Following its 2013 UK launch, the Dacia Sandero was largely unheard of and was priced at a shockingly affordable low of £5,995. Some questioned whether the freshly crowned reasonably priced new car would go the distance. A decade later and with nearly 90% of 2013-registered Dacia Sandero models still going strong, the answer’s a resounding yes!
Of the 8,795 Sandero and Sandero Stepway that were sold in 2013, 7,794 (88.6%) are still on the road and in regular use, providing real-world proof that affordability and durability can be a happy mix and that quality doesn’t have to come at a high price.
For those early customers that put their trust in Dacia and its budget-priced supermini, they were rewarded with a car that really could go the distance, putting an end to the myth that you only get what you pay for. According to anonymised MOT test data released by the Department for Transport, several examples have come close to recording a seismic 300,000 miles, while a total of 2,017 of 2013-registered Sandero and Sandero Stepway have already covered six-figure mileages. Most notably, there’s a white 2013 car showing a recorded 296,642 miles at the time of its last MOT.
Better still, while the achievements of these high-mileage heroes are impressive, they are by no means alien to the rest of the Dacia range. In fact, there are more than 5,500 Dacia cars in the country that have already covered over 100,000 miles apiece, with more joining the high-mile club almost every day.
There’s also at least one Dacia Duster in the country that’s well on its way to achieving the half-million-mile mark. Having notched up an average of 60,000 miles every year since it was registered in 2014, this hard-working Duster had reached an incredible 472,414 miles when it was last tested in 2022.
The findings also follow Dacia Duster customers praising their ownership experience in the latest Auto Express Driver Power 2023 new-car survey. Feedback from existing Duster drivers contributed to the acclaimed model winning the ‘Best Small SUV’ title and flying up the rankings to take 4th place overall out of the top 75 cars.
What’s more, UK car buyers continue to wake up to Dacia’s unrivalled offering of value and robust quality, joining more than 250,000 customers who have already put their confidence in the brand since 2013. Compared to the previous year, Dacia increased its sales by 55% in 2022, selling a total of 27,313 vehicles.
Luke Broad, Dacia Brand Director for the UK, commented: “We have always said that Dacia and our cars will be around for years to come and these figures really do prove it. There’s been a constant stream of industry awards since 2013 and sales have rocketed, but seeing how well our cars have stood the test of time is perhaps an even greater illustration of their ability and quality. It’s great news for everyone, but is especially reassuring for those car buyers for whom value is vitally important yet who are also concerned that something so affordable simply won’t last.”
