£5,995 Dacia Sandero UK’s “most affordable” new car

Renault’s value brand Dacia certainly isn’t taking any prisoners – having already announced the £8,995 Duster SUV as its first model in the UK, it’s now going after the supermini market with the new £5,995 Sandero.

That’s right – less than six grand for a full-blown supermini. Up until recently you couldn’t even buy a city car for that little cash (and the Suzuki Alto in question has now gone back up to £7,195). Best value car in the UK? Dacia certainly thinks so.

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That isn’t to say there aren’t compromises. The entry-level Access model with that headline price tag only comes in domestic appliance white for example – though it does include “contrast black bumpers, door mirrors and door handles”. Which basically means Dacia hasn’t bothered to paint them.

Similarly, on the inside, although you’ll get the wiring for a stereo and a set of speakers, the actual audio equipment is nowhere to be found. We find ourselves strangely drawn to this approach, however, and you can’t really complain when even the most basic Sandero does include stability control, four airbags and a 320-litre boot.

Fold-flat rear seats mean you can expand the load space to 1,200 litres when required, making this a genuinely practical little car. It’s certainly hard to dispute the value, even if engine choice at this price point is limited to Renault’s perennial 75hp 1.2-litre petrol.

Spend another £600, and you can upgrade to the Ambience. Now instead of no radio you get the full CD player with steering-column mounted controls, USB socket, aux-in connection and Bluetooth. Remote locking, electric front windows and some bits of chrome trimming for the interior.

Still not quite luxurious enough? Then try the range-topping Lauréate. This kicks off at the frankly outrageous sum of £7,995 – which doesn’t even buy you a Hyundai i10 these days. Headline kit here includes air conditioning, heated electric door mirrors, cruise control and electric windows.

On top of which you can add a fully integrated sat-nav system for just £250. Leather upholstery, meanwhile, costs a princely £600.

Both Ambience and Lauréate get the additional choice of Renault’s new 90hp 0.9-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol and a 90hp version of the long-standing 1.5-litre dCi turbodiesel – the latter apparently capable of almost 75mpg while emitting just 99g/km CO2. So it’s road tax free.

They’re also offered in a choice of optional metallic paint shades as well as the standard white, and indulgently include body-coloured bumpers. Protection and Touring Packs are amongst the available extras.

Finally, just in case you were worried all this value wasn’t enough, you can also upgrade the standard three-year warranty to five years for £350 and seven years for £850. All joking aside the Sandero certainly seems like a thrift-friendly bargain. We’ll find out how it drives in December.

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