Dacia Sandero

The brand Dacia has managed to exploit a market that no other manufacturer had achieved success in. The cars low-cost or accessible have made the Romanian house one of the most dynamic on a continental level and one of the best-selling brands in our country. Among all its products, the Dacia Sandero It is one of the most popular along with its SUV brother, the Dacia DusterWith few luxuries, but a lot of practicality, it has managed to win over those drivers who do not seek great artifice in their travels.

We have tested this car:

Test Dacia Sandero Stepway Comfort 100 hp and LPG (with video)

It was in 2007 when Dacia decided to launch a model for the utility segment. Borrowing many parts from the Renault Clio, Dacia's approach was clear: cheap and accessible carAt the time, it was sold as one of the cheapest cars on the market. Added to this was the economic crisis of the following years, and the popularity of the model skyrocketed.

Five years later the Dacia Sandero 2012 with significant improvements at all levels. Once again success knocked on the doors of the Renault subsidiary brand. Finally, On September 29, 2020, the third-generation Dacia Sandero was presented to the public, receiving a minor facelift in 2022 and 2025. on the occasion of the launch of the new logo and corporate image, although without the necessary hybrid versions that everyone was expecting.

Technical characteristics of the Dacia Sandero

For the third edition of its best-seller, Dacia wanted to take a quantitative and qualitative leap forward. The basis of the brand's commercial success has always been its low sales price, derived from a low production cost. The chassis used by the previous units was a platform already discarded by Renault years ago. The new Sandero uses the CMF-B architecture, the same one that the Clio launched a year ago.

This will allow the Romanian utility vehicle to improve in many aspects, mainly its handling. It will also allow it to show off new exterior dimensions, slightly larger than those of its predecessor: 4,09 meters long, 2 meters wide (with extended mirrors) and 1,5 meters highThe wheelbase adopted by the new Dacia Sandero is unknown, since by using a scaled platform it does not necessarily have the same measurements as its French brother.

As usual, Dacia is putting the Sandero on sale in two possible body styles. The standard version and the popular Stepway edition, which, in addition to adopting a much more attractive design, raises the height of the body by four centimetres and the length by 11 millimetres due to the presence of more voluminous bumpers. As far as cargo space is concerned, The minimum boot volume of the Dacia Sandero is 328 litres, eight more than the previous generation.

Dacia Sandero mechanical range and gearboxes

The fact of mounting a modern platform allows the Sandero to access an improved mechanical range. It is one of the main changes of the third generation.. A new mechanical portfolio that adapts to European regulations emissions and pollution control. Only two petrol versions and one LPG unit called ECO-G are available in the range. Everyone expected that in 2025 Dacia would introduce a hybrid version like the one fitted in the Dacia Duster and the Dacia jogger, but that has not been the case.

By power, the offer starts with the TCe version with a small three-cylinder petrol engine with a displacement of 999 cubic centimetres. It develops a maximum power of 100 horsepower and 160 Nm of torque. It is always associated with a six-speed manual gearbox that sends all the power to the front axle. Above this unit is the Sandero TCe with 120 horsepower and 200 Nm of torque with a 1,2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine.

The most economical and efficient version of the family is the TCe 120 ECO-GWe're talking about a 1,2-liter, three-cylinder, bi-fuel gasoline engine that can run on gasoline or LPG and has earned the DGT's ECO label. It produces 120 horsepower and 170 Nm of torque. engine. It is always coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox. It has a 49,6-litre LPG tank and a 50-litre petrol tank. This means that the maximum range announced by Dacia is extended to 1.300 kilometres.

Equipment of the Dacia Sandero

We continue talking about significant improvements and it is time to talk about the interior. Despite its low-price concept, Dacia has decided to raise the quality of the interior of the Sandero so that all occupants can enjoy a much more comfortable life on board. Most of the panels have been changed from the inside out, while elements such as the air conditioning module and the gear lever have been retained.

As usual in the house, The equipment range is divided into Sandero and Sandero Steptway, the latter with a country touch. In addition, within each range we find different finishes: Essential, Expression and Expression Go. In each of them we find differences that mainly affect the available equipment and the mechanical options that can be accessed.

In terms of equipment, the leap forward from the third generation is considerable. It is worth highlighting: cruise control, light and rain sensors, automatic climate control, electric tailgate, rear parking camera, heated seats, and a small but complete set of driving assistants and aids. Special mention must be made of the new multimedia system screen (only available in the highest finishes). Ten inches in maximum size that includes systems such as navigation or connectivity for mobile devices. The access versions have a support so that the mobile can perform the same functions.

Dacia Sandero video test

The Dacia Sandero according to Euro NCAP

Driving assistants and safety elements are essential to obtain good ratings in crash tests Euro NCAP. In them the Dacia Sandero has obtained two of the five possible stars given the number of assistive devices present. The ratings have been distributed as follows: 70% for adult passenger protection, 72% for child passenger protection, 41% for pedestrian vulnerability, and 42% for driver assistance. These ratings remain unchanged after the update at the end of 2025.

The Km 0 and second-hand Dacia Sandero

Since its arrival on the market, the Sandero has gained a lot of fame and popularity. Sales have continued to rise year after year and generation after generation.Its reputation for durability and low cost give it a high degree of confidence in secondary sales markets.. Despite this, the depreciation percentage of the model is at a medium-high level since many units that go on sale accumulate a large number of kilometers.

On the second-hand market, the cheapest units are around 1.500 euros for first-generation models with entry-level petrol engines. The Km 0 channel is prolific in models for sale Because dealers, faced with high demand for the product, accumulate stock that is easy to sell. Looking at the market, prices for these units start at over 10 thousand euros, reaching a maximum of 13 thousand for the most equipped versions.

Dacia Sandero rivals

Even though the Sandero is targeting one of the most popular commercial niches in the industry, It is difficult to find rivals who can stand up to it due to its economic concept.It is true that many of its rivals have superior equipment and quality than the Romanian model, but it is unbeatable in terms of sales price. Despite this, we can highlight some rivals such as: Citroën C3, Opel Corsa, Peugeot 208, Suzuki Swift, Seat Ibiza, Skoda Fabia, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai i20 y KIA Rio, among others in addition to the already mentioned Clio.

Highlight

Competitive price
Stepway finish
contained consumption

To improve

Equipment
ride quality
short mechanical range

Dacia Sandero Price

The key to the Sandero has always been its low sales price. For this new generation, costs have increased slightly, but not enough to abandon this economic philosophy. The starting price of the Dacia Sandero is 13.940 euros, without offers or promotions. This figure corresponds to a unit with Essential trim and 100-horsepower ECO-G engine. On the other side of the scale is the 100-horsepower Sandero Stepway Expression Go Eco-G with manual transmission. Its starting price is €18.020. (Prices prior to the 2026 renewal).