MOT cost .
Dacia Sandero
MOT 2024

Wikimedia Commons — CC-BY-SA (image-specific)

Dacia

Sandero

163,313 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Sanderos pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 3.7 points below the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — buyers should expect more first-time fails than the typical UK car.

Pass

73.8%

Pass-after-fix

6.3%

Fail

19.5%

Avg miles

52,446

Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%

Trim variants

Comfort TCE 91.6% 1,852 Stepway SE Twenty TCE 83.0% 1,806 Stepway Comfort TCE 92.9% 1,639 Stepway Prestige TCE 92.8% 1,549 Essential SCE 90.9% 1,407

Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 163,313 tests

Pass rate climbs 14.2 points across the cohorts — newer Sandero examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 119,641

Pass

71.3%

Fail

22.3%

PRS

6.0%

Avg mileage at test

60,278 mi

2018–2020 cohort 42,406

Pass

80.6%

Fail

12.0%

PRS

7.1%

Avg mileage at test

31,284 mi

2021+ cohort 1,266

Pass

85.5%

Fail

8.4%

PRS

6.0%

Avg mileage at test

21,896 mi

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

The picture

Dacia Sandero: mixed MOT record across 118,979 tests

The Dacia Sandero is a subcompact car/supermini (B-segment) car produced and marketed jointly by the French manufacturer Renault and its Romanian subsidiary Dacia since 2007, currently at its third generation. It has been also marketed as the Renault Sandero in certain markets, such as Russia, Latin America, Iran, Egypt, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

MOT data from 118,979 tests puts this car on a 75.0% first-time pass rate, below the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 46,625 miles. The most common fail item is transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, followed by fractured or weakened suspension spring.

Buyers weighing up a used Sandero 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 4–12

A low-group car — among the cheapest to insure in the UK. 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 →

4–12

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

  1. 01

    A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

    5,470 occurrences · 3.3% of tests

  2. 02

    A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

    3,968 occurrences · 2.4% of tests

  3. 03

    Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

    3,238 occurrences · 2.0% of tests

  4. 04

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    2,983 occurrences · 1.8% of tests

  5. 05

    A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

    2,753 occurrences · 1.7% of tests

  6. 06

    a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

    2,302 occurrences · 1.4% of tests

  7. 07

    Wiper blade defective

    2,067 occurrences · 1.3% of tests

  8. 08

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

    1,994 occurrences · 1.2% of tests

  9. 09

    Audible warning inoperative

    1,826 occurrences · 1.1% of tests

  10. 10

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

    1,804 occurrences · 1.1% 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 4 failures

£240–£620

If every one of this Sandero'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 14.2-point gap between bands means the year you buy Dacia Sandero has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

85.5%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 85.5% — a 14.2-point improvement. Tests in this band average 21,896 miles — roughly 38K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: does not clear the windscreen effectively, blade defective — 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

71.3%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 71.3% pass rate against a fleet average of 85.5% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no…, fractured or broken, and ball joint excessively worn. Average mileage on test for this band is 60,278 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (85.5% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (71.3% pass). That's a 14.2-point spread across 119,641 older tests and 1,266 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

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

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

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

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

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£32.99

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Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

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

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

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Recall history

8 UK recalls on record.

The Sandero has 8 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Sandero?

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 Sandero 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.