Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
£12k Car of Year
Dacia Sandero beats off competition from BMW and Tesla
AN £11,595 Dacia Sandero has beaten high-octane BMWS and eco-friendly Teslas in the race to be named car of the year.
The 1-litre TCE 90 Comfort scooped the What Car? accolade as overall winner as well as the best small car.
Romanian brand Dacia, owned by French giant Renault, produces Sanderos for as little as £7,995.
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.
“It stood out for being delightfully comfortable, incredibly spacious and for its safety aids and technology. In the
GONG Seat’s winning Leon
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.” BMW was awarded five gongs including best executive, luxury and luxury SUV cars for its 3 Series, 5 Series and X5 respectively. Its Series 420i M
Sport was also named the best coupe while the X6 xdrive30d M
Sport took the award for best coupe SUV.
Elon Musk’s firm Tesla won the large electric car category, while the Volkswagen ID.3 Pro Performance Life took
Best Small SUV
WINNER Dacia, left. Above Ford Puma
the best small electric car title. Judges named the Seat Leon 1.5 TSI 130 Evo FR as best family car, Toyota’s Yaris GR 1.6 as best hot hatch and Ford’s Puma 1.0 Ecoboost Hybrid (MHEV) 155 Titanium as best small SUV.