Does the Dacia Sandero fail the MOT on noise, emissions and leaks more than it should?
The Dacia Sandero records 1.47 noise, emissions and leaks failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 1.27 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (+0.20, 95% interval +0.16 to +0.23). It ranks 224 of 678 models on noise, emissions and leaks (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on noise, emissions and leaks · check a Dacia Sandero by registration
What exactly fails on noise, emissions and leaks?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Dacia Sandero is “Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction”, recorded 2,876 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction | 2,876 | 0.58 |
| Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer | 1,508 | 0.30 |
| Emissions levels exceed default limits | 798 | 0.16 |
| Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits | 680 | 0.14 |
| Emissions test unable to be completed | 587 | 0.12 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 498,623 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Dacia Sandero gets a noise, emissions and leaks advisory, how often does it fail next time?
5.6% of Dacia Sandero MOTs with a noise, emissions and leaks advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 7,289 miles later (4,377 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,377 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Dacia Sandero 2013 · Dacia Sandero 2014 · Dacia Sandero 2015 · Dacia Sandero 2016 · Dacia Sandero 2017 · Dacia Sandero 2018 · Dacia Sandero 2019 · Dacia Sandero 2020 · Dacia Sandero in Finland · Dacia Sandero in the Netherlands · Dacia Sandero by postcode area · Dacia Sandero body, chassis and structure failures · Dacia Sandero brakes failures · Dacia Sandero vehicle identification failures · Dacia Sandero lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Dacia Sandero road wheels failures · Dacia Sandero seat belts and airbags failures · Dacia Sandero steering failures · Dacia Sandero suspension failures · Dacia Sandero tyres failures · Dacia Sandero visibility failures