In 2025, 95,628 Dacia Sandero cars had a regular MOT in Great Britain. 65% passed first time, compared with 76% for all cars of the same ages, which makes the Sandero worse than average. Adjusted for age, it ranks 215 of the 217 most-tested car models.
That comparison matters: older cars fail more often, so a raw pass rate flatters models that are mostly young. We compare each model against every car on the road at the same age.
Pass rate by age
At 4 years old, 81% of Sanderos passed first time (all cars that age: 87%). By 12 years, that figure is 58% (all cars: 66%). It trails the average car at most ages, most noticeably at 10 years (16 points behind).
Dacia Sandero All cars of that age
| Age | Tests | Sandero passed first time | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 years | 758 | 81% | 87% | 27,934 |
| 5 years | 7,791 | 79% | 86% | 31,613 |
| 6 years | 12,525 | 76% | 84% | 37,353 |
| 7 years | 12,498 | 71% | 81% | 44,767 |
| 8 years | 14,628 | 66% | 78% | 52,799 |
| 9 years | 14,269 | 62% | 75% | 61,045 |
| 10 years | 14,205 | 56% | 72% | 68,080 |
| 11 years | 12,091 | 54% | 69% | 75,463 |
| 12 years | 6,828 | 58% | 66% | 78,549 |
What fails most on a Dacia Sandero
The area that lets the Sandero down most, relative to other cars, is visibility: 9.1% of tests failed on it, 1.8 times the rate for the average car.
Share of Sandero tests failing on this area Average car
The six most common failure items
| Failure item | Area | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|
| The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | Lights and electrics | 8.0% |
| A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened | Suspension | 6.7% |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | Body and structure | 5.9% |
| Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen | Visibility | 4.7% |
| A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | Suspension | 4.5% |
| Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen | Visibility | 3.7% |
What to check when buying a used Sandero
Based on where the Sandero fails more often than other cars, these are the checks worth making before you buy:
- Visibility: Check the windscreen for chips in the driver’s view, the wipers for smearing and the washers for working jets. Repair guide
- Body and structure: Get underneath with a torch: sills, jacking points, subframe mounts and floor pans. Structural rust is the failure that can make a car uneconomic to fix. Repair guide
- Lights and electrics: Walk round with the lights on: headlights (dipped and main), indicators, brake lights, number-plate and fog lights. Bulbs are cheap, but a seller who hasn’t noticed one out may have missed more. Repair guide
Then check the individual car: its own MOT history will show whether it follows the pattern. A car with repeated advisories in the same weak area is more likely to fail its next test.
Check a specific Sandero
Enter the registration to see its full MOT history, mileage record and reliability score, compared with these figures.
Check a SanderoFrequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a Dacia Sandero?
In 2025, 65% of Dacia Sandero cars passed their MOT first time, across 95,628 tests. Cars of the same ages averaged 76%.
What do Dacia Sandero cars most often fail their MOT on?
The most common failure items were: the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements (8.0% of tests); a spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened (6.7% of tests); a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc (5.9% of tests).
Other Dacia models
Dacia Duster (70%). All Dacia models
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 (class 4 normal tests; first-time pass means passed with no faults fixed at the test). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.