The Dacia Sandero will gain a hybrid powertrain as part of a mid-life update for the supermini and its seven-seat Jogger sibling, which also includes a new look and added equipment across the board.

In around a year's time, Dacia will equip the range-topping Sandero Stepway with its new Hybrid 155 powertrain, which combines a 108bhp four-cylinder petrol engine with a 49bhp electric motor and a starter-generator for 154bhp and 125lb ft - chunky gains over the Sandero's current most powerful engine.

As deployed in the flagship Dacia Bigster SUV, this arrangement features a 1.4kWh battery for short-distance EV running and a clutchless automatic gearbox that has four ratios for the petrol engine and two ratios for the motor.

Dacia has yet to reveal full performance and efficiency figures for the Sandero Stepway Hybrid 155, but the same powertrain in the much larger Bigster returned 72.4mpg in urban driving and around 55mpg in higher-speed running in an Autocar road test - figures that the lower and lighter Sandero should improve upon.

The Hybrid 155 powertrain has also been introduced to the Jogger, where it replaces the previous Hybrid 140 system as of now, bringing a claimed 10% improvement in fuel consumption and emissions. 

Dacia has no plans as yet to introduce the powertrain to the standard Sandero, however.

Product performance boss Patrice Lévy-Bencheton told Autocar the lower-slung supermini must remain as affordable as possible to maintain its position as Europe’s best-selling car on the retail market.

“What is very interesting is that customers for the Sandero and Sandero Stepway are quite different,” he said.

"A Stepway customer will hesitate more with B-SUV offers on the market, so there is a bit more purchasing power. A Sandero customer is really hesitating with a simple B-hatch and is going for the best possible price on the market, so they are very measured in the budget they give to their car purchase.

"So on the [standard] Sandero, for the moment, we will wait a bit more and see. We can do it easily, because we have exactly the same engine bay and everything; it's more a question of will it find its customers or not."

The addition of the hybrid powertrain comes alongside a raft of styling tweaks for the Sandero, Sandero Stepway and Jogger.

On sale from November, the trio gain a new LED light signature with an 'inverted T' that flanks a new-look grille – and new pixel-style rear light motifs, which on the Jogger are designed to look as if they extend from the rear window.

The Jogger and Sandero Stepway now come with new body cladding made from Dacia's 'Starkle' plastic, which contains 20% recycled materials. And there are new colours and wheel designs available across the line-up.

There are subtle changes in the interiors, as well, with the three models gaining new-look air vents, more durable fabric trimmings, a reshaped steering wheel for "optimised ergonomics" and a new-look infotainment system centred around a 10.0in central touchscreen - up from 8.0in before.

Dacia has also replaced the entry-level Sandero TCe 90 with a slightly more powerful TCe 100, which boosts output from the 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine from 89bhp to 99bhp.

Dacia hasn't yet given pricing details for the updated cars, but Autocar understands they will be around the same price as today: from roughly £16,000 for the Sandero and £20,000 for the Jogger.

The hybrid Sandero Stepway coming next year is expected to command a circa-£3000 premium, based on the gap between the pure-ICE and hybrid Jogger models.