Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Dacia Duster 2020: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 73 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2020 Dacia Duster were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Headlight aim.

Summary

At the same mileage, a diesel 2020 Dacia Duster passed first time more often than one on another fuel: 78 in every 100 against 72 in every 100.

At a glance

How 8,028 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
73 in every 100
Did not pass first time
27 in every 1002,128 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
5 yearsabout 35,801 miles
First tests counted
8,028

What failed most often

  1. Headlight aim18 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Headlight11 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Windscreen wipers (front)11 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2020 Dacia Duster vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Lamps and electrical

Two faults and two wear patterns. The strongest is the headlight levelling device: 26 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 2,126 of 2,128 failed first attempts (99.9%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Headlight levelling device

Failed on 76 first tests26 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A headlamp levelling device that is inoperative is graded Major, and so is a manual levelling device that cannot be operated from the driver's seat. Vehicles with high intensity discharge or LED dipped beam headlamps may have a self-levelling system, and if fitted it must work. Where it is not easy to tell, testers give the benefit of the doubt, and motor caravans are not checked.

Headlight aim not tested (front)

Failed on 48 first tests8.6 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

Headlamp aim recorded as not tested, or unable to be tested, is a Major failure. These results must only be used where it becomes apparent during the test that the item cannot be tested, and this could not have been identified before starting. The reason must be included in the additional information box.

Headlight (front)

Failed on 231 first tests6.7 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

On vehicles first used on or after a set date, a halogen headlamp unit converted to take HID or LED bulbs fails for light source and lamp not compatible, which is Major. A complete unit built with those light sources is not failed for that. The precise position of the lamps is not part of the inspection beyond a visual look to see that they sit at about the same height and distance from each side.

Headlight aim (front)

Failed on 390 first tests3.4 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

Beam aim too high, too low or off to either side is Major. Where a driver's beam aim control is fitted, the aim is tested without altering the setting, and rechecked at the highest setting only if it would fail for being too low. Masks or converter kits on right hand dip headlamps are acceptable.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Brakes

One fault: electronic stability control, 6.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Electronic stability control

Failed on 50 first tests6.9 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

An ESC warning lamp is failed only when the tester is certain it indicates an ESC malfunction, because the lamp takes various forms and the owner's handbook may need checking. The system is also called ESP, VDC or DSC, among many other names. Every failure row is Major, covering the lamp, wheel speed sensors, wiring, other components and the switch.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Steering

One fault: track rod end (front), 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Track rod end (front)

Failed on 59 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play is Major, and one worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment is graded Dangerous. A dust cover that is damaged but still keeps dirt out is Minor, and one missing or no longer keeping dirt out is Major. Testers must tell wear from a joint's built-in clearance or spring loading.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Noted on 64 first tests37 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

Rigid brake pipes (front)

Noted on 29 first tests24 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
73in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
11in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
16in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 73.5% of 8,028 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 83.6%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 11 fixed and the 16 not fixed make the 27 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

By fuel type

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol6,83434,944 miles7473
Diesel73644,618 miles7378
Other fuel45839,652 miles7172

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

40608010020152020Older carsNewer cars
4060801002020Older cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 80 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
201356 in every 1005,613
201458 in every 1005,176
201561 in every 1005,443
201666 in every 1006,691
201769 in every 1006,081
201871 in every 1008,278
201970 in every 10014,275
2020 This car73 in every 1008,028
202179 in every 1008,373
202287 in every 1009,998

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2020 Duster.

Of 2020 Duster vehicles with under 24,000 miles, 85 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 51,000 miles or more, 63 in every 100 did.

Under 24,0001,668 tests
85
24,000–32,0001,562 tests
76
32,000–40,000 Typical car1,622 tests
74
40,000–51,0001,629 tests
70
51,000 and over1,545 tests
63

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol34,944 miles7473
Diesel44,618 miles7378

Figures are in every 100 first tests. At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.

What to check at your mileage

How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.

Under 24,00032,000–40,00051,000 and over
Headlight aim2.05.37.5
Headlight1.23.53.4
Windscreen wipers (front)2.52.83.9
Windscreen washers1.42.02.1
Tyre condition (rear)1.11.62.1

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

45in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

26in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

4in every 100

of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

At the same mileage, a diesel 2020 Dacia Duster passed first time more often than one on another fuel: 78 in every 100 against 72 in every 100. In 2025, 73.5% of 8,028 first MOTs on the 2020 Dacia Duster passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 83.6%. Among 2,128 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Headlight (front) appears more often than on similar cars (10.9% of those tests; 231 observed failures; about 6.7× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2020 Dacia Duster at the first attempt were Headlight aim (18.3%), Headlight (10.9%) and Windscreen wipers (front) (10.7%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Headlight (front) (10.9% of those tests; 231 observed failures; about 6.7× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Headlight (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (10.9% of those tests; 231 observed failures; about 6.7× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2020 Dacia Duster include Headlight (front), Headlight levelling device, Electronic stability control. These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2020 Dacia Duster (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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