Dacia achieved a historic performance earlier this year, winning the legendary Dakar Rally for the first time, in only the brand’s second participation in this competition. On this occasion, the Romanian Economic Monitor team reviewed Dacia’s performance in the “rally” of car sales on the European market over the last decade. Thus, in addition to its victory in the Dakar Rally, Dacia also ranks first in car sales on the European market: since 2024, the Dacia Sandero has been the best-selling car on the continent.

Complete data available for the entire year 2024 show that approximately 268,000 Dacia Sandero units were sold in Europe. In the same year, another model from the brand, the Dacia Duster, re-entered the top ten best-selling models in ninth place, with around 175,000 units delivered, after occupying the same position in 2022. According to the latest data available for 2025 (up to and including November), Sandero maintains its position as the European sales leader, while Duster also remains in the TOP 10. Based on these remarkable achievements, Dacia has surpassed the milestone of 10 million vehicles sold globally since the launch of the first Logan in 2004.

The role of Dacia in the Romanian economy

Dacia is present with assembly activities on both the European and North African markets through its plant in Morocco. In terms of turnover, the company is the second largest in Romania with sales of over €5.5 billion (2024), after the leader in this ranking, OMW Petrom. In terms of number of employees, Dacia ranks seventh nationally with approximately 11,000 employees. The high demand in Europe for Dacia models is directly mirrored in Romania’s export volume. According to the latest data, approximately 9% of the country’s total exports come from car exports (Dacia and Ford taken together). The automotive sector is therefore a strategic pillar of the Romanian economy, to which Dacia contributes significantly. Although most Sandero models are produced at the plant in Morocco, approximately two-thirds of Duster production is assembled in Mioveni. In this context, the Duster model’s consistent presence in the TOP 10 in recent times is particularly positive news for car production in Romania.

The main reasons for the popularity of the Dacia Sandero

The first-generation Dacia Sandero was launched in 2008. Currently, the third generation is on the market, classified in the B segment of small cars. The significant improvement in quality of the second generation has already brought considerable success to the model in Europe, entering the TOP 10 sales since 2019 in 7th place. The third generation continued this evolution, while maintaining one of its most important competitive advantages: affordable price. This issue has become increasingly relevant in recent years, given that the average price of B-segment cars has grown by almost 22% in Europe over the last five years. Consequently, price has become an increasingly important factor in purchasing decisions. This trend is also confirmed by the fact that second place in the European sales rankings is also held by a small car model, the Renault Clio. Although the Clio has long been a popular model, until 2021 the rankings were traditionally dominated by the Volkswagen Golf. Even though the Dacia brand has always been popular in Romania, thanks to its favourable price-quality ratio and adequate technical level, the brand has meanwhile managed to consolidate a strong position on the European market as well, winning the trust of a wide audience.