Dacia Sandero Stepway Essential Tce MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 5 model years and 2,003 tests, the Dacia Sandero Stepway Essential Tce passes its MOT 93.3% of the time. All cars of a similar age fail 8.4% of the time, so this is 1.7pp better than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are visibility, lighting & signalling and brakes.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — visibility (4.3%) and lighting & signalling (2.8%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are wipers, headlamp aim and brake pads — wipers alone was recorded 82 times.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 20.7% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
How it compares
By model year
Every Sandero Stepway Essential Tce model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,093 | 92.2% | 7.8% | Visibility |
| 2022 | 885 | 94.5% | 5.5% | Visibility |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Visibility | 4.3% | 86 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 2.8% | 56 |
| 3 | Brakes | 2.5% | 49 |
| 4 | Tyres | 2.4% | 47 |
| 5 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.8% | 16 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.2% | 4 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 0.1% | 3 |
| 8 | Steering | 0.1% | 1 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 82 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 65 |
| 3 | Brake pads | 39 |
| 4 | Washers | 27 |
| 5 | Service brake performance | 9 |
| 6 | Tread depth | 9 |
| 7 | Tyre pressure monitoring system | 8 |
| 8 | SRS malfunction indicator lamp | 7 |
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 | 20.7% | 414 |
| 2 | Brakes | 10.1% | 202 |
| 3 | Other defects | 5.6% | 112 |
| 4 | Visibility | 3.5% | 71 |
| 5 | Suspension | 1.1% | 21 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 0.5% | 11 |
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 | 1,594 | 5.5% |
| 30-60k | 387 | 11.4% |
Failure rate by age
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 571 | 7.0% |
| 2025 | 1,419 | 6.6% |
What to check before buying a Dacia Sandero Stepway Essential Tce
- Visibility (4.3% 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.
- Lighting & signalling (2.8% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (2.5% 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 Sandero Stepway Essential Tce?
93.3% of the 2,003 Dacia Sandero Stepway Essential Tce MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 6.7% fail rate, across model years 2019–2023.
What does the Dacia Sandero Stepway Essential Tce most often fail its MOT on?
Visibility, recorded in 4.3% of tests, then lighting & signalling (2.8%).
Methodology & source. Based on 2,003 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.