2017 Dacia Sandero, Sandero Stepway and Logan on sale in the UK from £5,995

The 2017 Dacia Sandero, Sandero Stepway and Logan – which debuted at the Paris Motor Show – goes on sale in the UK from £5,995, £8,795 and £6,995 respectively.

The cheap as chips Dacia from Renault has proved beyond doubt that the car market is polarised between economy and premium – with anything that’s not floundering in the middle – and the titivation of much of Dacia’s range for 2017 isn’t going to change that.

Sensibly, despite some upgrades, Renault isn’t seeking to move the price point of the Dacia models upstream, with the new 2017 Dacia Sandero still coming in as the UK’s cheapest car at £5,995.

The facelifted models – not just the Sandero, but Sandero Stepway and Logan too – get similar makeovers including a new grille, new headlights, LED running lights and titivated bumpers.

At the back there’s some new lights, and Dacia say the interior gets higher quality materials, better ergonomics and more storage space.

There are also oily bit changes and improvements too, with a new SCe 75 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine for the Sandero and Logan – replacing the 1.2-litre 16V 75 – and offering economy improved by 10 per cent. The TCe 90 petrol and dCi 90 diesel engines continue across the range.

Three trim levels are available – Access, Ambiance and Lauréate – on the Sandero and Logan, but you can’t have a Stepway in Access trim, with Access offering Hill Start, Traction Control and a set of 15″ steel wheels. Basic, but what do you expect?

Ambience trim comes with more proper car stuff like Air Con, electric windows, DAB, Bluetooth and remote locking, with the range-topping Lauréate getting Sat Nav, 7″ touchscreen and parkings sensors.

Now available at Dacia’s UK dealers, the Sandero costs from £5,995 to £10,395, the Sandero Stepway from £8,795 to £11,395 and the Logan from £6,995 to £11,395.