2025 MOT results
Dacia Sandero common problems
The most common reason a Dacia Sandero fails its MOT is a broken coil spring, on 15.6% of its 36,376 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 7 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a horn not working at 4.6% of failures against 0.6% expected; a split joint boot at 13.2% of failures against 2.9% expected; a weak or uneven footbrake at 4.8% of failures against 1.7% expected.
- Tests in 2025 117,596 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 30.9% 36,376 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 7.5% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 46.1% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Dacia Sandero MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Dacia Sandero 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 |
|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 15.6% |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | 13.2% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 10.8% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 10.0% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 7.7% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 7.1% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 6.4% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.4% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 6.0% |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.9% |
| Service brake performance: excessively binding Brakes | 4.8% |
| Horn: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Broken coil spring
15.6% of failures 8.2% expected 1.9 times as often
A broken suspension spring, which usually snaps in the bottom coil and often fails on both sides within a year.
Look at each corner for a sagging ride height, and listen for a knock over speed bumps.
-
Split joint boot
13.2% of failures 2.9% expected 4.6 times as often
A split rubber boot on a joint or driveshaft. The joint may still be sound, but dirt and water get in once the boot is open.
Turn the wheels to full lock and look behind them for greasy splits in the rubber concertina.
-
Headlamp aim set too low
10.8% of failures 4.1% expected 2.6 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.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
10.0% of failures 7.5% 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.
-
Washers that do not work
7.7% of failures 4.7% expected 1.6 times as often
The washers cannot deliver enough liquid to clean the windscreen with the wipers.
Top the bottle up and check both jets reach the glass; the pump is often fine and the jet blocked.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
7.1% of failures 9.5% expected somewhat less often
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.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Dacia Sandero, on 39.1% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 28.0%.
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 | 39.1% |
| Suspension | 30.3% |
| Visibility | 23.3% |
| Brakes | 19.6% |
| Tyres | 16.6% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 16.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.4% |
| Steering | 5.2% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
46.1% of Dacia Sandero tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Dacia Sanderos, 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 | 16.1% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 13.7% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 8.5% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 5.8% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 3.3% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 2.5% |
| Linkage pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 2.4% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 2.2% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 1.9% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 1.9% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 1.8% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 1.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Dacia Sandero gets older
A 2022 Dacia Sandero failed 11.0% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2013 one failed 42.2%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Dacia Sandero 11.0% failed, from 13,085 tests
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 21.6%
- Headlamp aim set too high 14.2%
- Worn brake pads 11.6%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 9.3%
- Washers that do not work 8.6%
- Cut tyre 8.0%
2013 Dacia Sandero 42.2% failed, from 6,828 tests
- Broken coil spring 16.5%
- Split joint boot 14.4%
- Worn steering or suspension joint 10.0%
- Horn not working 9.3%
- Headlamp aim set too low 9.1%
- Weak or uneven footbrake 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 Sandero problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Dacia Sandero?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Coil spring: fractured or broken” is the most common: it appears on 15.6% of failed Dacia Sandero tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 39.1% of failed tests.
How often does a Dacia Sandero fail its MOT?
30.9% of Dacia Sandero tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 117,596 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 26 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Dacia Sandero than on other cars?
Yes. “Horn: not working” appears on 4.6% of its failures against 0.6% for cars of the same age, and “Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt” appears on 13.2% of its failures against 2.9% 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 Sandero 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 | 117,596 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.