Dacia Duster MOT failure rate and common faults
81,424 Dacia Duster cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 29.0% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 19.7% of the time, which makes the Dacia Duster 47% more likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
29.0%
failed first time
81,424 MOT tests in 2025
+47%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 19.7%
206 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
75.7
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 80.1
What fails on a Dacia Duster MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Dacia Duster MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 44.8 |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect | Lights and electrics | 43.7 |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam | Lights and electrics | 34.0 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 31.3 |
| Headlamp aim: too low | Lights and electrics | 28.2 |
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play | Steering | 24.7 |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 20.5 |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 18.6 |
| Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded | Brakes | 16.6 |
| Headlamp aim: too high | Lights and electrics | 15.5 |
Dacia Duster MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 10,616 | 13.1% | 11.4% | 24,500 |
| 2021 | 8,730 | 20.5% | 12.8% | 32,000 |
| 2020 | 8,304 | 26.3% | 14.1% | 38,300 |
| 2019 | 14,900 | 29.6% | 16.5% | 45,000 |
| 2018 | 8,600 | 29.3% | 19.1% | 53,400 |
| 2017 | 6,328 | 30.7% | 21.8% | 60,700 |
| 2016 | 6,914 | 33.6% | 25.1% | 71,200 |
| 2015 | 5,661 | 39.2% | 28.1% | 79,600 |
| 2014 | 5,448 | 41.2% | 31.4% | 85,400 |
| 2013 | 5,903 | 43.5% | 34.3% | 91,500 |
Advisories to look for in a Dacia Duster's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Dacia Duster, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge254.9
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing168.7
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened121.1
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material84.2
- Brake pads: wearing thin64.2
- Coil spring: corroded49.6
Checking a used Dacia Duster before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Dacia Duster fails more often than average on lights and electrics, brakes and windscreen, wipers and mirrors. Start there.
Lights and electrics
Walk round the car with every light on: headlights on dip and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and the number plate lamp. A pattern of electrical faults costs more than a bulb.
Brakes
Look through the wheel spokes at the discs for a deep lip or scoring, check the handbrake holds the car on a slope, and feel for a pull to one side when braking hard.
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors
Look for chips or cracks in the driver's line of sight, and test the wipers and washers. Windscreen damage in the swept area is an MOT failure.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Fuel mix of the Dacia Duster cars tested: Petrol 55%, Diesel 41%, Petrol and gas 4%. Average age at test 6.9 years, average recorded mileage 53,100.
Dacia Duster MOT questions
What is the Dacia Duster MOT failure rate?
29.0% of Dacia Duster cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 81,424 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 19.7% of the time, so the Dacia Duster was 47% more likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Dacia Duster MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 211 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively", recorded 44.8 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Dacia Duster year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2022 registrations did best: 13.1% failed against an average of 11.4% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Dacia Duster will pass?
No. These are averages across every Dacia Duster tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other Dacia models
- Dacia Sandero31.0% failed
Ranked close to the Dacia Duster
- Tesla Model Yrank 203
- Citroen DS3rank 204
- DS DS3rank 207
- Citroen C4 Cactusrank 208
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Dacia Duster cars of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.