ALMOST every Dacia Sandero sold in the UK in the year it was launched is still on the road, according to figures from the Department for Transport.

Dacia sold 8,795 Sanderos and the SUV crossover Sandero Stepways in 2013 and 7,794 of them are still in use with 2,017 of them having covered more than 100,000 miles.

When the car first arrived it was priced from £5,995 which led to some to question its longevity.

Dacia says the figures are real-world proof that affordability and durability can be a happy mix and that quality doesn't have to come at a high price.

According to anonymised MOT test data released by the Department for Transport, several examples have come close to recording 300,000 miles, while a total of 2,017 of 2013-registered Sandero and Sandero Stepway have already covered six-figure mileages.

Most notably, there's a white 2013 car showing a recorded 296,642 miles at the time of its last MOT.

The Romanian car maker - part of the Renault Group - says that there are now more than 5,500 Dacia cars in the country that have already covered over 100,000 miles apiece, with more joining the high-mile club almost every day.

There's also at least one Dacia Duster in the country that's well on its way to achieving the half-million-mile mark. Having notched up an average of 60,000 miles every year since it was registered in 2014, this hard-working Duster had reached 472,414 miles when it was last tested in 2022.

Since the brand arrived in the UK it has sold more than 250,000 cars and in 2022 it increased its sales by 55 per cent selling a total of 27,313 vehicles in 2022.

Luke Broad, Dacia brand director for the UK, said: "We have always said that Dacia and our cars will be around for years to come and these figures really do prove it.

"There's been a constant stream of industry awards since 2013 and sales have rocketed, but seeing how well our cars have stood the test of time is perhaps an even greater illustration of their ability and quality. It's great news for everyone, but is especially reassuring for those car buyers for whom value is vitally important yet who are also concerned that something so affordable simply won't last."

Today the car is in its second generation and priced from £13,795 remains one of Britain's cheapest new models.