117,375 Sanderos had an MOT in 2025. 69.0% passed first time, against 80.0% for other cars of the same age and mileage. Most of the gap comes from cars registered from 2013 to 2020, which fail on lights and electrics 2.2 times as often as comparable cars. Those registered from 2022 onwards pass as often as other cars their age.
Each dot compares how often Sanderos of that year failed on one area of the test with cars of the same age and mileage.
| Year | Passed first time | Against same age and mileage | MOTs | Suspension | Steering | Brakes | Tyres | Lights & electrics | Visibility | Body & structure | Emissions & leaks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 57.8% | −9.1 | 6,828 | ||||||||
| 2014 | 54.5% | −15.0 | 12,091 | ||||||||
| 2015 | 55.8% | −17.2 | 14,206 | ||||||||
| 2016 | 61.6% | −14.7 | 14,270 | ||||||||
| 2017 | 65.7% | −14.1 | 14,629 | ||||||||
| 2018 | 71.1% | −11.5 | 12,501 | ||||||||
| 2019 | 75.5% | −9.7 | 12,527 | ||||||||
| 2020 | 78.8% | −8.6 | 9,048 | ||||||||
| 2021 | 85.9% | −3.0 | 8,083 | ||||||||
| 2022 | 89.0% | −0.9 | 13,174 |
Much worse: failed on that area at least 1.5 times as often. Worse: 1.15 to 1.5 times. Better: up to 0.87 times. Much better: two-thirds as often or less. Gaps under half a percentage point count as about the same. Registration year is the year the car was first used.
Well behind: 5 or more points below cars of the same age and mileage. Behind: 1.5 to 5 points below. Level: within 1.5 points. Ahead: 1.5 or more points above.
5.0% of Sandero MOTs failed on body and structure, against 1.4% for cars of the same age and mileage, and 7.2% on visibility, against 3.3%.
Sanderos pass less often than cars of the same age and mileage at every mileage, by 4.1 to 17.8 points. The gap is widest at 120k+ miles.
Diesels passed 55.8% first time, 16.7 points below comparable cars; petrols passed 71.4%, 10.0 points below comparable cars. Diesels had a median of 74,058 miles at the test, against 39,675 for petrols.
| Fuel | MOTs | Passed first time | Same age and mileage | Gap (pts) | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 92,954 | 71.4% | 81.3% | −10.0 | 39,675 |
| Diesel | 21,031 | 55.8% | 72.5% | −16.7 | 74,058 |
| Other | 3,389 | 87.1% | 88.8% | −1.7 | 23,906 |
Cars registered 2014 to 2021, each against cars of the same age and mileage. The Sandero ranks 16 of 17.
| Model | MOTs | Passed first time | Same age and mileage | Gap (pts) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Honda Jazz | 136,227 | 87.4% | 82.0% | +5.4 | |
| 2. MINI Cooper | 339,527 | 85.3% | 80.8% | +4.5 | |
| 3. Toyota Yaris | 215,964 | 82.4% | 80.7% | +1.6 | |
| 4. Hyundai i20 | 77,319 | 79.6% | 78.7% | +0.9 | |
| 5. Mazda 2 | 60,284 | 80.6% | 79.8% | +0.9 | |
| 6. Suzuki Swift | 77,438 | 80.6% | 80.1% | +0.5 | |
| 7. Audi A1 | 162,411 | 78.5% | 78.7% | −0.2 | |
| 8. Skoda Fabia | 118,924 | 77.9% | 79.3% | −1.3 | |
| 9. VW Polo | 329,621 | 76.0% | 79.1% | −3.1 | |
| 10. Ford Fiesta | 693,788 | 73.2% | 78.2% | −4.9 | |
| 11. Citroen C3 | 95,143 | 73.8% | 80.1% | −6.2 | |
| 12. Seat Ibiza | 113,185 | 71.2% | 77.6% | −6.4 | |
| 13. Peugeot 208 | 157,349 | 71.7% | 78.8% | −7.1 | |
| 14. Nissan Micra | 81,543 | 73.4% | 81.0% | −7.6 | |
| 15. Vauxhall Corsa | 477,348 | 70.1% | 78.7% | −8.6 | |
| 16. Dacia Sandero | 97,355 | 67.1% | 79.5% | −12.4 | |
| 17. Renault Clio | 148,256 | 63.9% | 78.1% | −14.2 |
What testers most often noted as advisories on Sanderos in 2025: wear that passed but was close to failing. Figures in brackets are for cars of the same age and mileage.
At the MOT, 69.0% of 117,375 Sandero MOTs in 2025 passed first time, against 80.0% for cars of the same age and mileage. 2013 to 2020: well behind (−8.6 to −17.2 points). 2021: behind (−3.0 points). 2022: level (−0.9 points).
Going by 2025 MOT results, 2013 to 2020 and 2021. Those cars passed first time −8.6 to −17.2 and −3.0 points against comparable cars.
Coil spring: fractured or broken: 4.8% of Sandero MOTs, against 1.7% for cars of the same age and mileage.
Petrol Sanderos passed 71.4% first time and diesels 55.8%. Against cars of the same age and mileage, petrols were 10.0 points below and diesels 16.7 points below.
For cars registered 2014 to 2021, the Ford Fiesta passed 73.2% first time, −4.9 points against comparable cars. The Sandero passed 67.1%, −12.4 points.
Data. Every car MOT in Great Britain in 2025 (31,475,521 first tests on cars first used 2005 to 2022), from DVSA's anonymised MOT test data. Retests are left out.
Passed first time. A car passed if its first test that year ended in a pass. Cars that failed and were fixed within the hour count as fails, as DVSA counts them.
Same age and mileage. We group every car by the year it was first used and its mileage (under 30k, 30–60k, 60–90k, 90–120k, over 120k). The comparison figure is what those groups scored, weighted to match the Sandero's mix of ages and mileages.
Model. Every car DVSA records as a Dacia Sandero: 21 recorded model names, from "SANDERO" to trims such as "SANDERO COMFORT TCE".
The full method, including how each report-card dot and year group is decided.