1.2 TCe vs 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT: which engine is more reliable?
According to our risk index, the 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT carries less risk than the 1.2 TCe: 25/100 (moderate risk) versus 54/100 (high risk). The 1.2 TCe has 2 documented serious faults, the main one being «Excessive oil consumption and engine failure»; the 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT has no documented serious faults.
The index (0–100) weights the severity and frequency of the three most serious documented faults. How it is calculated
Is the 1.2 TCe reliable?
Only with reservations: 1.2 TCe and 1.2 DIG-T engines built between 2012 and mid-2016 can burn a lot of oil because of poor piston ring sealing, with a risk of damaging the valves, stretching the chain or destroying the engine. Renault and Nissan dealt with it through technical notes and case-by-case assistance, without a recall; later production incorporates the fix.[1][2][3][4][5]
See the 2 of the 1.2 TCe faultsIs the 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT reliable?
The Ti-VCT is Ford's family of naturally aspirated petrol engines (Sigma, Zetec-SE or Duratec), in 1.25, 1.4, 1.5 and 1.6 litres, fitted to the Fiesta, Focus, C-Max, B-Max, EcoSport and Ka+ between 2003 and 2022. It is a reliable engine in general: its best-documented fault, a variable valve timing actuator that could seize, is concentrated in the oldest units (Focus II and C-Max I) and was corrected afterwards.[6][7][8][9]
See the 4 of the 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT faultsSide-by-side comparison
| Item | 1.2 TCe | 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT |
|---|---|---|
| Technical data | ||
| Type | Engine | Engine |
| Fuel | Petrol | Petrol |
| Displacement | 1,197 cm³ | — |
| Timing | Chain | Timing belt (dry) |
| Power | 100–130 hp | 60–125 hp |
| Production | 2012–2018[1][2][5][10][11] | 2003–2022[6][12][13] |
| Reliability | ||
| Risk index (what is it?) | 54High risk | 25Moderate risk |
| Documented faults | 2 | 4 |
| Of high or critical severity | 2 | 0 |
| Worst severity | Critical severity | Medium severity |
| Main faults |
|
|
| Most expensive documented repair | up to €10,000Excessive oil consumption and engine failurePublished figure[1][2][14][15] | No reliable data |
| Which versions to buy | ||
| BuyRecommended versions | ||
| With cautionVersions to be cautious about | ||
| AvoidVersions to avoid | None | None |
Severity of each fault: green, low; amber, medium; red, high; dark red, critical. How we rate them
Cars that each one is fitted to
Other comparisons
With the 1.2 TCe
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.2 PureTech
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.0 PureTech
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.2 and 1.4 TSI
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.0 TSI / 1.5 TSI
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.0 EcoBoost
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.3 TCe
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.6 EcoBoost
- 1.2 TCe vs 2.0 TSI / TFSI
- 1.2 TCe vs Audi 3.0 TFSI V6
- 1.2 TCe vs BMW B38 / B37
- 1.2 TCe vs BMW B48 / B38
- 1.2 TCe vs BMW B58
- 1.2 TCe vs BMW M54
- 1.2 TCe vs BMW N13
- 1.2 TCe vs BMW N20
- 1.2 TCe vs BMW N43/N46
- 1.2 TCe vs BMW N52 / N53
- 1.2 TCe vs BMW N54/N55
- 1.2 TCe vs BMW N62 / N63
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.2 8v Fire
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.4 T-Jet
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.0 T3 and 1.3 T4 FireFly Turbo
- 1.2 TCe vs 0.9 TwinAir and 1.0/1.3 FireFly
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.5 EcoBoost
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.8 i-VTEC
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.0 / 1.5 VTEC Turbo
- 1.2 TCe vs 2.0 / 2.4 i-VTEC
- 1.2 TCe vs Honda e:HEV / i-MMD
- 1.2 TCe vs Honda IMA híbrido
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.0 T-GDI
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.6 GDI / T-GDI
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.6 GDi híbrido (Kappa)
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.0 / 1.25 MPi
- 1.2 TCe vs Smartstream 1.6 T-GDi
- 1.2 TCe vs 2.0 / 2.4 GDI and T-GDI (Theta II)
- 1.2 TCe vs 2.0 and 3.0 Ingenium gasolina
- 1.2 TCe vs 2.3 MZR DISI Turbo
- 1.2 TCe vs MZR gasolina
- 1.2 TCe vs Skyactiv-G
- 1.2 TCe vs M111
- 1.2 TCe vs M112 / M113
- 1.2 TCe vs M264/M254
- 1.2 TCe vs M260
- 1.2 TCe vs M271
- 1.2 TCe vs M272/M273
- 1.2 TCe vs M270/M274
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.5 VTi-TECH / T-GDI
- 1.2 TCe vs MIVEC gasolina
- 1.2 TCe vs Mitsubishi PHEV
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.6 DIG-T
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.5 VC-Turbo e-Power
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.2 HR12DE and 1.2 DIG-S (HR12DDR)
- 1.2 TCe vs 2.0 MR20DE / 2.5 QR25DE
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.6 16v HR16DE / H4M
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.4 Turbo
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.6 and 1.8 Ecotec 16v
- 1.2 TCe vs Porsche V8 and V6 (Cayenne and Panamera)
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.4 and 1.6 TU3/TU5
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.4/1.6 VTi
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.6 THP
- 1.2 TCe vs 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12
- 1.2 TCe vs 0.9 TCe
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.0 SCe (B4D)
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.0 TCe / SCe
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.4 and 1.6 8v
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.2 16v
- 1.2 TCe vs E-Tech Híbrido
- 1.2 TCe vs 2.0 16v F4R and F4RT
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.4 and 1.6 16v
- 1.2 TCe vs Rover K-Series
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.0 and 1.4 Boosterjet
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.5 K15B (Jimny)
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6 gasolina (serie M)
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.0 VVT-i
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.2 Turbo
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.33 Dual VVT-i
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 VVT-i
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.5 Hybrid
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.6 Dual VVT-i
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.8 Hybrid
- 1.2 TCe vs 2.0 and 2.4 VVT-i
- 1.2 TCe vs 2.0 and 2.5 Hybrid
- 1.2 TCe vs Volvo 5 cilindros gasolina
- 1.2 TCe vs Drive-E gasolina
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.0 MPI
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.2 12V
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.4 16v and 1.6 MPI/FSI
- 1.2 TCe vs 1.8 T 20v
- 1.2 TCe vs 2.0 FSI
- 1.2 TCe vs VW 2.0 TFSI EA113
With the 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.2 PureTech
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.0 PureTech
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.2 and 1.4 TSI
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.0 TSI / 1.5 TSI
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.0 EcoBoost
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.3 TCe
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.6 EcoBoost
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 2.0 TSI / TFSI
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs Audi 3.0 TFSI V6
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs BMW B38 / B37
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs BMW B48 / B38
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs BMW B58
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs BMW M54
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs BMW N13
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs BMW N20
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs BMW N43/N46
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs BMW N52 / N53
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs BMW N54/N55
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs BMW N62 / N63
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.2 8v Fire
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.4 T-Jet
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.0 T3 and 1.3 T4 FireFly Turbo
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 0.9 TwinAir and 1.0/1.3 FireFly
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.5 EcoBoost
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.8 i-VTEC
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.0 / 1.5 VTEC Turbo
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 2.0 / 2.4 i-VTEC
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs Honda e:HEV / i-MMD
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs Honda IMA híbrido
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.0 T-GDI
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.6 GDI / T-GDI
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.6 GDi híbrido (Kappa)
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.0 / 1.25 MPi
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs Smartstream 1.6 T-GDi
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 2.0 / 2.4 GDI and T-GDI (Theta II)
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 2.0 and 3.0 Ingenium gasolina
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 2.3 MZR DISI Turbo
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs MZR gasolina
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs Skyactiv-G
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs M111
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs M112 / M113
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs M264/M254
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs M260
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs M271
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs M272/M273
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs M270/M274
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.5 VTi-TECH / T-GDI
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs MIVEC gasolina
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs Mitsubishi PHEV
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.6 DIG-T
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.5 VC-Turbo e-Power
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.2 HR12DE and 1.2 DIG-S (HR12DDR)
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 2.0 MR20DE / 2.5 QR25DE
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.6 16v HR16DE / H4M
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.4 Turbo
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.6 and 1.8 Ecotec 16v
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs Porsche V8 and V6 (Cayenne and Panamera)
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.4 and 1.6 TU3/TU5
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.4/1.6 VTi
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.6 THP
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 0.9 TCe
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.0 SCe (B4D)
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.0 TCe / SCe
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.4 and 1.6 8v
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.2 16v
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs E-Tech Híbrido
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 2.0 16v F4R and F4RT
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.4 and 1.6 16v
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs Rover K-Series
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.0 and 1.4 Boosterjet
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.5 K15B (Jimny)
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6 gasolina (serie M)
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.0 VVT-i
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.2 Turbo
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.33 Dual VVT-i
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 VVT-i
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.5 Hybrid
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.6 Dual VVT-i
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.8 Hybrid
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 2.0 and 2.4 VVT-i
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 2.0 and 2.5 Hybrid
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs Volvo 5 cilindros gasolina
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs Drive-E gasolina
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.0 MPI
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.2 12V
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.4 16v and 1.6 MPI/FSI
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 1.8 T 20v
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs 2.0 FSI
- 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT vs VW 2.0 TFSI EA113
Compare other engines
Sources
Every fact on this page links to its source. If you find an error, let us know.
- Moteur 1.2 Renault - 400 000 voitures en dangerUFC-Que Choisir (Que Choisir Ensemble) · Consumer association · published 24 May 2019 · consulted 26 September 2026 · in French
- Casse moteur Renault 1.2 TCe : 107 000 Renault concernéesL'argus · Motoring press · published 28 March 2019 · consulted 26 September 2026 · in French
- Renault 1.2 TCe et Nissan 1.2 DIG-T : des moteurs gourmands en huileL'argus · Motoring press · published 12 October 2016 · consulted 26 September 2026 · in French
- Moteur 1.2 Renault - Les constructeurs minimisentUFC-Que Choisir (Que Choisir Ensemble) · Consumer association · published 31 July 2019 · consulted 26 September 2026 · in French
- Moteur H Renault-NissanWikipedia (francés) · Other source · consulted 26 September 2026 · in French
- Ford Sigma engineWikipedia · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026
- Ford Focus Mk2: Probleme und SchwachstellenGebrauchtwagenberater · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
- Ford Focus: Probleme, Rückrufe, KaufberatungGebrauchtwagenberater · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
- Ford C-Max Mk2: Probleme & SchwachstellenGebrauchtwagenberater · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
- Nissan HR engineWikipedia (inglés) · Other source · consulted 26 September 2026
- H-Typrenaultfans.info · Other source · consulted 26 September 2026 · in German
- Ford FiestaWikipedia · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026 · in Spanish
- Ford C-MaxWikipedia · Other source · consulted 27 September 2026
- Posibles fallos en algunos motores de gasolina de Renault, Dacia y NissanOCU · Consumer association · published 4 June 2019 · consulted 26 September 2026 · in Spanish
- Problème moteur Renault-Dacia 1.2 TCe, Nissan 1.2 DIG-T et Mercedes - Vos questions, nos réponsesUFC-Que Choisir (Que Choisir Ensemble) · Consumer association · published 24 May 2019 · consulted 26 September 2026 · in French
- Ford B-Max: alle bekannten ProblemeGebrauchtwagenberater · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
- Ford EcoSport (ab 2012): typische Probleme & MängelGebrauchtwagenberater · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
- Ford Ka+ (2016-2020): typische Probleme & KrankheitenGebrauchtwagenberater · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
- Ford Fiesta – Typische Probleme & Krankheiten (MK6, MK7, MK8)Gebrauchtwagenberater · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
- Fiabilité et pannes Ford FiestaFiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 27 September 2026 · in French
- Ford C-Max Mk1: Probleme & SchwachstellenGebrauchtwagenberater · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in German
- Fiabilité et pannes Ford Focus 2Fiches-auto.fr · Owners' forum · consulted 27 September 2026 · in French