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What’s it like?
The Dacia Sandero has always been an ultra-budget supermini, offering a hatchback runaround that’s equivalent in size to something like a Ford Fiesta, Opel Corsa or Toyota Yaris, but at a new price considerably less than most city cars. To achieve that affordability, the Sandero has typically been a stripped-back-to-the-essentials form of motoring, but over the course of three generations – only two of which we got here in right-hand drive, it has evolved into something much more palatable than just a bog-basic cabin, a primitive engine and four steel wheels. This generation is based on the same underpinnings as the current Renault Clio, while it comes with an array of decent 1.0-litre engines and a smattering of desirable interior kit. However, throughout it all, the Sandero has still kept its steely focus on outright value, and it represents a great second-hand buy in terms of how much car you get for very little money.
Which model to go for?
Dacia offers the Sandero in two distinct body styles, the regular hatch and then a jacked-up, off-road-themed version called the Stepway.
The Romanian company offered the car with just one ‘core’ engine, a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol unit, and solely as a front-wheel-drive machine. From there, you could essentially configure it through three derivatives: the basic 67hp non-turbo called the 65 SCe, which comes with a five-speed manual gearbox; a 91hp turbocharged variant badged 90 TCe, which gains a six-speed manual and also the option of a continuously variable transmission (CVT) as the automatic; and then a dual-fuel model that can run on LPG as well as petrol, which has the same 91hp as the TCe when using unleaded, but which outputs up to 100hp on LPG. Dacia claimed this Sandero 100 TCe BiFuel could do almost 1,300km in one hit, if both its tanks were brimmed. It was also only offered with the six-speed manual.
Aside from the CVT model – which is a little unrefined to drive – any Sandero Mk3 is a good car, because these modest engines aren’t shifting around a heavy vehicle. That said, we’d still suggest going for at least the TCe 90, as the big uplift in torque the turbocharger brings really does make it very easy-going in everyday, congested traffic scenarios. Luckily, the TCe 90 is the most common find on the second-hand market.
Does anything go wrong?
The most widely reported owner issues with the Dacia Sandero mainly relate to the electrics, specifically warning lights in the dashboard – so check on a test drive that the dashboard is free of such things. Otherwise, this is a mechanically simple car in the main, so not much goes wrong with the engine or transmission, but do watch for excessive cosmetic wear-and-tear, as the bargain nature of the Sandero means previous owners might have treated the car as a disposable object and subjected it to a tough life in urban streets. Scuffs on the bumpers or damaged alloys (on higher-spec cars anyway, as base examples of this generation of Sandero actually had steel wheels with plastic covers) will be a sure sign the car has been driven without the utmost care.
There have been three recalls for the Mk3 Dacia Sandero so far. These have been for the front bonnet lock striker wire possibly being defective, potentially resulting in the bonnet opening while driving; a possible leak in the high-pressure fuel system, presenting a fire risk; and, on the 100 TCe BiFuel, incorrect welding of the LPG tank, potentially leaking gas into the passenger compartment.