Used Dacia Sandero Stepway cars for sale

Used Dacia Sandero Stepway pros and cons

Is a used Dacia Sandero Stepway a good car?

The Dacia Sandero Stepway is basically the humble Sandero hatchback, but given slightly taller suspension, and some rugged-looking 4x4 stick-on bits such as wheel arch extensions and roof rails. It’s a bit like a toddler putting on their parent’s hiking boots and North Face jacket — cute, but not really going to cut it in the woods. 

Under the chunkier skin, and aside from the taller springs, there are no mechanical changes — it’s all about giving you that SUV flavour without actually making you pay (much) extra for the SUV reality. That outdoorsy bent was enough to earn it highly commended status in the Adventurer’s Choice Award at the 2024 Carwow Car of the Year Awards. The more recent Extreme model does come with a special traction control system which doesn’t give the Stepway Land Rover-like abilities, but does at least give you more of a chance of traversing a wet field or forest track without getting stuck. 

This whole hatchbacks cosplaying as 4x4s used to be a common thing — Fiesta Active, anyone? VW CrossPolo? Nowadays though the Sandero Stepway is pretty much in a class of one, and if you want something to compete with it, you have to spend quite a bit extra and get a VW T-Cross or a Nissan Juke.

That’s typical Dacia value, really. Giving you the SUV look you crave without the expense, even if you do have to pay a little more than you would for a perfectly good regular Sandero. 

Inside, the build quality has taken a distinct step-up in this Stepway. This version, introduced in 2020, represented a massive improvement in cabin solidity and layout compared to the previous Stepway, which was in production from 2012 to 2020. One of the nice touches in this version is that you get a nice woven fabric trim across the dash, which is a nice distraction from the drab plastics. 

The driving position is comfy (those old Renault Clio seats are nice) and the instruments (analogue, not digital) and simple heater controls have a reassuringly straightforward feel to them, something of an antidote to the touchscreen overload you’ll find elsewhere. In fact, you can do without a touchscreen at all, and just get a Sandero Stepway with a simple clamp that holds your mobile phone to the dashboard. 

To drive, the Stepway feels a touch old-fashioned, with heavier steering and a notchy manual gearshift. It’s not unpleasant, just not as sophisticated as some rivals. Equally, Dacia’s a bit old-fashioned when it comes to equipment. You do get the things you need — air conditioning, remote central locking, smartphone connections — but none of the stuff you don’t. In fact, you don’t get some of the stuff you want, such as safety equipment.

Dacia says that its customers don’t want to pay extra for the kind of high-end electronic safety systems that cars need, these days, to get a full five-star safety score from Euro NCAP. Hence why the Stepway gets a miserable two-stars. In fact, it’s not actually that bad — in terms of how it performs in a crash, it’s technically a four-star car, but two stars are docked for the lack of electronic safety aids. What’s more important to you? The extra safety gizmos? Or a car you can afford?

The Sandero Stepway comes with a choice of two engines. Well, actually one engine in two forms — a 1.0-litre turbo three-cylinder petrol with either 90hp in basic form, or 100hp in ‘BiFuel’ form that allows you to run on petrol or (increasingly rare) LPG. The LPG tank sits in under the boot instead of a spare wheel, and theoretically extends the Sandero Stepway’s one-fill-up range to as much as 800 miles. 

If you’re interested, you can find the latest deals on a used Dacia Sandero Stepway here, as well as other used Dacias. And when the time comes to change your car, you can sell your car online through Carwow’s network of trusted dealers too.

What to look for when buying a used Dacia Sandero Stepway

Generally, Dacia has a good reputation for reliability, and of course they’re cheap to fix if anything does go wrong. Dacia offers an extended warranty, called Dacia Zen, which stretches out to six years, so it’s possible that even older Sandero Stepways of this version will still be covered. 

Do check for issues with the optional touchscreen infotainment system which is known to be glitchy, and the LPG version can sometimes run rough when burning the gas-based fuel, prompting the car to automatically switch back to petrol-only power. 

Neither the Sandero nor Sandero Stepway featured in the most recent Driver Power Top 50 Cars To Own survey, but the related Duster SUV topped the chart. Dacia itself finished in 22nd place, out of 32 brands, in the overall Driver Power customers satisfaction survey, while it was the eighth-best brand for running costs, and 20% of owners reported a problem with their car. 

Dacia Sandero Stepway FAQs