Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Dacia Sandero 2019: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 75 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2019 Dacia Sandero were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Headlight aim.

Summary

The 2019 Dacia Sandero follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 12,106 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
75 in every 100
Did not pass first time
25 in every 1002,988 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
6 yearsabout 34,512 miles
First tests counted
12,106

What failed most often

  1. Headlight aim15 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Brake pads (front)10 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Windscreen washers9 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 2019 Dacia Sandero 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.

Suspension

One fault: anti-roll bar linkage (front), 43 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 2,987 of 2,988 failed first attempts 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.

Anti-roll bar linkage (front)

Failed on 123 first tests43 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

An anti-roll bar linkage is graded Dangerous when a suspension component is missing, likely to become detached, fractured or likely to fail. Insecure attachment that impairs directional stability is graded Dangerous too. Excessive damage or corrosion that seriously weakens the part is Major, and so is plain insecure attachment to the chassis or axle.

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

Lamps and electrical

Three faults and two wear patterns. The strongest is the headlight levelling device: 19 times as often as on similar cars.

Headlight levelling device

Failed on 83 first tests19 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 (front)

Failed on 227 first tests3.4 times as often as similar carsLikely 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 not tested (front)

Failed on 34 first tests3.1 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 aim (front)

Failed on 435 first tests2.7 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.

Brake light

Failed on 81 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

All stop lamps missing or not working is graded Dangerous, and so is a stop lamp that stays on when the brakes are released. A stop lamp that is missing or not working is Major. On some vehicles with LED rear lamps, part of the stop lamp can go out when the rear fog lamp is lit, which is not regarded as a defect.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 29 first tests, 9.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Visibility

One fault: windscreen washers (front), 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Windscreen washers (front)

Failed on 178 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Windscreen washers that are not working, or do not provide sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, are graded Major. They must provide enough fluid for the wipers to clear the windscreen effectively. Vehicles with an opening windscreen, or some other adequate view to the front, left and right, are not inspected for washers.

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. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 41 first tests14 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Tyre condition

Noted on 51 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

Wheel condition (front)

Noted on 46 first tests2.0 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
75in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
8in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
17in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 75.3% of 12,106 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 83.4%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 17 not fixed make the 25 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as tested
Petrol11,79534,210 miles75
Diesel31149,699 miles70

Figures are in every 100 first tests.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020152019Older carsNewer cars
4060801002019Older carsNewer 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, 78 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
201358 in every 1006,603
201454 in every 10011,590
201555 in every 10013,687
201661 in every 10013,820
201765 in every 10014,146
201871 in every 10012,028
2019 This car75 in every 10012,106
202079 in every 1008,817
202186 in every 1007,869
202289 in every 10012,554

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2019 Sandero.

Of 2019 Sandero vehicles with under 21,000 miles, 87 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 51,000 miles or more, 66 in every 100 did.

Under 21,0002,286 tests
87
21,000–30,0002,490 tests
80
30,000–39,000 Typical car2,515 tests
74
39,000–51,0002,458 tests
70
51,000 and over2,355 tests
66

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 21,00030,000–39,00051,000 and over
Headlight aim1.63.85.7
Brake pads (front)0.33.53.1
Windscreen washers1.42.22.7
Headlight (front)0.51.92.4
Windscreen wipers (front)1.91.91.7

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

When a car fails

48in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

24in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

6in 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.

The 2019 Dacia Sandero follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Headlight aim, about 15 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 75.3% of 12,106 first MOTs on the 2019 Dacia Sandero passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 83.4%. Among 2,988 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-roll bar linkage (front) appears more often than on similar cars (4.1% of those tests; 123 observed failures; about 43× 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 2019 Dacia Sandero at the first attempt were Headlight aim (14.6%), Brake pads (front) (9.9%) and Windscreen washers (9.0%), 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: Anti-roll bar linkage (front) (4.1% of those tests; 123 observed failures; about 43× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Anti-roll bar linkage (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (4.1% of those tests; 123 observed failures; about 43× 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 2019 Dacia Sandero include Anti-roll bar linkage (front), Headlight levelling device, Headlight (front). 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 2019 Dacia Sandero (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.

Check any vehicle’s MOT history

Full MOT history, mileage records, and reliability insights for any UK vehicle.

Run a free check