Used Dacia Sandero Stepway 2013-present review

The tastes of buyers are changing; gone are the days when just a small car would do. Thanks to the popularity of SUVs, even traditional cars are being garnished with off-road additions to make them more desirable. Take the Dacia Sandero hatchback; add a raised ride height and the rugged styling of a 4x4 and you get this: the Dacia Sandero Stepway.

Pseudo off-road small cars are rare on the used market, but examples are starting to grow in number in used car showrooms. The Fiat Panda 4x4 is probably one of the best known, but there’s also the Suzuki Ignis and Ford Ecosport

The engine range is quite straightforward: a 0.9-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol and a 1.5-litre dCi diesel. The petrol is generally quiet in everyday driving and is reasonably efficient. The diesel will do more miles per gallon and a greater torque figure makes it more relaxing to drive.

Unlike the regular Sandero, though, the Dacia Sandero Stepway variant doesn’t come in an ultra-low-priced entry-level model. This means the range starts with Ambiance and finishes with Lauréate. Ambiance comes with all the basics such as 16in alloy wheels, a DAB radio, air-con and driver’s seat height adjustment. Lauréate adds a trip computer, a 7.0in touchscreen infotainment system, a height-adjustable steering wheel, cruise control, rear parking sensors, electrically adjustable door mirrors and electric rear windows.

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Prices for an early 2013 Dacia Sandero Stepway can be as low as £4500, but it will have covered plenty of miles or have previous accident damage. It’s probably better to spend closer to £5500 for a 0.9-litre Ambiance model with a clean past and below-average mileage.

If you’d like a diesel, then £6000-£6500 should be enough to find a 2014 example with 30,000 miles. If you’re interested in something nearly new, you’ll find pre-registered, delivery-mileage cars for between £10,000 and £11,000.

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No model is particularly bad in this regard. The pre-facelift 0.9 petrol has a combined average of 52.3mpg and costs £120 to tax; that's some way off the 74.3mpg average and £20 road tax of the 1.5 diesel. Post-facelift 0.9 petrol engines are available with start-stop technology that boosted fuel economy to 55.4mpg and cost £30 road tax.

However, if you purchase a Sandero Stepway that was registered after 1 April 2017, it’ll be charged according to the new tax system, meaning all models will set you back £140 per year in road tax.

Dacia offers servicing plans for any model between one to 10 years of age, called Service Loyalty Packs. They are supposed to cover your car for a set number of services or miles, whichever comes soonest. But they seem quite expensive for what they are.

The 0.9 turbo petrol is our favourite because it is relatively refined and copes better with the large body of the Dacia Sandero Stepway. The diesel model may be more relaxing to drive, but it is noisier and can be quite expensive to buy compared with the petrol.

Ambiance trim gets you all you really need and, since the ethos of the car is to provide a good-value alternative to the mainstream rivals, it makes the most sense. Going for top-spec Lauréate exposes the cheapness of the interior a little too much.

Our favourite Dacia Sandero Stepway 0.9 TCe Ambiance

The Ford Ecosport does have a better dealership network behind it and slightly better reliability, but it has even cheaper-feeling plastics inside than the Sandero Stepway and, unless you are going for the refreshed version, similarly poor driving dynamics.

Fun small SUVs are hard to come by, but the Fiat Panda 4x4 has been around for many generations and even comes with an active all-wheel drive system to get you out of sticky situations.

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