Our opinion on the Dacia Sandero
Dacia claims its focus is on making quality new cars affordable, and the latest Sandero is the epitome of that mission. This value-focused supermini remains one of the UK’s cheapest cars, even after subtle refinements to the Sandero’s styling, cabin, running gear, and specification.
The Dacia Sandero continues to offer great practicality for cost-conscious buyers. It even makes sense for those choosing the higher specification versions, because its low running costs shouldn’t leave them out of pocket. They say the simplest ideas are often the best, and despite not being one of those trendy small SUVs (there is a pseudo-SUV version called the Stepway, if you want), Dacia’s well-judged, great-value supermini is right up there with the best in the class.
About the Dacia Sandero
With a fresh look and a little extra finesse, the latest Dacia Sandero poses serious questions for buyers looking towards pricier rivals. The only superminis that come close to the Sandero’s value package are the MG3 and Citroen C3, but it still undercuts these rivals significantly.
If you’re after a little extra SUV style, there’s also the Dacia Sandero Stepway to consider, and we have a dedicated in-depth review for this model, too.
We’ve tested the Dacia Sandero alongside the previous-generation Citroen C3 in a real-world twin test. The Sandero came out on top because we were impressed by its value for money, in-car tech, boot space, and low running costs.
Dacia Sandero prices and latest deals
A base Dacia Sandero Essential starts from under £15,000, which makes it one of the cheapest brand-new cars you can buy in the UK by quite some margin. There are no nasty surprises if you move up to the mid-range (and better-equipped) Expression trim, because this only adds £1,000 to the price. The range-topping Journey trim is available for a fraction over £17,000, undercutting several of its entry-level rivals.
Town driving, visibility and parking
As you might have already suspected, the Sandero is a very easy car to bumble around town in. While the suspension can get a little bouncy at lower speeds, this car offers generally good all-around visibility and light controls. The 10.5-metre turning circle makes slotting the Sandero into tight parking spaces a nice and straightforward process, too.
Every model comes with parking sensors as standard, but you’ll need to choose the Expression trim or above if you’d like a camera to go with them. If we have one criticism, it’s that the manual car’s clutch is a bit vague, so you may experience the occasional unceremonious jolt (or worse, an engine stall) if you aren’t too careful.
