Dacia Duster Reliability: Common Problems and Years to Avoid
What the Dacia Duster fails its MOT on, with rough repair costs, and how each model year's MOT pass rate compares with other cars of the same age. Based on 112,112 MOT tests across 10 model years (DVSA data for tests carried out in 2024, retests included).
Segment: small family car | Fuel: Petrol
83%
Dacia Duster pass rate
89%
Dacia average
82%
All-model average
The Dacia Duster has an average MOT pass rate of 83%, which is 6 points below the Dacia average and 1 point above the average across all models in our data. Newer Dacia Dusters pass their MOT more often than older ones, by 10 percentage points on average, which is mostly down to age and wear.
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What the Dacia Duster Fails Its MOT On
Of the 21,759 MOT tests on the Dacia Duster that failed at the first attempt in 2025, the share that failed on each part of the test, next to the share for all cars and vans of the same ages. A test that failed on two areas counts in both.
Lights and electrics
50%Cars and vans the same age: 29% (the Duster fails on this more often) · Typical repair £15-£200
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors
21%Cars and vans the same age: 17% (the Duster fails on this more often) · Typical repair £10-£350
Brakes
19%Cars and vans the same age: 19% · Typical repair £80-£450
Tyres
18%Cars and vans the same age: 29% (the Duster fails on this less often) · Typical repair £50-£300
Suspension
17%Cars and vans the same age: 23% (the Duster fails on this less often) · Typical repair £150-£600
The 3 single faults it failed on most
- Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect (13% of failed tests, lights and electrics)
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively (12% of failed tests, windscreen, wipers and mirrors)
- Headlamp: not working on dipped beam (11% of failed tests, lights and electrics)
Source: CarCostCheck analysis of DVSA anonymised MOT test results and failure items for 2025: first attempt at each MOT, fail and pass-after-repair defects, DVSA's defect categories (names shortened). Repair costs are rough UK ranges, not quotes. Method and national figures: MOT failure reasons 2025.
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Dacia Duster Years to Avoid
Every car in the 2024 MOT data was tested at the same age as the other cars first registered that year, so each Duster year is compared with all cars from the same year. Years with 1,000+ tests that were at least three years old are included.
Failed more often than cars their age
Passed more often than cars their age
No year passed 3 or more points more often than other cars of the same age.
A lower pass rate means that year failed its MOT more often in 2024; it does not mean every car from that year is bad. Old cars still on the road are often the best-kept ones, which can lift the pass rates of the oldest years. How a car has been looked after matters more, so check the MOT history of the car you are looking at.
Dacia Duster Reliability by Year
MOT pass rate for each model year, from DVSA data for tests carried out in 2024 (retests included). Newer cars usually pass more often simply because they are younger. All Cars is the pass rate of every car first registered that year, with the gap in points. Highest and lowest are marked among years with 100+ tests that were at least three years old when tested. Fuel and engine size are a guide only.
| Year | Fuel | Engine | Pass Rate | Fail Rate | All Cars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Petrol | 1.3L | 95% | 4% | - |
| 2021 | Petrol | 1.3L | 91% | 8% | 93% (-2) |
| 2020 | Petrol | 1.6L | 90% | 10% | 92% (-2) |
| 2019 | Petrol | 1.6L | 87% | 12% | 91% (-4) |
| 2018 | Petrol | 1.6L | 85% | 14% | 89% (-4) |
| 2017 | Petrol | 1.6L | 84% | 16% | 87% (-3) |
| 2016 | Petrol | 1.6L | 81% | 18% | 86% (-5) |
| 2015 | Petrol | 1.6L | 79% | 21% | 84% (-5) |
| 2014 | Petrol | 1.6L | 75% | 24% | 82% (-7) |
| 2013 | Petrol | 1.6L | 74% | 25% | 80% (-6) |
Dacia Duster Running Costs
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Dacia Duster FAQ
What are the most common Dacia Duster problems?
In 2025, MOT tests on the Dacia Duster that failed at the first attempt most often failed on lights and electrics (50% of the 21,759 failed tests), windscreen, wipers and mirrors (21%) and brakes (19%). The single most common fault was "Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect" (13%). Across 112,112 MOT tests (DVSA MOT data for tests in 2024, retests included), 83% ended in a pass.
Is the Dacia Duster reliable?
The Dacia Duster has an average MOT pass rate of 83%, from 112,112 MOT tests (DVSA MOT data for tests in 2024, retests included). Comparing each model year with all cars first registered the same year, so that age is allowed for, it passed 4 points less often on average, so check the history of any example carefully.
Which Dacia Duster years should I avoid?
Compared with all cars first registered the same year (DVSA MOT data for tests in 2024, retests included), the 2014 (75% of 10,085 tests passed, against 82% for all 2014 cars), the 2013 (74% of 11,579 tests passed, against 80% for all 2013 cars) and the 2016 (81% of 11,712 tests passed, against 86% for all 2016 cars) failed their MOT most often for their age. A year's pass rate does not tell you about one car, so check the MOT history of the car you are buying.
How much does it cost to fix common Dacia Duster faults?
As a rough guide, brake work on a Dacia Duster typically costs £80-£450 and suspension repairs £150-£600, while exhaust and emissions fixes can cost £80-£800. Lighting and wiper fixes are usually under £200.
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Other Dacia Models
Common problems pages for other Dacia models