2025 MOT results
Dacia Duster common problems
The most common reason a Dacia Duster fails its MOT is headlamp aim out of line, on 13.0% of its 23,611 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 5 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: headlamp aim out of line at 13.0% of failures against 2.3% expected; a worn steering or suspension joint at 7.5% of failures against 2.2% expected; a headlamp out at 11.1% of failures against 3.9% expected.
- Tests in 2025 81,646 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 28.9% 23,611 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 5.6% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 46.2% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Dacia Duster MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Dacia Duster tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 13.0% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 12.7% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 11.1% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 8.7% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 8.4% |
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play Steering | 7.5% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 6.2% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 6.1% |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | 4.9% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.6% |
| Headlamp aim: too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.3% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Headlamp aim out of line
13.0% of failures 2.3% expected 5.7 times as often
The beam pattern points too high, too low, or in the wrong place, so it either dazzles others or lights too little road.
Nothing to do at the roadside, but a garage resets the aim in minutes; a sagging suspension corner or a heavy boot load can throw it out.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
12.7% of failures 8.9% expected somewhat more often
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
-
Headlamp out
11.1% of failures 3.9% expected 2.8 times as often
A headlamp out on dipped beam, which is the beam the test checks.
Both bulbs age at the same rate, so a pair usually goes within months of each other.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
8.7% of failures 9.9% expected about as expected
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
-
Headlamp aim set too low
8.4% of failures 4.2% expected 2 times as often
The dipped beam points lower than it should, so it lights too little of the road.
Nothing to do at the roadside, but a garage resets the aim in minutes; a sagging suspension corner or a heavy boot load can throw it out.
-
Worn steering or suspension joint
7.5% of failures 2.2% expected 3.4 times as often
Play in a steering or suspension joint, where a worn ball and socket lets the wheel move where it should not.
A knock at low speed over rough ground, or vague steering, is the usual warning.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Dacia Duster, on 49.9% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 26.3%.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 49.9% |
| Visibility | 22.1% |
| Brakes | 18.7% |
| Tyres | 18.4% |
| Suspension | 16.2% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 10.2% |
| Steering | 9.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.2% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
46.2% of Dacia Duster tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Dacia Dusters, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 17.7% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 10.7% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 9.5% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 5.7% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 4.9% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 3.7% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 2.8% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 2.7% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 2.3% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 2.0% |
| Track rod end: ball joint has slight play Steering | 1.8% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 1.3% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Dacia Duster gets older
A 2022 Dacia Duster failed 13.1% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2013 one failed 43.5%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Dacia Duster 13.1% failed, from 10,549 tests
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 20.8%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 16.2%
- Cut tyre 13.9%
- Headlamp aim set too high 10.3%
- Brake light out 9.6%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 7.6%
2013 Dacia Duster 43.5% failed, from 5,903 tests
- Corroded brake pipes 12.5%
- Headlamp aim out of line 11.4%
- Split joint boot 11.1%
- Worn steering or suspension joint 10.7%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 9.2%
- Sidelight out 8.8%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Dacia Duster problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Dacia Duster?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect” is the most common: it appears on 13.0% of failed Dacia Duster tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 49.9% of failed tests.
How often does a Dacia Duster fail its MOT?
28.9% of Dacia Duster tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 81,646 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 32 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Dacia Duster than on other cars?
Yes. “Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect” appears on 13.0% of its failures against 2.3% for cars of the same age, and “Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play” appears on 7.5% of its failures against 2.2% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Dacia Duster aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 81,646 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.