Dacia Sandero Sway Prestige Tce MOT pass rate & common failures
2,559 MOT tests on the Dacia Sandero Sway Prestige Tce (2021–2023) give it a 95.0% pass rate. Against all cars of a similar age (8.3% fail rate), the Sandero Sway Prestige Tce comes out 3.4pp better. Its most common failure areas are visibility, lighting & signalling and tyres.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — visibility (3.0%) and lighting & signalling (3.0%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, wipers and washers — headlamp aim alone was recorded 109 times.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 17.0% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
How it compares
By model year
Every Sandero Sway Prestige 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 | 1,058 | 95.2% | 4.8% | Visibility |
| 2022 | 1,489 | 94.9% | 5.1% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Visibility | 3.0% | 78 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 3.0% | 76 |
| 3 | Tyres | 2.3% | 59 |
| 4 | Brakes | 1.2% | 30 |
| 5 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.7% | 17 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.2% | 5 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 0.1% | 3 |
| 8 | Other defects | 0.1% | 2 |
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 | 109 |
| 2 | Wipers | 59 |
| 3 | Washers | 33 |
| 4 | Brake pads | 26 |
| 5 | Tread depth | 11 |
| 6 | Tyre pressure monitoring system | 8 |
| 7 | SRS malfunction indicator lamp | 7 |
| 8 | Service brake performance | 6 |
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 | 17.0% | 435 |
| 2 | Brakes | 8.1% | 208 |
| 3 | Other defects | 5.7% | 146 |
| 4 | Visibility | 2.3% | 58 |
| 5 | Suspension | 1.0% | 25 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 0.7% | 17 |
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 | 2,221 | 4.2% |
| 30-60k | 325 | 9.8% |
Failure rate by age
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 594 | 4.4% |
| 2025 | 1,952 | 5.2% |
What to check before buying a Dacia Sandero Sway Prestige Tce
- Visibility (3.0% 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 (3.0% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (2.3% 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
What is the MOT pass rate for the Dacia Sandero Sway Prestige Tce?
95.0% of the 2,559 Dacia Sandero Sway Prestige Tce MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 5.0% fail rate, across model years 2021–2023.
What does the Dacia Sandero Sway Prestige Tce most often fail its MOT on?
Visibility, recorded in 3.0% of tests, then lighting & signalling (3.0%).
Methodology & source. Based on 2,559 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.