Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Dacia Sandero 2021: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 86 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2021 Dacia Sandero were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Windscreen wipers (front).

Summary

A 2021 Dacia Sandero passed first time about 2 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2020 and 2022 model years.

At a glance

How 7,869 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
86 in every 100
Did not pass first time
14 in every 1001,118 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
4 yearsabout 23,158 miles
First tests counted
7,869

What failed most often

  1. Windscreen wipers (front)21 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 2021 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.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: brake light, 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,118 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

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.

Brake light

Failed on 25 first tests3.2 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.

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

Seat belts and restraints

One fault: airbag warning light, 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Airbag warning light

Failed on 23 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

The airbag warning lamp (SRS MIL in DVSA's wording) is failed only if it indicates a system malfunction, which is Major. A lamp lit to show the passenger airbag is disabled is not to be regarded as a defect. Dashboard messages are not a defect in their own right, though they can help the tester confirm a malfunction.

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

Brakes

Two wear patterns. The strongest is the brake discs (front): 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake discs (front)

Failed on 27 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A brake disc or drum must be significantly worn before it is rejected, and being worn below the manufacturer's recommended limits is not a reason in itself. Significantly and obviously worn is Major, as is contamination with oil or grease. A disc or drum that is fractured, insecure, seriously weakened or missing is graded Dangerous.

Brake pads (front)

Failed on 108 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A pad worn down to its wear indicator, or contaminated with oil or grease, is Major. A pad worn below the set thickness limit, missing or incorrectly mounted is Dangerous. The manual treats an illuminated brake wear indicator as no reason for failure, although DVSA also lists an illuminated indicator as a Major row.

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

Visibility

One fault: windscreen washers, 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Windscreen washers

Failed on 101 first tests2.0 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.

MOT pass rates

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

Passed first time
86in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
4in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
10in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 85.8% of 7,869 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 90.2%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 4 fixed and the 10 not fixed make the 14 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

By fuel type

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol6,95922,598 miles8686
Other fuel88428,174 miles8384

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.

40608010020152021Older carsNewer cars
4060801002021Older 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, 89 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
201975 in every 10012,106
202079 in every 1008,817
2021 This car86 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 2021 Sandero.

Of 2021 Sandero vehicles with under 14,000 miles, 92 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 35,000 miles or more, 81 in every 100 did.

Under 14,0001,549 tests
92
14,000–20,0001,561 tests
88
20,000–27,000 Typical car1,722 tests
85
27,000–35,0001,408 tests
83
35,000 and over1,626 tests
81

Which fuel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol22,598 miles8686
Other fuel28,174 miles8384

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because other-fuel cars have done more miles (typically 28,174 against 22,598). 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 14,00020,000–27,00035,000 and over
Windscreen wipers (front)2.53.53.6
Brake pads (front)0.11.22.8
Windscreen washers0.81.71.6
Tyre condition (front)0.81.51.1
Headlight aim0.60.91.6

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

When a car fails

59in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

14in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

3in 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.

A 2021 Dacia Sandero passed first time about 2 in every 100 more often than the average of the 2020 and 2022 model years. In 2025, 85.8% of 7,869 first MOTs on the 2021 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 90.2%. Among 1,118 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Brake light appears more often than on similar cars (2.2% of those tests; 25 observed failures; about 3.2× 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 2021 Dacia Sandero at the first attempt were Windscreen wipers (front) (21.3%), Brake pads (front) (9.7%) 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: Brake light (2.2% of those tests; 25 observed failures; about 3.2× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Brake light shows up more often than on similar cars (2.2% of those tests; 25 observed failures; about 3.2× 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 2021 Dacia Sandero include Brake light, Airbag warning light, Windscreen washers. These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2021 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.

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