New 2020 Dacia Sandero: prices, specs and release date

• Shares platform with latest Clio
• Will feature updated engines and more tech
• Available as standard hatchback and rugged ‘Stepway’ model

The new Dacia Sandero is priced from just £7,995 and is available to order now. The budget supermini will remain the UK’s cheapest new car, with even the most expensive trim level costing £13,395; much less than an entry-level Ford Fiesta. A £99 reservation fee is enough to place a pre-order and first customers will get their cars in April 2021.

2020 Dacia Sandero prices and specifications

Despite the headline price, base-spec Access is far less sparse than the outgoing version. Automatic LED headlights, front electric windows, a speed limiter, six airbags and auto emergency braking are fitted as standard, while paying £1,000 more for the Essential trim means you get body-coloured bumpers, air conditioning, cruise control, remote central locking and a digital radio with Bluetooth phone connectivity.

Comfort starts at £11,595 and highlights include auto wipers, a reversing camera, keyless entry and an eight-inch touchscreen with sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

A further three trim levels are offered on the rugged-looking Sandero Stepway model, which starts with the Essential spec for £10,995. Comfort is £1,600 more and a new Prestige model sits above it. Prestige features 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, heated front seats, front parking sensors, climate control, a centre console with an armrest and an automatic handbrake.

Styling

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The new design features Y-shaped LED daytime running lights with a chrome bar that appears to connect them. The bonnet gets a reworking, with new raised elements that look like stripes. It looks like the back of the car features LED elements too, while the rear lights have changed shape, as has the roofline.

Dacia’s mission to make the Sandero more appealing even stretches to the door handles and boot release, which have both been redesigned to be more comfortable to use. Only the base model now gets an old-fashioned boot release instead of an integrated electric one. The new Sandero is both longer and wider than its predecessor, which has boosted space in the cabin and in the boot. You now get 328 litres of space, which is 18 more than the old car and almost exactly matches the boot in the practical Skoda Fabia.

Sandero Stepway models get a 41mm ride height increase, plus chunkier body cladding and metal scuff plates to make it look more like an SUV. There are roof rails and 16-inch wheels on every Stepway.

The current Sandero is underpinned by the same platform as the third-generation Renault Clio, which dates back to the early 2000s. To modernise the new model, and to ensure it meets current safety and emissions regulations, Dacia has used the latest CMF-B platform, which underpins the current Renault Clio and the Nissan Juke.

Switching to the new platform allows AEB (autonomous emergency braking) to be fitted, which should mean the Sandero gets a more respectable Euro NCAP safety score. There are now six airbags instead of the previous model’s four.

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Engines and MPG

You won’t get mild-hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrains. Instead, the engine range will remain similar to that of the current model, with a pair of 1.0-litre petrol engines: a naturally aspirated 64bhp engine, badged SCe, and a turbocharged 89bhp TCe version.

These hit 0-62mph in 16.7 and 11.7 seconds respectively, so we’d definitely recommend opting for the TCe if you can afford it - especially as both return 53.3mpg. The TCe engine can be equipped with an automatic gearbox on Comfort and Prestige trim levels but it makes the Sandero noticeably slower, less fuel-efficient and £1,200 more expensive.

Dacia also offers an LPG-equipped TCe 100 engine, which promises more than 800 miles of range when both tanks are full.

Interested in knowing more about the outgoing Dacia Sandero? Read our full review for more information.