 2,464.38 | 5,399.72 | 2,040.10 | 2,674.16 |
| REAR BRAKE DRUM / DISC | R | 1,061.80 | 1,253.93 | 2,679.13 | 3,336.44 | 1,336.70 | 2,640.23 |
| FRONT SHOCKABSORBER / STRUT | R | 3,263.00 | 4,483.71 | 1,647.76 | 765.58 | 4,865.73 | 1,725.74 |
| REAR SHOCKABSORBER / STRUT | R | 2,684.87 | 2,024.49 | 1,192.14 | 409.10 | 3,463.36 | 1,549.72 |
| FAN BELT | R | 456.79 | 376.64 | 507.27 | 1,013.90 | 712.90 | 587.22 |
| SUB TOTAL : B | R | 10,012.12 | 10,321.01 | 9,392.62 | 12,100.98 | 14,316.29 | 12,934.32 |
| BONNET | R | 7,969.48 | 7,822.36 | 6,221.49 | 4,290.49 | 6,335.35 | 7,887.68 |
| FRONT BUMPER SKIN | R | 4,614.08 | 4,056.58 | 7,450.70 | 3,128.54 | 4,553.77 | 5,398.72 |
| GRILLE | R | 1,379.58 | 3,760.97 | 3,193.64 | 2,391.37 | 4,937.75 | 2,238.54 |
| L/H FRONT FENDER | R | 1,662.07 | 2,506.54 | 2,040.96 | 1,739.69 | 1,178.75 | 3,237.43 |
| WHEEL RIM | R | 4,675.63 | 4,375.46 | 5,227.09 | 7,491.53 | 3,690.35 | 3,694.11 |
| L/H HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY | R | 4,375.13 | 6,644.43 | 4,597.99 | 5,243.55 | 7,180.60 | 6,166.52 |
| FRONT WINDSCREEN | R | 4,273.74 | 3,640.40 | 5,805.17 | 4,057.01 | 5,465.95 | 3,817.60 |
| AIRCON CONDENSOR | R | 3,976.23 | 3,763.53 | 4,390.15 | 7,948.16 | 3,589.31 | 9,132.50 |
| RADIATOR | R | 2,454.65 | 4,026.64 | 4,071.51 | 5,879.97 | 1,766.00 | 4,629.45 |
| R/H FRONT DOOR | R | 8,836.35 | 8,548.36 | 6,106.67 | 6,111.11 | 9,907.25 | 7,971.14 |
| R/H REAR DOOR | R | 8,694.17 | 7,436.07 | 5,150.54 | 5,337.56 | 8,294.95 | 7,971.14 |
| R/H FRONT WINDOW GLASS | R | 828.52 | 850.77 | 905.11 | 1,772.55 | 759.06 | 3,643.06 |
| REAR BUMPER SKIN | R | 3,880.72 | 3,270.00 | 5,653.25 | 2,342.86 | 5,969.77 | 4,966.87 |
| L/H REAR FENDER | R | 5,586.83 | 9,024.69 | 13,848.43 | 8,598.71 | 9,274.75 | 11,442.70 |
| BOOT LID / TAILGATE | R | 613.30 | 6,376.24 | 9,139.14 | 8,436.19 | 10,528.75 | 10,640.85 |
| L/H TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY | R | 2,170.62 | 1,404.64 | 2,412.07 | 4,666.11 | 967.05 | 3,282.27 |
| REAR WINDSCREEN | R | 1,991.81 | 2,289.83 | 2,482.79 | 7,214.34 | 3,616.75 | 4,263.23 |
| BATTERY CHARGER (ELEC) | R | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| BATTERY DRIVE | R | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| SUB TOTAL : C | R | 67,982.91 | 79,797.51 | 88,696.70 | 86,649.74 | 88,016.16 | 100,383.81 |
| TOTAL : A + B + C | R | 81,776.62 | 93,860.33 | 102,249.24 | 105,094.56 | 106,938.11 | 117,191.61 |
As we can see, the compact crossover segment has many entrants, and the Renault Duster compares relatively well against key rivals, with a slightly higher overall parts basket price.
Verdict
Having looked at the data, we can conclude that while Renault's products are certainly not the cheapest to maintain, they are not exactly expensive either, particularly when looking at the products that secure the most volume locally.
