Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 112,165 tests

Pass rate climbs 13.7 points across the cohorts — newer Duster examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 58,891

Pass

72.8%

Fail

20.1%

PRS

6.6%

Avg mileage at test

70,859 mi

2018–2020 cohort 42,903

Pass

79.5%

Fail

12.3%

PRS

7.8%

Avg mileage at test

37,416 mi

2021+ cohort 10,371

Pass

86.5%

Fail

8.1%

PRS

4.9%

Avg mileage at test

24,230 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

Generations on file · 3

Dacia Duster · UK market

Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.

The picture

Dacia Duster: mixed MOT record across 72,219 tests

The Dacia Duster is a family of subcompact crossovers produced and marketed jointly by the French manufacturer Renault and its Romanian subsidiary Dacia since 2010, currently in its third generation.

MOT data from 72,219 tests puts this car on a 77.5% first-time pass rate, roughly in line with the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 50,101 miles. The most common fail item is failed number plate light, followed by tyre tread below the legal limit.

Buyers weighing up a used Duster should treat the failure breakdown as a pre-purchase checklist. The pass rate is reasonable, but the gap between first attempt and a clean sheet narrows with age and mileage.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 16–24

Below the fleet average — generally reasonable to insure. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.

Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →

16–24

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

2,832 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
02

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

2,232 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
03

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

2,070 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
04

The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements

1,785 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
05

Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded

1,596 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
06

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play

1,490 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
07

Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

1,469 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
08

Wiper blade defective

1,466 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
09

A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED

1,387 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
10

A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

1,113 occurrences · 1.0% of tests

Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.

Worst-case fix budget · top 5 failures

£138–£345

If every one of this Duster's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 13.7-point gap between bands means the year you buy Dacia Duster has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

86.5%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 86.5% — a 13.7-point improvement. Tests in this band average 24,230 miles — roughly 47K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, has a cut in excess of the… — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.

Band to be cautious about

72.8%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 72.8% pass rate against a fleet average of 86.5% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, excessively corroded, and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm. Average mileage on test for this band is 70,859 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (86.5% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (72.8% pass). That's a 13.7-point spread across 58,891 older tests and 10,371 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.

Item 01 · Amazon UK

H7 / W21W bulb pack

A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.

Search Amazon UK

Item 02 · Amazon UK

Digital tyre-tread depth gauge

Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.

Search Amazon UK

Item 03 · Amazon UK

Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades

Cheap wipers fail the test on smear streaks. Bosch Aerotwins last a winter and clear a screen properly.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Motor World

Motor World Dacia Sandero/Logan/Jogger 2013- Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

View at My Motor World →

Motor World

Motor World Dacia Duster 2013- Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

View at My Motor World →

Motor World

Motor World Dacia Duster 2018- With Passenger SEAT Draw Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

View at My Motor World →

Motor World

Motor World Dacia Duster 2018- Without Passenger SEAT Draw Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

View at My Motor World →

Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

Get a quote →

Recall history

5 UK recalls on record.

The Duster has 5 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Duster?

Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.

If you own a Duster and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.