Dacia Sandero: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Dacia Sandero fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 1.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 98,108 individual Dacia Sandero tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 75% first-time pass rate means roughly 25 in every 100 Dacia Sanderos presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Dacia Sandero tested had covered 50,346 miles and was built around 2017.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Dacia Sandero sits 1.7 points below the national average, ranked 1,619 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Dacia Sandero rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Dacia Sandero: £350 at UK salvage auction, from 3 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Dacia Sandero

1. Audible warning inoperative, 1.7% of tests (6.18x the national rate for this defect)
2. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 5.4% of tests (3.5x the national rate for this defect)
3. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2% of tests (1.91x the national rate for this defect)
4. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 2.9% of tests (1.72x the national rate for this defect)
5. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 3.8% of tests (1.68x the national rate for this defect)
6. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 3.2% of tests (1.67x the national rate for this defect)
7. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 1.2% of tests (1.55x the national rate for this defect)
8. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 3.3% of tests (1.4x the national rate for this defect)
9. A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps, 1.2% of tests (1.31x the national rate for this defect)
10. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 1.6% of tests (1.27x the national rate for this defect)

From 98,012 DVSA-tracked Dacia Sandero tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 6.16% of these flagged Dacia Sandero defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Dacia Sandero

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Dacia Sandero before it actually fails on it.

1. A tyre seriously damaged, 28.7% of tests (1.86x the national rate for this advisory)
2. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 0.7% of tests (1.83x the national rate for this advisory)
3. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.6% of tests (1.3x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 3.9% of tests (1.23x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 22.1% of tests
6. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 11.7% of tests
7. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 6.7% of tests
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 5.6% of tests
9. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 2.8% of tests
10. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 2.1% of tests

From 98,012 DVSA-tracked Dacia Sandero tests, 2024.

Dacia Sandero pass rate by model year

From its 2013 to its 2021 model year, the Dacia Sandero's first-time pass rate has risen 23.7 points, from 67% to 90.7%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Dacia Sandero year:

• 2013 Dacia Sandero - 67% first-time pass, 7,232 tests
• 2014 Dacia Sandero - 63.4% first-time pass, 12,599 tests
• 2015 Dacia Sandero - 65.1% first-time pass, 14,676 tests
• 2016 Dacia Sandero - 73% first-time pass, 14,506 tests
• 2017 Dacia Sandero - 78.1% first-time pass, 14,901 tests
• 2018 Dacia Sandero - 83.2% first-time pass, 12,601 tests
• 2019 Dacia Sandero - 86.3% first-time pass, 12,565 tests
• 2020 Dacia Sandero - 87.5% first-time pass, 7,835 tests
• 2021 Dacia Sandero - 90.7% first-time pass, 795 tests

Dacia Sandero by fuel type

The Dacia Sandero's two most-tested fuel types split by 12 points: petrol passes first time 77.9% of the time (76,168 tests) against 65.9% for diesel (21,560 tests).

• Petrol Dacia Sandero - 77.9% first-time pass, 76,168 tests
• Diesel Dacia Sandero - 65.9% first-time pass, 21,560 tests

Other Dacia models

• Dacia Duster - 79.6%
• Dacia Logan - 77.4%
• Dacia Duster Essential Tce 4x2 - 88.2%
• Dacia Sandero Comfort Tce - 94.3%
• Dacia Sandero Stepway Se Twenty Tce - 88.1%
• Dacia Sandero Stepway Comfort Tce - 93.8%
• Dacia Sandero Stepway Prestige Tce - 94.3%
• Dacia Sandero Essential Sce - 93.6%

Models with a similar pass rate

• London Taxis International Tx4 - 75.1%
• Volvo S80 - 75.1%
• Vauxhall Combo 2300 Sportive Td S/S - 75.1%
• Mercedes-Benz Slk - 75%
• Suzuki Sx4 - 75%
• Austin MINI Mayfair - 74.9%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate