Dacia Duster MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 36 model years and 348,922 tests, the Dacia Duster passes its MOT 84.2% of the time. That is 2.8 percentage points worse than small SUVs of a similar age, which fail at 13.0%. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, visibility and brakes.
Best and worst Duster years
Ranked across Duster years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
Not every year is equal — 91.4% of 2022 examples pass against 75.3% of 2013 ones.
Lighting & signalling dominates the failure mix at 11.3% of all tests — 6.3 points clear of visibility, so it is the first thing to check.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, wipers and headlamp — headlamp aim alone was recorded 24,676 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 7.3% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 30.9% once past 150k — 4.2× the risk.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 6.5pp more often than petrol ones (18.7% vs 12.1%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 23.9% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 13.2% of tests failed in 2021 against 18.4% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Duster model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 40 | 75.0% | 25.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 87 | 79.3% | 20.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 41,902 | 75.3% | 24.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 36,459 | 77.1% | 22.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 35,852 | 80.6% | 19.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 41,636 | 83.8% | 16.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 36,680 | 86.7% | 13.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 48,791 | 87.9% | 12.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 66,355 | 88.2% | 11.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 20,750 | 89.5% | 10.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2021 | 13,298 | 89.9% | 10.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2022 | 7,020 | 91.4% | 8.6% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 11.3% | 39,252 |
| 2 | Visibility | 4.9% | 17,121 |
| 3 | Brakes | 4.6% | 15,942 |
| 4 | Tyres | 4.1% | 14,255 |
| 5 | Suspension | 3.4% | 11,939 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.3% | 7,922 |
| 7 | Steering | 1.7% | 5,795 |
| 8 | Emissions & environmental | 1.3% | 4,559 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Headlamp aim | 24,676 |
| 2 | Wipers | 12,477 |
| 3 | Headlamp | 10,711 |
| 4 | Tread depth | 9,382 |
| 5 | Rigid brake pipes | 8,430 |
| 6 | Washers | 8,093 |
| 7 | Track rod end | 5,592 |
| 8 | Coil spring | 4,761 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 23.9% | 83,467 |
| 2 | Brakes | 20.6% | 72,004 |
| 3 | Suspension | 8.5% | 29,739 |
| 4 | Other defects | 7.4% | 25,944 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 3.9% | 13,651 |
| 6 | Visibility | 3.3% | 11,509 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 96,705 | 7.3% |
| 30-60k | 135,147 | 14.6% |
| 60-90k | 76,101 | 22.4% |
| 90-120k | 29,837 | 26.8% |
| 120-150k | 8,401 | 29.1% |
| 150k+ | 2,653 | 30.9% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 196,152 | 18.7% |
| Petrol | 152,730 | 12.1% |
| Gas/LPG | 40 | 32.5% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 47,686 | 13.2% |
| 2022 | 64,588 | 13.4% |
| 2023 | 71,929 | 15.3% |
| 2024 | 78,495 | 17.0% |
| 2025 | 86,224 | 18.4% |
What to check before buying a Dacia Duster
- Lighting & signalling (11.3% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Visibility (4.9% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£150.
- Brakes (4.6% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Dacia Duster?
84.2% of the 348,922 Dacia Duster MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 15.8% fail rate, across model years 1989–2024.
What does the Dacia Duster most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 11.3% of tests, then visibility (4.9%).
Which Duster years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 91.4% and 2013 the weakest at 75.3%, from 7,020 and 41,902 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Duster MOT results?
Fail rates run at 7.3% for cars in the 0-30k band and 30.9% for 150k+, a 23.6-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Duster more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 12.1% of the time against 18.7% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 348,922 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.