Used Dacia Sandero 2013-2020 reliability review

Honest, uncomplicated and spacious: the budget hero status of the Sandero has won it many fans

More used reviews:

What should I look for in a used Dacia Sandero?

As mentioned earlier, entry-level Access models don’t come with a radio, but they don’t even have speakers fitted at the factory, so when you do need to fit a radio, you will need to budget for a sound system as well. Otherwise you will have the head unit, but nothing to play your tunes through. Most Sanderos will have had them fitted by the previous owner, but it is worth thinking about this if you’re looking at one of these examples.

The plastics used inside the Sandero are rather cheap feeling, but they are, at the very least, tough. Still, they can scratch easily, so check the bottoms of doors for marks, the cover around the steering column where the ignition key goes and door pulls where rings may have scored the surface.

Check the outside of the car for parking dings and scrapes on the bumpers. Since it’s a town car, it may have been used in some touch parking, since rear parking sensors were just an option, only being made standard on top-spec Laureate as part of its 2017 facelift.

advertisment

Is a used Dacia Sandero reliable?

Considering the Sandero uses lots of existing bits and pieces that had been used on older Renault models, you would hope that Dacia had sorted out any potential issues. After a few years of slightly dodgy results in our annual What Car? Reliability Survey, the Sandero finished top of the small and value car class with a perfect score of 100%.

Dacia as a brand did really well, finishing in second place out of 30 car manufacturers.

If you would like to see the full reliability list for small cars, head to the What Car? Reliability Survey pages for more information.

Page 3 of 5

Used Dacia Sandero (13-present)

Tips & Advice

Used cars available now

In partnership with
AutoTrader logo
Dacia Sandero 0.9 TCe Laureate Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr

Dacia Sandero

0.9 TCe Laureate Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr

£1,494

Dacia Sandero 1.2 Laureate Euro 5 5dr

Dacia Sandero

1.2 Laureate Euro 5 5dr

£1,495

Dacia Sandero 1.2 Ambiance Euro 5 5dr

Dacia Sandero

1.2 Ambiance Euro 5 5dr

£1,499

Dacia Sandero 1.2 Ambiance Euro 5 5dr

Dacia Sandero

1.2 Ambiance Euro 5 5dr

£1,699

Dacia SANDERO 1.2 Ambiance Euro 5 5dr

Dacia SANDERO

1.2 Ambiance Euro 5 5dr

£1,749

Dacia Sandero Stepway Laureate Tce

Dacia Sandero

Stepway Laureate Tce

£1,795

Dacia Sandero 1.2 Ambiance Euro 5 5dr

Dacia Sandero

1.2 Ambiance Euro 5 5dr

£1,795

Dacia Sandero 1.2 Ambiance Euro 5 5dr

Dacia Sandero

1.2 Ambiance Euro 5 5dr

£1,795

Dacia SANDERO 0.9 TCe Ambiance Euro 5 5dr

Dacia SANDERO

0.9 TCe Ambiance Euro 5 5dr

£1,850

About the writer

Stuart Milne, digital editor

Name: Stuart Milne

Title: Digital editor

Follow Stuart Milne on

Stuart has been a motoring journalist for more than 25 years, writing and editing for a wide range of consumer titles. Today, Stuart is responsible for the smooth running of whatcar.com and all of its related social and digital channels. And he’s the man responsible for making sure you're able to find What Car?’s industry-leading content whenever you search for it.

News & Advice

Best of

Best small cars 2026 plus the one to avoid – tried & tested

Small hatchbacks make a lot of sense, especially if you live in the city. However, there are an awful lot to choose from, so here we count down the top 10 – and reveal the model to avoid

News

Dacia New Spring to be based on Renault Twingo - and sold alongside current Spring

Dacia’s newest electric car will be based on the Renault Twingo – and will be called New Spring

Sponsored

What Car? Reliability Survey: Most and least reliable small cars

In our annual Reliability Survey, we ask readers to rate the dependability of cars aged up to five years old. Here we list the most and least reliable small cars in the UK

News

Deal of the Day: Lease a Suzuki Swift from £170 per month

The Suzuki Swift is a fun and frugal small car that offers great value – especially when you take into account our leasing deals

See all latest advice