Dacia Sandero Stepway 2013-2020 review | A cheap yet rugged supermini

What is the Dacia Sandero Stepway?

Dacia’s original Sandero hatchback was the cheapest new car in the UK when it was launched in 2013. But the Renault-owned Romanian brand also had a canny eye on what buyers wanted, and then, as now, it seemed that everyone wanted an SUV, or at least something that looked like an SUV. Which is where the Dacia Sandero Stepway comes in.

The Stepway is a Sandero on steroids, jacked up, with a raised ride height to give it more ground clearance and with addition of some styling features that make it look more rugged. It's not really ready to take on rougher terrain, though, as there’s no four-wheel drive to enable it to handle anything more challenging than wet grass and a bit of mud. But as most 4x4 drivers never actually take their cars off-road, that lack of capability is a minor detail.

The SUV looks come from that higher-riding aspect and some rugged body cladding on the lower body, wheelarches and roof rails. These additions impressively transform the standard Sandero supermini into something a lot more SUV-like in its appearance, which is clearly something that British buyers like, as it accounted for around 70% of all Sandero sales (a trend that’s set to continue with the new model).

SUVs’ popularity means that many buyers are happy to settle for even a small one. When it was new, the entry-level Stepway was more than £2,000 cheaper than the Suzuki Ignis and about four grand cheaper than the Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008 and Nissan Juke. True, it was an appreciably more basic car in pretty much every possible way, but the rugged little Dacia made a strong case for itself in the new car market, and it still does as a used buy.

How practical is it?

Don’t be fooled by the SUV tag – the Stepway is still a small car, and it offers essentially the same space as the Sandero supermini. But that’s no bad thing by the standards of this class. There's plenty of room in the rear seats and its 320-litre boot capacity (1,200 litres with the rear seats down) comfortably trumps the 292-litre Ford Fiesta Active or the 267-litre Suzuki Ignis of the same era.

There’s the same hardwearing feel to the interior as you get in the regular Sandero, although you do get slightly different trim. Perhaps the most significant change with the higher-riding Stepway is that it’s easier to get in and out.

If you’re looking for luxury trimmings inside, you might be disappointed. As with the standard Sandero, the Stepway’s super-cheap plastics mean it very much feels built down to a price inside. For all that, though, the switchgear is well placed, and there’s a decent amount of storage for your odds and ends. Just keep in mind that the seats lack support, and that can leave you with back ache on a longer trip.

What's it like to drive?

Despite being a cheap car, the Stepway isn’t too bad to drive. It can’t really compete with the Ford Fiesta Active, but the handling is consistent, the steering is accurate enough and despite the additional 40mm between the car and the ground, there isn’t excessive body roll in the corners. It also rides fairly comfortably, thanks to a soft suspension set-up.

Thankfully, when the Sandero Stepway was launched, the wheezy 1.2-litre petrol you could get in the standard Sandero didn’t make the cut, which meant you were left with a choice of just one petrol engine, a 0.9-litre turbo (badged TCe 90) along with a 1.5-litre diesel (dCi 90).

The former is a probably the pick of the range. While no ball of fire, it offers a respectable amount of mid-range grunt. The diesel engine is a solid alternative if you do lots of miles.

In 2019, Dacia added the naturally aspirated 1.0-litre engine that had replaced the 1.2-litre in the standard Sandero to the Stepway range. It’s a sweeter engine, but still feels rather underpowered, and it’s only available in the most basic Essential model. At the same time, the diesel engine was given a 5bhp boost and renamed Blue dCi 95.

Technology, equipment & infotainment

The Stepway was launched with just two trims: Ambiance and Laureate levels, with the names changed to Essential and Comfort in 2019.

The entry-level Access version offered on the regular Sandero wasn’t available on the Stepway, so you won’t find any that are quite so basic. When the car was launched, Ambience came with alloy wheels, LED lights and tinted rear windows as standard. A mid-life refresh at the end of 2016 saw the addition of chrome accents and a new steering wheel, plus equipment such as air conditioning DAB radio with Bluetooth and USB ports.

Laureate/Comfort trim got air conditioning from launch, by comparison, in addition to a multimedia system including satellite navigation and seven-inch touchscreen, cruise control, front fog lights, height-adjustable driver's seat and steering wheel and rear parking sensors. It’s still not exactly lavish, but it compares favourably to most small cars that you’re likely to find for a comparable price on the used market.

Toward the end of the Sandero Stepway’s life, an additional model was added to the range, called the Techroad. This was only available with the TCe 90 petrol engine, and it was essentially a style pack that offered two eye-catching metallic paint finishes, red accents splashed around the interior, and red stripes on the door mirrors.

Dacia Sandero Stepway running costs

In addition to the relatively low purchase price of a Stepway, compared to its main rivals, it's also a car that is fairly cheap to run, although its use of older Renault engines does mean that some of the cars it's up against have more modern, and therefore more efficient, engine technology.

Most buyers will go for the 89bhp turbo TCe 90, which should get around 45mpg in the real world. And while you think opting for the less powerful SCe 75 might return better fuel economy, that’s actually not true – in fact, you’ll only see around 40mpg in day-to-day driving. What’s more, you’ll have to live with a 0-62mph time of 16.7 seconds, which is why this version is so hard to recommend.

The most economical versions of the Sandero Stepway are, somewhat unsurprisingly, the diesels. Expect to get around 50mpg on average from the earlier dCi 90, and two or three mpg more from the Blue dCi 95, which is slightly more efficient.

Tax will vary depending on whether you choose a car registered before the tax regime changed on 1 April 2017.

If you do, the diesel models will prove very cheap to tax, as they sit in the lowest possible tax band. Petrol models will also be pretty affordable, given they’re in the next tax band up. Cars registered after this date will all be taxed at the flat rate, which in most cases will work out more expensive.

The Stepway is a relatively cheap car to buy, so it’s also cheap to insure, with different versions ranging from group 3 to group 9. Servicing is straightforward, with Dacia specifying 12,000-mile intervals. Dacia also offers service plans that help to keep the costs under control.

Dacia Sandero Stepway reliability

The Sandero Stepway is built mostly from old Renault bits that have been tried and tested over a number of years, and that means it should be fairly dependable. However, do bear in mind that early examples are now getting on a bit, and given Dacias were always built fairly cheaply, that’ll mean certain parts will be starting to feel rather creaky.

Expect, therefore, your fair share of quality glitches – rattly trim and perhaps even the odd leaky seal, for example. Dacia owners across the board have also reported issues with catalytic converters and engine electrics, and bodywork corrosion can be an issue too. Fundamentally, though, the Sandero’s oily bits are pretty dependable, and should remain so.

There have been four recalls for the Sandero Stepway. Diesel cars built between 2013 and 2015 were recalled for a potential fuel leak in June 2018. Some 2015 cars had a steering defect, with a risk of the drive rotor at the ball joint on the steering rod breaking due to excessive stress, so there was a recall in August 2018. The other two recalls – in August 2018 for cars built in late 2012 and January 2019 for cars built in April-August 2018 – related to concerns about airbags not deploying. If buying a car that might have been built in these slots, check whether it has been taken to a dealer to have the car checked out.