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Dacia Sandero, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

146,654 Dacia Sanderos are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 69.1% of initial MOT tests, 3.2 points below the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific Sandero? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Dacia Sandero at the MOT

69.1% of 117,868 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Sandero 364th of 575 models. Dacia Sanderos aged 3 to 5 years passed 81.2% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 55.8%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Dacia Sandero69.1%
  • All Dacia modelsThe Sandero is 1 pt behind70.1%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Dacia Sandero tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years28,243 tests81.2%
  • 6 to 10 years66,360 tests63.1%
  • 11 years and over12,383 tests55.8%

Where Sanderos fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Dacia Sandero tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment26%
  • Suspension19%
  • Brakes14.2%
  • Visibility13.1%
  • Tyres10.5%

The items testers recorded most often were coil spring fractured or broken (8.3%), joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (7.2%) and headlamp aim too low (6.3%).

The MOT page lists every common Sandero MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Dacia Sandero MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Sandero's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

    Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.26% of Sandero failure items

  2. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.19% of Sandero failure items

  3. Brakes

    Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing.14.2% of Sandero failure items

Dacia Sanderos in the UK

146,654 were licensed at the end of June 2026, more than any other Dacia. The number licensed has grown 276% since the end of 2015.

Change since 2015
+276%from 38,989 licensed
Typical year of first use
2018half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2018 or earlier
First registered in 2025
6,138against 16,272 in 2015
Declared off the road
2,7361.8% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Dacia Sanderos since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201423,178
End of 201538,989
End of 201654,248
End of 201769,148
End of 201881,429
End of 201993,746
End of 2020101,565
End of 2021109,250
End of 2022122,042
End of 2023133,292
End of 2024141,690
End of 2025145,091
End of June 2026146,654

How old they are

Licensed Dacia Sanderos by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 15 were first used before 2013.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
20256,0446,138
202410,52710,825
202312,31812,945
202212,88313,716
20218,0578,532
20209,0499,464
201912,38213,114
201812,27213,255
201714,46915,922
201614,35115,847
201514,05016,272
201411,971
20136,668

14,050 Sanderos first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 86% of the 16,272 first registered that year.

Sandero engines and fuel

0.9 litre engines made up 43% of Dacia Sandero MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.0 litre at 29%. Petrol accounts for 82% of licensed Sanderos and diesel for 14%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 117,867 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 0.9 litre42.5%
  • 1.0 litre29.3%
  • 1.5 litre17.7%
  • 1.2 litre10.3%

Fuel type, licensed Sanderos

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol119,93182%
Diesel20,82914%
Gas5,8944%

Dacia Sandero recalls

7 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Dacia Sandero. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Sandero is affected.

  1. Oct 2021 R/2021/364

    Poorly fitted fuel supply hose leading to a potential leak in the engine compartment

    Sanderos built Feb 2020 to Sep 2021 · 571 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Check the fuel system on all vehicles and replacing the fuel pipe.

  2. Nov 2020 R/2020/307

    Risk of the key jamming in the start position causing potential damge to the starter motor

    Sanderos built Sep 2017 to Oct 2018 · 2,611 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    There is a possible risk of the ignition switch not disengaging correctly after starting the vehicle resulting in the key jamming in the start position. In rare circumstances this may cause a thermal incident.
    Remedy
    Replacement of the ignition switch.

  3. Jan 2020 R/2020/006

    The contact between the positive battery terminal and the alternator could cause an electrical short circuit

    Sanderos built Jul 2019 · 2 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Contact between the positive battery terminal and the alternator could cause an electrical short circuit.
    Remedy
    Modify the wiring route and if necessary replace the alternator.

  4. Jan 2019 R/2018/371

    Driver's airbag may not deploy correctly during an impact

    Sanderos built Apr 2018 to Aug 2018 · 1,963 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Drivers air bag may not deploy correctly.
    Remedy
    Replace drivers air bag.

  5. Jun 2018 R/2018/144

    Risk of fuel leak

    Sanderos built Feb 2013 to Jun 2015 · 15,168 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Risk of a diesel fuel leak in the engine bay
    Remedy
    Fit a protective clip or replace pipe.

  6. Dec 2016 R/2016/304

    Drivers airbag may not deploy

    Sanderos built Sep 2012 to Dec 2013 · 1,048 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It has been identified that due to an internal defect within the drivers air-bag if the SRS system detects an impact/collision which requires deployment of the air-bags then the drivers air-bag may not deploy. Therefore there is a risk of increased injury to the driver.
    Remedy
    Recall all affected vehicles to check and if required replace the driver's air-bag with a new unit.

  7. Feb 2016 R/2016/007

    Steering may fail

    Sanderos built Sep 2015 to Dec 2015 · 1,517 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On a small number of vehicles the drive rotor at the ball join on the steering rod may break due to excessive stress.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles check steering rack type and if necessary replace.
How to check a specific Sandero for recalls

Sandero vs similar cars

Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.

Other Dacia models

The most-tested Dacia models in 2025, against the Sandero's 69.1% MOT pass rate.

All 4 Dacia models

Dacia Sandero FAQs

How many Dacia Sanderos are there in the UK?

146,654 Dacia Sanderos were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 2,736 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Dacia Sandero reliable?

MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 69.1% first-time pass rate for the Dacia Sandero across 117,868 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Dacia Sandero had any recalls?

7 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Dacia Sandero. The most recent was published in October 2021. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used Dacia Sandero?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension and brakes. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a Dacia Sandero's history?

Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.

Already found a Sandero?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,389 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Dacia history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Dacia VIN check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to July 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.