• Roomy cabin for a supermini
• Oddments storage is disappointing
• Boot is large, though; 60/40-split standard

Thanks to its generous external dimensions, the Dacia Sandero is one of the most spacious superminis on sale. Four adults can easily be accommodated, with a fifth slotting in providing the journey’s not too long.

Somewhat disappointingly, storage for odds and ends is poor with only the glovebox providing any sort of lidded cover – anything else you store in one of the many cubbies will be exposed to prying eyes.

Light and compact, it’s easy to place and park the Dacia Sandero, even models that do without sensors in the rear bumper or the optional reversing camera.

Perhaps this is where those unpainted bumpers of the base-spec models really come into their own.

In practicality terms, the Sandero really comes into its own, not least because it has one of the largest boot volumes in its class and is something of a rarity in that 60/40-split rear seats are standard.

They don’t lie completely flat when you fold them over but their a useful thing to have without paying extra all the same.

The parcel shelf feels a bit flimsy but then material quality is hardly a watchword elsewhere in the cabin either. Nevertheless, it feels as robust in the boot as the Sandero does elsewhere.

Just remember that you can’t open the tailgate from outside the car without the key, although there is a release lever down by the side of the driver’s seat.

Safety

• Four-star rating from Euro NCAP
• Misses out on modern safety kit
• Pair of Isofix points on rear bench

Back in 2013 when the Dacia Sandero was crash-tested by the experts at Euro NCAP, its four-star safety rating was impressive for a budget car. It should have been, too, given parent company Renault’s expertise in this field.

Sadly, the brand hasn’t kept up to the same degree as much of the competition, so preventative systems such as Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), lane-keeping aids and blindspot monitoring.

Still, the usual suspects of ABS and electronic stability control are present and correct.

Transporting young children in your Sandero? Then the pair of Isofix child seat-mounting points on the outer rear seats will prove useful.