1.2 TCe vs 1.4/1.6 VTi: which engine is more reliable?
According to our risk index, the 1.4/1.6 VTi carries less risk than the 1.2 TCe: 52/100 versus 54/100 (both high risk). The 1.2 TCe has 2 documented serious faults, the main one being «Excessive oil consumption and engine failure»; the 1.4/1.6 VTi has 2 documented serious faults, the main one being «Fragile water pump (and expansion tank or heat exchanger, depending on displacement)».
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 1.4/1.6 VTi reliable?
The 1.4 VTi and 1.6 VTi are the naturally aspirated versions of the Prince family, developed by PSA together with BMW and also used by MINI. They do not have a reputation for particular reliability: fiches-auto.fr documents frequent oil consumption in both displacements and a fragile water pump, later inherited by the turbocharged 1.6 THP; according to a German garage, the timing chain can also wear in any version, although the most reported cases are on the turbo engine.[6][7][8]
See the 3 of the 1.4/1.6 VTi faultsSide-by-side comparison
| Item | 1.2 TCe | 1.4/1.6 VTi |
|---|---|---|
| Technical data | ||
| Type | Engine | Engine |
| Fuel | Petrol | Petrol |
| Displacement | 1,197 cm³ | — |
| Timing | Chain | Chain |
| Power | 100–130 hp | 90–121 hp |
| Production | 2012–2018[1][2][5][9][10] | 2006–2015[11] |
| Reliability | ||
| Risk index (what is it?) | 54High risk | 52High risk |
| Documented faults | 2 | 3 |
| Of high or critical severity | 2 | 2 |
| Worst severity | Critical severity | Critical severity |
| Main faults |
|
|
| Most expensive documented repair | up to €10,000Excessive oil consumption and engine failurePublished figure[1][2][12][13] | No reliable data |
| Which versions to buy | ||
| BuyRecommended versions | None | |
| 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 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT
- 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 1.6 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 1.4/1.6 VTi
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.2 PureTech
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.0 PureTech
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.2 and 1.4 TSI
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.0 TSI / 1.5 TSI
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.0 EcoBoost
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.3 TCe
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.6 EcoBoost
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 2.0 TSI / TFSI
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs Audi 3.0 TFSI V6
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs BMW B38 / B37
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs BMW B48 / B38
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs BMW B58
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs BMW M54
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs BMW N13
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs BMW N20
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs BMW N43/N46
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs BMW N52 / N53
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs BMW N54/N55
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs BMW N62 / N63
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.2 8v Fire
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.4 T-Jet
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.0 T3 and 1.3 T4 FireFly Turbo
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 0.9 TwinAir and 1.0/1.3 FireFly
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.5 EcoBoost
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.25/1.4/1.6 Ti-VCT
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.2 / 1.4 / 1.8 i-VTEC
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.0 / 1.5 VTEC Turbo
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 2.0 / 2.4 i-VTEC
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs Honda e:HEV / i-MMD
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs Honda IMA híbrido
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.0 T-GDI
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.6 GDI / T-GDI
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.6 GDi híbrido (Kappa)
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.0 / 1.25 MPi
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs Smartstream 1.6 T-GDi
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 2.0 / 2.4 GDI and T-GDI (Theta II)
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 2.0 and 3.0 Ingenium gasolina
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 2.3 MZR DISI Turbo
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs MZR gasolina
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs Skyactiv-G
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs M111
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs M112 / M113
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs M264/M254
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs M260
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs M271
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs M272/M273
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs M270/M274
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.5 VTi-TECH / T-GDI
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs MIVEC gasolina
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs Mitsubishi PHEV
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.6 DIG-T
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.5 VC-Turbo e-Power
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.2 HR12DE and 1.2 DIG-S (HR12DDR)
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 2.0 MR20DE / 2.5 QR25DE
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.6 16v HR16DE / H4M
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.0/1.2/1.4 Ecotec
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.4 Turbo
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.6 and 1.8 Ecotec 16v
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs Porsche V8 and V6 (Cayenne and Panamera)
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.4 and 1.6 TU3/TU5
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.6 THP
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 2.0 and 2.2 16v EW10/EW12
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 0.9 TCe
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.0 SCe (B4D)
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.0 TCe / SCe
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.4 and 1.6 8v
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.2 16v
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs E-Tech Híbrido
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 2.0 16v F4R and F4RT
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.4 and 1.6 16v
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs Rover K-Series
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.0 and 1.4 Boosterjet
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.2 Dualjet and 1.2 VVT
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.5 K15B (Jimny)
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.3, 1.5 and 1.6 gasolina (serie M)
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.0 VVT-i
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.2 Turbo
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.33 Dual VVT-i
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 VVT-i
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.5 Hybrid
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.6 Dual VVT-i
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.8 Hybrid
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 2.0 and 2.4 VVT-i
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 2.0 and 2.5 Hybrid
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs Volvo 5 cilindros gasolina
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs Drive-E gasolina
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.0 MPI
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.2 12V
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.4 16v and 1.6 MPI/FSI
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 1.8 T 20v
- 1.4/1.6 VTi vs 2.0 FSI
- 1.4/1.6 VTi 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
- Moteurs essence qui consomment de l'huileFiches-auto.fr · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in French
- Liste des moteurs qui ont des soucis de refroidissementFiches-auto.fr · Motoring press · consulted 27 September 2026 · in French
- Tickende Zeitbombe: So zuverlässig ist der Prince-Motor von PSA und BMWGebrauchtwagenberater.de · 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
- Prince engineWikipedia (inglés) · 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