Dacia Logan MOT pass rate & common failures
The Dacia Logan appears in 88,516 MOT tests spanning model years 2005–2024, and 82.9% of them passed. Small family cars of a similar age fail 13.6% of the time, so this is 3.5pp worse than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, visibility and suspension.
Best and worst Logan years
Ranked across Logan 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
The strongest year on this record is 2020 (89.0% pass rate); the weakest is 2014 (78.7%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
Lighting & signalling dominates the failure mix at 11.1% of all tests — 5.3 points clear of visibility, so it is the first thing to check.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, wipers and washers — headlamp aim alone was recorded 6,328 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 8.0% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 25.5% once past 150k — 3.2× the risk.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 3.3pp more often than petrol ones (18.6% vs 15.4%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 25.4% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 14.0% of tests failed in 2021 against 19.5% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Logan model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2,669 | 79.2% | 20.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 13,278 | 78.7% | 21.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 19,219 | 79.1% | 20.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 16,603 | 84.0% | 16.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 13,505 | 85.0% | 15.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 10,380 | 86.3% | 13.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 10,681 | 87.3% | 12.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 2,085 | 89.0% | 11.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2021 | 33 | 75.8% | 24.2% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 11.1% | 9,846 |
| 2 | Visibility | 5.8% | 5,120 |
| 3 | Suspension | 5.2% | 4,591 |
| 4 | Tyres | 4.6% | 4,065 |
| 5 | Brakes | 4.2% | 3,714 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 1.5% | 1,331 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.1% | 997 |
| 8 | Steering | 1.0% | 850 |
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 | 6,328 |
| 2 | Wipers | 3,214 |
| 3 | Washers | 2,689 |
| 4 | Tread depth | 2,581 |
| 5 | Headlamp | 1,962 |
| 6 | Ball joint | 1,823 |
| 7 | Brake pads | 1,481 |
| 8 | Horn | 1,382 |
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 | 25.4% | 22,520 |
| 2 | Brakes | 15.4% | 13,645 |
| 3 | Other defects | 6.9% | 6,134 |
| 4 | Suspension | 6.6% | 5,801 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 4.7% | 4,156 |
| 6 | Visibility | 3.9% | 3,413 |
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 | 16,340 | 8.0% |
| 30-60k | 29,716 | 14.6% |
| 60-90k | 21,497 | 20.8% |
| 90-120k | 10,868 | 23.1% |
| 120-150k | 4,803 | 23.5% |
| 150k+ | 5,277 | 25.5% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 46,164 | 18.6% |
| Petrol | 42,308 | 15.4% |
| Gas/LPG | 44 | 6.8% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 15,257 | 14.0% |
| 2022 | 17,970 | 15.4% |
| 2023 | 18,747 | 17.4% |
| 2024 | 18,476 | 18.5% |
| 2025 | 18,066 | 19.5% |
What to check before buying a Dacia Logan
- Lighting & signalling (11.1% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Visibility (5.8% 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.
- Suspension (5.2% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
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 Logan?
82.9% of the 88,516 Dacia Logan MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 17.1% fail rate, across model years 2005–2024.
What does the Dacia Logan most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 11.1% of tests, then visibility (5.8%).
Which Logan years are best and worst for MOT results?
2020 has the best pass rate at 89.0% and 2014 the weakest at 78.7%, from 2,085 and 13,278 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Logan MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.0% for cars in the 0-30k band and 25.5% for 150k+, a 17.5-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Logan more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 15.4% of the time against 18.6% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 88,516 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.