- Dacia’s R&D team is testing a prototype of the facelifted Sandero.
- The subcompact hatch takes on the look of Dacia’s newest SUVs.
- A 2026 debut is expected for the Renault Group’s budget hatch.
Europe can’t get enough of the Dacia Sandero. The bargain-basement small hatchback was the best-selling car on the continent in 2024, easily outperforming the second-place Clio from Dacia’s sister brand. The Sandero debuted in 2020 and was updated with its maker’s new corporate identity in 2022, but now looks poised to get another refresh to give it some of the modern, rugged appeal of Dacia’s bigger, more aspirational models.
Yeah, Dacia and aspirational are not two words you’ll often hear in the same sentence, but the brand is on the up, and new models like the facelifted Duster and its Bigster big brother have developed a style that gives buyers a reason to consider a Dacia that goes beyond simply value for money.
Related: Dacia’s Next-Gen Sandero EV Arriving In 2027
The facelifted Sandero you see here won’t stray from that value philosophy, but when it arrives in 2026 it will pair it with some of the design cues that have helped make make its SUV siblings so popular – the new Duster was the ninth best-selling vehicle in Europe last year, outselling models like the VW Tiguan and Peugeot 2008.
Chief among the changes heading the Sandero’s way include new headlights that are the same overall shape as the old ones, but have a fresh DRL signature, chunky new mesh patterns for both the upper and lower grilles, and a new style of bumper with revised side air intakes. It’s the same story at the rear, where new lights and bumpers will mark out the updated car.
So we’re not talking radical changes, but there’s wisdom in that old ‘if it ain’t broke’ maxim. Where Dacia might decide to fix it anyway is on the inside. When our spy photographers spotted a prototype of the off-road-styled Sandero Stepway earlier this year, we noted that the touchscreen display appeared to be larger. But this being a Dacia, entry-level versions of the new Sandero could still come with no screen at all to keep prices low – the current model starts at just £14,715 in the UK.
The Sandero isn’t the only older Dacia in line for a Duster-inspired makeover. The company’s Jogger wagon has also been seen testing with similar visual upgrades, and some sources have suggested the tweaked Sandero could get a hybrid powertrain option, something already available on the Jogger. But Dacia might choose to save its efforts because an all-new Sandero, this time with available EV power, is due in 2027.
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