69.1%
Dacia Sandero
Dacia Sandero MOT pass rate and common problems
The Dacia Sandero passed 69.1% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 3.2 percentage points below the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was coil spring fractured or broken.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the Sandero compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
70.1%
Dacia average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The Sandero runs 0.9 points behind the Dacia average. It is 3rd of the 4 Dacia models in the data. The average Sandero arrived at its test 7.5 years old with 49,732 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
Sandero MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Dacia Sandero cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 81.2% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 55.8%, a drop of 25.4 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 28,243 | 81.2% | 8.9 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 66,360 | 63.1% | 9.2 pts below |
| 11 years and over | 12,383 | 55.8% | 16.5 pts below |
That is a steep decline with age, so the headline rate flatters older examples. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where Sandero failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Dacia Sandero cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and suspension together account for 45% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common Sandero MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Dacia Sandero cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 48.2% of everything testers recorded against failed Dacia Sandero cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a Sandero
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken and ball joint excessively worn. 11.9% of failure items.
2
Visibility
Recorded most often: wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively and washers provides insufficient washer liquid. 9.7% of failure items.
3
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: headlamp aim too low and headlamp not working on dipped beam. 9.5% of failure items.
4
Body, chassis, structure
Recorded most often: joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. 7.2% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific Sandero has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Dacia Sandero buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Dacia Sandero MOT FAQs
What is the Dacia Sandero MOT pass rate?
69.1% of Dacia Sandero cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 117,868 tests. That is 3.2 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 364th of 575 models.
What does a Dacia Sandero most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Dacia Sandero cars failing their 2025 MOT was coil spring fractured or broken, on 8.3% of failure items. Next were joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (7.2%) and headlamp aim too low (6.3%).
Which area causes the most Dacia Sandero MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 26%, followed by suspension at 19%.
Do older Dacia Sandero cars fail their MOT more often?
Dacia Sandero cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 81.2% of MOT tests in 2025, against 55.8% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every Dacia Sandero has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Dacia Sandero that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Dacia Sandero's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.