Dacia Sandero review

The Dacia Sandero is from a Romanian brand that’s owned by the French (Renault, in case you didn’t know), but its name has its roots in Greek. It means warrior – and it certainly fights hard to offer good value.

In fact, it's tough to find a new small car that competes so strongly on price. In fact, there are none we can think of. Even the MG 3 is several thousand pounds more expensive than the entry-level Sandero, while that other venerable value brand, Skoda, doesn’t field a Fabia that gets anywhere near this level of price-cutting.

Okay, so it’s cheap. But are you simply getting what you pay for – that is, a basic box on wheels? Well, if you’ve had any experience of the previous Dacia Sandero, you might well be thinking, “Oh yes”. The most modern thing about that was that it felt like it could travel through time. Sadly, straight from the 1990s.

But forget all that for this latest-generation Sandero. It’s based on current Renault Clio underpinnings, so it’s thoroughly modern underneath, and arguably its styling is just as bang up to date. The entry-level version is stripped bare for those who are not fussed about luxuries, but there are models that balance a great price with some modern creature comforts.

Still, we’re talking about a class of car that includes the Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 208 and Volkswagen Polo. Can the Sandero really compete with such stalwarts of the small car fraternity on anything other than price? Read on to find out.

By the way, in this Dacia Sandero review we're focusing on the standard model. We also have a separate review of the SUV-inspired Sandero Stepway, which comes with jacked up suspension, roof bars and chunky plastic wheel arch extensions.

If you do decide to buy a Sandero – or, indeed, a new car of any make and model – you could make a big saving without any tricky haggling by checking out the free What Car? New Car Buying service, where you'll find lots of good deals, including on new Dacias.