Common problems
Dacia Sandero common problems
What MOT testers find on the Dacia Sandero: the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 415,804 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.
MOT data updated
At 8 years, the most tested age
What stands out
- Lights and electrics fails show up on 14.2 of every 100 MOTs of a Dacia Sandero at 8 years old (n=57,368), against 7.3 for all cars of that age (n=10,440,457).
- The fail item testers record most often at 8 years: driveshaft CV boot split, on 7.2 per 100 MOTs (all cars 0.9).
- The most common advisory or minor defect: tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing, on 14.8 per 100 MOTs.
Problems by part at 8 years
How many of every 100 MOTs found a fail, or an advisory or minor defect, in each area. A test with faults in two areas counts in both.
| Area | Fails | All cars | Advisories | All cars |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lights and electrics | 14.2 | 7.3 | 2.0 | 3.4 |
| Suspension | 12.1 | 6.1 | 9.7 | 11.8 |
| Body and structure | 8.1 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 2.2 |
| Brakes | 7.4 | 4.8 | 19.4 | 19.1 |
| Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 7.4 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.4 |
| Tyres | 5.9 | 6.3 | 27.9 | 25.2 |
| Exhaust, emissions and leaks | 2.2 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 2.3 |
| Steering | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 1.5 |
| Seat belts and airbags | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 |
| Road wheels | 0.2 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| Number plates and VIN | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.4 |
What testers fail most on the Sandero at 8 years
| Item | Area | Per 100 MOTs | All cars | Typical repair (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driveshaft CV boot split | Body and structure | 7.2 | 0.9 | £88 to £196 per boot (rough guide) |
| Coil spring broken | Suspension | 5.4 | 2.1 | £64 to £236 per spring (rough guide) |
| Headlamp aim: too low | Lights and electrics | 4.1 | 1.0 | £16 to £39 per car (rough guide) |
| Suspension ball joint worn | Suspension | 3.4 | 1.0 | £75 to £237 per side (rough guide) |
| Tyre tread below 1.6 mm | Tyres | 2.8 | 2.3 | £88 to £145 per tyre |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 2.7 | 1.1 | £2 to £14 per car (rough guide) |
| Wipers not clearing screen | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 2.7 | 1.7 | £15 to £30 per blade |
| Horn: not working | Lights and electrics | 2.6 | 0.2 | £33 to £113 per car (rough guide) |
| Dipped headlight not working | Lights and electrics | 2.0 | 1.2 | £18 to £86 per lamp |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | Lights and electrics | 2.0 | 0.8 | £10 to £47 per lamp |
Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 8 years
Advisories and minor defects are recorded, but the car still passes. Across all cars, a part with an advisory or minor defect failed at the next MOT 5.5 times in 100 (n=88,666,940 pairs of consecutive MOTs), against 0.3 times in 100 when the same part had none (n=12,936,860,350).
| Item | Area | Per 100 MOTs | All cars | If it needs replacing (estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing | Tyres | 14.8 | 8.6 | £88 to £145 per tyre |
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge | Tyres | 14.5 | 15.7 | £88 to £145 per tyre |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened | Brakes | 9.9 | 8.6 | £148 to £376 per axle (rough guide) |
| Brake pads: wearing thin | Brakes | 5.9 | 8.6 | £72 to £174 per axle (rough guide) |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively | Brakes | 3.1 | 2.7 | £148 to £376 per axle (rough guide) |
| Linkage pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement | Suspension | 2.9 | 0.2 | |
| Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt | Other | 2.8 | 2.3 | |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively | Brakes | 2.1 | 0.8 | £55 to £267 per wheel (rough guide) |
| Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive | Exhaust, emissions and leaks | 2.0 | 1.8 | |
| Nail in tyre | Other | 1.9 | 1.9 |
Repair estimates are a guide for an independent garage: labour at the national median local garage rate (median £78 an hour from 65 garages, ONS price quotes) times estimated labour hours, plus a parts band. Labour hours and most parts bands are estimates, not quotes, and prices vary by model, engine and region. A warning light fault shows the cost of the diagnosis only.
How problems change with age
| Age | Tests (n) | Lights and electrics | Suspension | Body and structure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 years | 43,599 | 5.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| 4 years | 42,804 | 7.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 |
| 5 years | 49,541 | 9.6 | 1.8 | 0.8 |
| 6 years | 54,944 | 10.7 | 4.0 | 2.8 |
| 7 years | 57,193 | 12.3 | 7.9 | 5.5 |
| 8 years | 57,368 | 14.2 | 12.1 | 8.1 |
| 9 years | 49,638 | 15.3 | 14.4 | 9.5 |
| 10 years | 34,395 | 17.5 | 16.7 | 9.5 |
| 11 years | 19,447 | 18.4 | 16.8 | 9.9 |
| 12 years | 6,875 | 17.4 | 15.8 | 8.1 |
Mileage
At 8 years, Dacia Sandero cars showing under 30,000 miles failed 19.9% of MOTs (n=8,232); the band that failed most, 90,000 to 120,000 miles, failed 48.4% (n=4,288). For pass and fail rates by age, see Dacia Sandero MOT fail rates.
What to check on a viewing
On the Dacia Sandero, testers most often record driveshaft CV boot split; coil spring broken; headlamp aim: too low. Look at these first, then the areas below.
Lights and electrics
- With someone outside, try every light: dipped and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and number plate lamps.
- Check that the warning lights come on with the ignition and go out once the engine runs.
- Look for misted, cracked or yellowed headlamp lenses.
Suspension
- Listen for knocks or clonks over speed bumps and rough roads on the test drive.
- Push down hard on each corner: the car should settle at once rather than keep bouncing.
- Look behind the wheels for broken or heavily rusted coil springs and split rubber bushes.
- Check that the car sits level and that no tyre is worn on one edge only.
Body and structure
- Look underneath at the sills, floor, subframes and jacking points for corrosion, or for fresh underseal that may hide it.
- Check that doors, bonnet and boot open, close and latch properly.
- Look for loose trim, sharp edges or damage around the bumpers and wheel arches.
Ask for the car's MOT history and service record: advisories that repeat from one year to the next show what has been left. GOV.UK MOT history.
Questions
What are the most common problems on the Dacia Sandero?
At 8 years, the age with the most MOT tests (57,368), the fail items testers record most often on the Dacia Sandero are driveshaft CV boot split (7.2 per 100 MOTs), coil spring broken (5.4 per 100 MOTs), headlamp aim: too low (4.1 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (14.8) and tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (14.5).
Which parts of the Dacia Sandero fail more often than on other cars?
At 8 years: lights and electrics (14.2 per 100 MOTs against 7.3 for all cars); body and structure (8.1 per 100 MOTs against 1.8 for all cars); suspension (12.1 per 100 MOTs against 6.1 for all cars). Compared with 10,440,457 MOTs of all cars the same age.
Dacia Sandero problems by area
More on the Dacia Sandero
Other Dacia models
The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.
Looking at a Dacia Sandero?
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Repair estimates: ONS consumer price quotes for local garage labour (09/2025 to 08/2026), the MOT inspection manual for defect wording, and estimated labour hours and parts bands. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ONS.
Source
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources