Dacia Sandero Sway Essential MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Dacia Sandero Sway Essential MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Dacia Sandero Sway Essential passed on its first attempt in 89.3%, and its overall record sits +9.4 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Dacia Sandero Sway Essential in the 2023–2025 data: 416 tests across 3 model years (2020–2022). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Dacia Sandero Sway Essential MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Dacia Sandero Sway Essential, the Visibility section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Dacia Sandero Sway Essential's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Dacia Sandero Sway Essential DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Dacia Sandero Sway Essential, each with how many of the model's 416 tests it was noted on.

• "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (Major) — noted on about 19 Dacia Sandero Sway Essential tests, 4.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Washers provides insufficient washer liquid" (Rectified) — noted on about 8 Dacia Sandero Sway Essential tests, 1.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick" (Major) — noted on about 7 Dacia Sandero Sway Essential tests, 1.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 6 Dacia Sandero Sway Essential tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Brake discs significantly and obviously worn" (Major) — noted on about 5 Dacia Sandero Sway Essential tests, 1.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (Major) — noted on about 4 Dacia Sandero Sway Essential tests, 1.0% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Dacia Sandero Sway Essential Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Dacia Sandero Sway Essential model year on record is 2022 (94.3% across 158 tests), and the weakest is 2020 (82.5%). The gap between them is 11.8 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Dacia Sandero Sway Essential reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 5.9 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Dacia Sandero Sway Essential Owners

These checks follow this Dacia Sandero Sway Essential's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Dacia Sandero Sway Essential.

• the wipers and washers — “wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively”

  Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.

• the brakes — “brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick”

  Look through the spokes of each wheel at the pad — less than 3mm of friction material, or a lip on the disc edge, is the usual failure. Check the handbrake holds on a slope with a few clicks, not at the top of its travel.

• the lights — “srs malfunction indicator lamp warning lamp indicates a fault”

  Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Dacia Sandero Sway Essential. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: Dacia Sandero Sway Essential MOT & Reliability