Who’d have thought it? The best new car Britons can buy this year is also the one that will cost them the least amount of money.
That’s according to the gongs being handed out by motoring publication, What Car?, which has named the budget-friendly Dacia Sandero ‘Car of the Year’ status for 2021.
The new model, which arrives in UK showrooms shortly, will cost from £7,995 – a £1,000 hike on the outgoing car – and was commended for being roomy, comfortable, safe and packed with plenty of kit.
Cheap, cheerful and champion: The £8,000 Dacia Sandero supermini has been named 2021 Car of the Year by motoring magazine, What Car?
Some 26 category gongs were announced for winners as part of a week-long awards ceremony taking place online this week, though it was the Romanian brand’s ultra-affordable supermini that scooped the top prize.
The ‘Car of the Year 2021’ trophy was given to the Sandero 1.0-litre TCe 90 Comfort version, which costs £11,595.
However, prices for the Sandero start from £7,995, making it less than half the price of its best-selling rival, the Ford Fiesta, which starts at £16,385.
Explaining why the Sandero was picked out from hundreds of other new cars Britons can buy in 2021, What Car? editor Steve Huntingford said: ‘The Sandero’s price is scarcely believable when you consider that our expert testing has shown it to be the equal of or better than most of its higher-priced rivals.
‘In the eyes of our test team it stood out for being delightfully comfortable, incredibly spacious and for its suite of modern safety aids and technology.
The all-new Sandero, which is due to land in UK showrooms in a matter of weeks, also won the small car of the year award
While prices start from £7,995, the version What Car? gave its highest recommendation to is the Sandero 1.0-litre TCe 90 Comfort version, which costs £11,595
The Sandero was picked due to its low cost but also because it has bags of space, lots of comfort, plenty of safety kit and is packed with equipment
“In the wake of an incredibly tough year, and with the prospect of hard times economically ahead, the Sandero is the perfect new car for the moment.
‘It will put a smile on the face of any buyer, but even more brilliantly, it is priced at a level where it can appeal to everyone, including buyers who would normally be considering used cars.
‘It redefines what’s possible at this price point, and underlines that even brilliant new cars do not have to break the bank.’
Dacia bosses said the Sandero’s victory was a sign of haw far the Romanian brand has come since it was relaunched in the UK by Renault a decade ago
What Car? said the Sandero was a worthy winner because it redefines what’s possible at the cheapest price point, and underlines that even brilliant new cars do not have to break the bank
The all-new Sandero, which will be available to UK customers in a matter of weeks, has taken a huge step forward in quality to the supermini we’ve come to know
Vincent Tourette, managing director of Renault UK, said the company is ‘incredibly proud’ to accept the prestigious award on behalf of the bargain-basement Sandero.
He said the recognition signified ‘how Dacia and the Sandero have gone from strength-to-strength and are now held in high regard for so much more than just affordability’.
He added: ‘For the All-New Sandero to win the overall ‘Car of the Year’ award, especially against such impressive competition, is a real highlight in Dacia’s UK success story. We look forward to bringing it to UK customers in the coming weeks.’
And it wasn’t just the Sandero that scored a win for the budget-focused brand.
Dacia’s popular Duster SUV, which is also the cheapest in its category was named Best family SUV for value.
Electric drive: Which zero-emission cars were named the best for 2021?
The only area of the new car market that grew in a difficult 2020 was electrified cars, while overall car registrations falling by nearly a third as result of the Covid pandemic to a 28-year low.
As dealers and their showrooms were forced to close for two extended periods during the year because of the killer virus, sales to UK customers plummeted to just 1.63million – the lowest since 1992 – though electric car sales soared by a staggering 186 per cent and now count for more than one in 20 new vehicles bought in the UK.
What Car?’s top choice for a small EV in 2021 is the Volkswagen ID.3, while the Tesla Model 3 scooped Large Electric Car of the Year award.
These two cars also picked up the Safety Award and Technology Award respectively, yet again signifying the huge advances in EV development in recent years.
With 2020 being a record year for electric cars, it was two of the biggest players on the market today that took the gongs dedicated to EVs: the Tesla Model 3 (left) and VW ID.3 (right)
The Porsche Taycan 4S also beat all internal combustion engined performance cars for the medal in that extremely-competitive segment, while the Skoda Octavia iV Estate won the Plug-in Hybrid Car of the Year Award.
Lexus scooped the prize for making the most reliable cars you can buy this term, while the Toyota Yaris 1.5 VVT-i Hybrid was named the most frugal motor the magazine has fuel-economy tested so far.
You can see every category winner in the table below and the runners-up that just missed out on taking their respective crowns: