AN absolute kick-start to a cheap car revolution came to Britain with the launch of the Dacia range.

At the forefront was the Sandero, a sensible family hatch at under £10,000 which became a game changer.

And while Dacias are undoubtedly cheap they are certainly not nasty. Try as I might to find reasonable fault with the dCi 90 model I drove recently I just could not.

Dacia is not totally new in the UK because it tried to get a foot in the door decades ago but the product and backup was just not up to the UK market.

But now things are mightily different with the weight of Renault ownership behind the brand.

So how does Dacia manage to be so cheap? It succeeds by keeping its costs in check by keeping it simple, right from the assembly line (with low production complexity in terms of paint colours and options) to the showroom.

Many parts, including engines and transmissions, are shared with other Dacia and Renault-Nissan Alliance vehicles.Every Dacia model (and the accompanying Renault badged versions globally) is also built off the same platform which gives impressive economies.

Dacia makes an enemy of the unnecessary so there's no baffling options list and just a simple choice of colours and accessory packs to keep production line complexity low, allowing the savings to be passed on to customers through lower prices.

And it has worked remarkably well in the UK because I have not heard a word uttered against the brand, which is more than you can say about failed cheap cars of the past such as Lada, pre-VW owned Skoda, Yugo and Polski Fiat.

At the wheel of this particular car, which costs £8,595 you do get the sense of having your money's-worth. Of course there is no over-clever gimmickry to go wrong - just an honest plain roomy hatch that does the job it is intended to do.

Many buyers have part-exchanged a used vehicle, with a sizeable proportion of PCP and HP business. Easy finance is available, the same as with Renault, through its financial arm, RCI.

It all means that you can drive one of these cars for a surprisingly low deposit and monthly payments less than some gym memberships. Some of the cars in the range have no direct competitors other than used cars.

And the Sandero also received the safety thumbs up with received four stars in Euro NCAP independent testing in its May 2013 results.

Thecynical might say that Dacia isan easy way to use upthe Renault parts bin. And yes the Sandero gives a lot of sight-bites of the Clio. I know because I drive a Clio.

But the whole car has a distinct character of its own and has an excellent performance for a bargain car. Under the bonnet is the Renault sourced 1,461cc diesel engine which features a maximum speed of 107mph and a 0-62mph sprint of 12.1 seconds.

Combined economy is 74.3mpg and CO2 emissions are sub-100g/km at 99g/km.

Every model in the line-up comes with front and side airbags, ABS with emergency brakeforce distribution, electronic stability control with ASR traction control, front and side airbags and daytime running lights. To make life as uncomplicated as possible, it's also got a heated rear screen, rear wash-wiper, tinted windows, rear door child locks and a 12v accessory power socket.

Rounding off its kit count is a folding rear seat with split-folding seatback.