Dacia sandero james may biography

Car that became Top Gear's running joke is now Europe's best selling car

The Dacia Sandero, which was once ridiculed on Top Gear, was Europe's best-selling car in 2024 (Image: Dacia UK)

Top Gear was undoubtedly the world's biggest motoring show, where the opinions of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May could make or break the fortunes of any new model.

However, one model that proved the trio of presenters wrong, the Dacia Sandero, has just been revealed as Europe's best-selling new car throughout 2024.

More than 309,000 examples of the Romanian hatchback were sold across the continent over the 12-month period, with the Sandero also being noted as Europe's overall best-seller since 2017.

One of the main reasons so many motorists are drawn to the Dacia Sandero is due to the supermini's particularly low price, with the entry-level Essential trim available for £14,200.

In comparison, many similarly-sized models from more familiar brands such as Vauxhall, Volkswagen, a dacia sandero james may biography4 QADON