2021 Dacia Sandero Stepway Twenty Tce — MOT failures & pass rate
Across 258 MOT tests, the 2021 Dacia Sandero Stepway Twenty Tce recorded a 90.3% pass rate. All cars of a similar age fail 8.5% of the time, so this is 1.2pp worse than the group it competes with. Failures cluster in visibility, lighting & signalling and tyres.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — visibility (7.8%) and lighting & signalling (7.4%) 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 tread depth — wipers alone was recorded 23 times.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 15.1% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Visibility | 7.8% | 20 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 7.4% | 19 |
| 3 | Tyres | 3.5% | 9 |
| 4 | Suspension | 1.2% | 3 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 1.2% | 3 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.4% | 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 | 23 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 19 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 7 |
| 4 | Headlamp | 5 |
| 5 | Washers | 3 |
| 6 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 2 |
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 | 15.1% | 39 |
| 2 | Brakes | 9.7% | 25 |
| 3 | Other defects | 4.7% | 12 |
| 4 | Visibility | 2.3% | 6 |
| 5 | Suspension | 0.8% | 2 |
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 | 172 | 6.4% |
| 30-60k | 78 | 15.4% |
Failure rate by age
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 117 | 10.3% |
| 2025 | 121 | 9.1% |
What to check before buying a 2021 Sandero Stepway Twenty Tce
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: visibility accounted for 7.8% of tests. Start there.
- Visibility (7.8% 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.
- Lighting & signalling (7.4% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (3.5% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
How many 2021 Dacia Sandero Stepway Twenty Tces pass their MOT?
90.3% of the 258 2021 Dacia Sandero Stepway Twenty Tce MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 9.7% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2021 Dacia Sandero Stepway Twenty Tce?
Visibility, recorded in 7.8% of tests, followed by lighting & signalling (7.4%).
Does the 2021 Sandero Stepway Twenty Tce get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 6.4% in the 0-30k band to 15.4% in the 30-60k band.
Methodology & source. Based on 258 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.