Dacia Duster review
Budget SUV offers rugged looks and plenty of space for the money
Our opinion on the Dacia Duster
There’s lots of appeal with the Dacia Duster, and with the 1.8 Hybrid now added to the line-up, it offers greater versatility as a practical, no-nonsense family SUV. It’s a shame that a spartan Essential model is no longer offered for the budget-minded buyer, but the rest of the range taps into Dacia’s ambitions to be an outdoor adventure brand, and fits that brief well.
The Duster is a rugged-looking SUV that has plenty of practical touches, while the Hybrid model offers a tempting blend of decent performance and excellent 50mpg-plus fuel economy, the latter coming without too much effort. In Extreme trim it’s a pretty well equipped model, too, especially when you factor in the budget price. That also makes the low Euro NCAP score more palatable.
About the Dacia Duster
The simple, no-nonsense Dacia Duster arrived in Europe in 2010 and was the lead vehicle used to launch the brand in the UK in 2013. Since then, more than 2.4 million Dusters have been sold worldwide, with thousands finding homes here in Britain.
Dacia as a whole has enjoyed success with customers who prioritise value above all else, but the latest Duster branches out into the realms of outdoor adventure as the Romanian company attempts to expand beyond its budget branding. The SUV still has value on its side, though, because at a time when you’ll pay more than £27,000 for a basic Ford Puma, and the Renault Captur starts at £22,500, the latest Duster is available from less than £22,000.
Used - available now
2023 Dacia
Duster
8,122 milesManualPetrol1.0L
Cash £12,837
2022 Dacia
Duster
31,670 milesManualDiesel1.5L
Cash £14,397
2014 Dacia
Duster
43,295 milesManualDiesel1.5L
Cash £4,995
2022 Dacia
Duster
30,000 milesManualPetrol1.0L
Cash £12,700What’s even more impressive is that the Duster isn’t just a heavy facelift – it’s an all-new car. It sits on the Renault Group’s CMF-B platform that also underpins the Renault Clio, as well as Dacia’s own Sandero and Jogger.
We’ve tested the budget-friendly family car extensively so far in petrol, hybrid and 4x4 guise, although revisions to the line-up mean that a four-wheel-drive option is currently unavailable, while diesel has never featured as part of the third-generation UK line-up.
There’s no denying the Duster’s budget-friendly credentials, although Dacia no longer offers a super-spartan Essential model as part of the line-up, with trims ranging through Expression, Journey and Extreme. This has bumped prices up, while adding the Hybrid powertrain also inflates costs. For 2026, the Duster gained the larger 1.8 Hybrid system from the brand’s Bigster, replacing the less powerful 1.6 Hybrid set-up that was available from launch in 2024.
Dacia Duster prices and latest deals
Pick the range-topping Extreme model powered by the full-hybrid set-up, and you’ll be looking at a price of around £27,600. However, that still offers great value when you consider that similar petrol-electric models, such as the Hyundai Kona Hybrid, start from nearly £31,000. Regardless of your chosen spec, there are very few competitors that can beat the Duster on price. Dacia isn’t a company that participates in deposit contributions or special discounts, although zero per cent finance is offered on occasion. If you want to see the best deals, we have plenty on the Auto Express Buy a Car service, whether you’re buying or leasing, and we can offer a great-value trade-in for your current car, too.
Performance & driving experience
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The Duster focuses on comfort over performance, which sets it apart from many similarly sized SUV rivals. Slightly wallowy handling is a compromise we’re happy to accept, given the good ride quality and low price point, but in some ways it feels like refinement has taken a slight step back when compared with its predecessor.
At the moment the Duster only comes with front-wheel drive. Four-wheel drive was available with the TCe 130 powertrain up until this year, but this has been dropped and a new Hybrid 4x4 model is due in showrooms by the end of 2026. A raised ride height and off-road-style ground clearance mean that even with two-wheel drive, the Duster can handle a muddy farm track or boggy festival car park with ease, though.
| Model | Power | 0-62mph | Top speed |
| Duster TCe 140 | 138bhp | 9.4 seconds | 112mph |
| Duster Hybrid 155 | 153bhp | 9.4 seconds | 112mph |
Performance, 0-60mph acceleration and top speed
The Mk3 car is the first Duster to make use of hybrid technology, while Dacia has already upgraded the set-up since the car’s launch. The original configuration had a 1.6-litre petrol engine paired with two electric motors: a main 49bhp unit to deal with propulsion, plus a smaller one working on brake regeneration and taking the place of a traditional starter motor. Buy a Duster Hybrid today, and that original 138bhp set-up has been swapped for the 1.8-litre petrol from the Bigster. This has a combined output of 153bhp, while torque is quoted at 172Nm for the engine and 205Nm for the electric motor.
The Hybrid uses a multi-mode clutchless gearbox, which Renault says is more efficient than conventional dual-clutch or torque-converter autos, and it does a decent job of juggling the different power sources. There are some odd noises from the powertrain, especially when cold, but the system is pretty responsive. The more powerful engine helps to cut the Duster Hybrid’s 0-62mph time from 10.1 seconds to 9.4 seconds, which is perfectly acceptable in a car such as this.
Also available is a 1.2 TCe 140 three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with mild-hybrid assistance that makes 138bhp and 230Nm of torque. This is an upgrade on the original TCe 130 unit and only comes with a six-speed manual gearbox, so if you want an auto, you have to opt for the Hybrid model. The TCe has the same 0-62mph time as the Hybrid, at 9.4 seconds; the extra 78kg of the latter’s electrical system prevents it from accelerating any faster. The TCe model feels more linear in its power delivery, too, courtesy of its more conventional configuration.
Town driving, visibility and parking
A soft ride helps the Duster deliver a pleasant driving experience at lower speeds. Many rivals attempt to create a sense of sportiness – when in fact all they’re getting is a hard suspension set-up – and the way that the Duster gently wallows from one bump to the next is both refreshing and calming.
The smoothness of the hybrid system’s power delivery helps here. At low speeds and with gentle throttle openings, it feels slick and switches between petrol and electric modes almost seamlessly – the one small exception being an occasional grabbiness from the motor regeneration when slowing.
The manual gearbox in the mild-hybrid petrol is fine, but would be improved by a less spongy response from the clutch pedal.
All models have rear parking sensors and a reversing camera, while Journey and Extreme versions add front and side sensors, plus a multi-angle camera system.
Country road driving and handling
The soft ride means that the Duster isn’t particularly engaging in corners. In fact, it feels a touch more nose-heavy than the last Duster, so it’s not a choice for the keen driver. Driven at a gentler pace, it’s capable enough and still grips the road well. The steering is quite light and vague around the straight-ahead, but becomes heavier and more precise as extra lock is applied.
The uprated hybrid system helps the Duster to feel more responsive than before. The multi-mode gearbox doesn’t offer the option for manual shifts, but given that the Duster doesn’t encourage enthusiastic driving, it’s best to leave the gearbox to its own devices. Hard acceleration can result in plenty of noise from the 1.8-litre petrol engine, but because there’s more power on offer, it’s less of an issue than it was with the old 1.6 Hybrid.
Motorway driving and long-distance comfort
The soft ride makes motorway cruising a relaxing experience. It’s a shame, then, that the Duster’s bonnet and A-pillars generate a lot of wind noise at speed, to the point where it’s more noticeable than in the previous version. It’s a gripe that’s particularly apparent because elsewhere it feels like a step forward; road noise is more muted than before, and once the hybrid system settles down, it’s not very intrusive either. The mild-hybrid petrol model is quieter still.
“The light steering made manoeuvring easy, and the various cameras were a great help when parking. I love the Dacia’s chunky styling, but it makes it very hard to judge where the extremities are without hi-tech help. As it stands, it can only show one camera’s view at a time.” - Andy Pringle, chief sub-editor.
MPG & running costs
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Surprisingly, the 1.8 Hybrid powertrain has better claimed fuel economy than the system that it replaced. While the 1.6 Hybrid had WLTP-tested fuel economy of 55mpg, Dacia quotes up to 61.4mpg for the new set-up.
We ran a Duster 1.6 Hybrid for six months and saw a return of 52.3mpg during that time, not far shy of the official figure. In comparison, the 1.8 Hybrid returned 55.6mpg during a week of driving, which included a varied mix of urban, country and motorway work. While the two figures are not directly comparable, it’s good to see the uprated powertrain improving on the efficiency of the old one in the real world.
There is more distance between the Hybrid and TCe mild-hybrid powertrains than before. The older TCe 130 managed 51.0mpg officially, while the more powerful TCe 140 that’s now available has a claimed figure of 52.3mpg.
If you can live with a manual gearbox, then you can save around £3,200 on list price by choosing the TCe petrol over the Hybrid. You’ll need to do many miles in the latter to make up the price difference in terms of fuel costs saved. Either way, the Duster is very cheap beside most rivals, which counts hugely in its favour.
| Model | MPG | CO2 | Insurance group |
| Duster TCe 140 | 52.3mpg | 123g/km | 25-26 |
| Duster Hybrid 155 | 61.4mpg | 106g/km | 25-26 |
Insurance groups
Ratings for the Duster start in Group 25 for the 1.2 TCe Expression and Journey models, while the better-equipped Extreme version is in Group 26. The Hybrid also starts in Group 25, but the Journey and Extreme models both sit in Group 26.
Tax
With no fully electric option or plug-in hybrid powertrain, the Duster doesn’t offer particularly tempting rates for company-car drivers. Clearly, Dacia sees greater benefit in offering low list prices to private buyers than catering for fleet sales. The affordable prices mean even the most expensive Duster costs much less than the £40,000 limit that would require an additional luxury car-tax surcharge.
Depreciation
A competitive starting price has resulted in strong residual values for the Duster. The Hybrids perform better than the TCe versions, with residuals after three years and 36,000 miles in the region of 59-60 per cent. The mild-hybrid model is still a good performer, though, with figures in the 56-57 per cent region. In comparison, the Renault Captur holds on to 51-55 per cent of its original value over the same period, while the petrol Ford Puma manages 47 to 53 per cent.
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Interior, design & technology
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The third-generation Duster has adopted a tough new look, with more thought being put into not only its overall shape, but many of the finer details, too. The squared-off bonnet gives a distinctive appearance from behind the wheel, but also helps the driver to place the front of the Dacia in tight spots. Chunky plastic cladding featuring recycled materials surrounds the lower portions of the car, too.
The Duster has always been known for its no-nonsense cabin designs that border on the old-fashioned, but this model has maintained its predecessor’s honest feel while adding some style and one or two useful features.
Interior and dashboard design
Much more effort has been put into the cabin’s look. There are still Renault-sourced parts, but they’re well integrated; the bank of physical toggle switches for the climate controls is a great touch, and Renault’s familiar media-control stalk behind the steering wheel is still among the most usable designs of its type. Oddly, though, the main volume controls are partly hidden across the top of the display’s frame.
Driver-assist functions can irritate some users, but Dacia has made turning them off easy with a ‘Perso’ setting. This lets you choose the features that you want and don’t want via the touchscreen, which can then be stored as a preset. This can then be accessed with the double press of a button to the right of the steering wheel.
Materials and build quality
Subtly coloured and textured finishes do a decent job of distracting from the fact that everything inside is finished in hard plastics. In a car that pitches itself as a bit rugged, this seems like an appropriate way to save some cash. The centre console doesn’t feel that sturdy, though, while one particular bugbear we have is with Dacia’s optional phone cradle. It’s a clever way of mounting your device on the dash, but it rattles when it’s not carrying a smartphone.
Infotainment, sat-nav and stereo
A digital dashboard is quite a novel addition to the Dacia family. Its layout is fairly simple, but it works well. The graphics are very sharp, and the green colour scheme continues the outdoor theme, while large buttons on the steering wheel make it easy to scroll through modes.
The Essential model is no more, so all Dusters have a 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen. It has a simple yet bright colour palette that is easy to read and looks contemporary. Sadly, the same can’t be said about the camera system’s very low-resolution images. That aside, it’s a decent set-up for the money.
Top-spec cars get the Media Nav Live system that has eight years of connected services. Loading times are okay, and programming a navigation route is fairly straightforward, thanks to a decent on-screen keyboard size.
"While Dacia’s intentions are to be applauded, the obvious clue to Starkle content is via small pale flecks within the plastic that make it look as if the wheelarches and lower door trims have been the victim of overspray or an attack of road salt." - Dean Gibson, senior test editor
Boot space & practicality
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Interior space and boot capacity are Duster strong points, especially given its relatively modest exterior dimensions and low price. A lofty driving position and low window line improve visibility, but the view to the rear isn’t as good as we’d like. The bonnet extends quite far out in front, but you can get a feel for the car’s edges, helping you to place it on the road.
Dacia has also introduced what it calls the YouClip attachment system, which allows a variety of accessories to be secured in various places around the cabin, including beside the main infotainment display, on the back of the front seats and at the base of the centre console in the rear. Available kit includes a three-in-one cup-holder, bag hook and LED torch. You can also find phone and tablet holders, storage bags and hooks to choose from, all ranging from around £10-£40.
Dimensions and size
The Duster uses a platform that’s shared with a supermini, but it feels spacious inside. The current generation is slightly longer and wider than the previous model, at 4,343mm long, 1,921mm wide and 1,656mm tall. It isn’t quite as lofty as that old version, but it still has a height advantage over the likes of the Skoda Kamiq.
Dimensions comparison | |||
| Model | Dacia Duster | Nissan Qashqai | Dacia Bigster |
| Length | 4,343mm | 4,425mm | 4,570mm |
| Width | 1,813mm | 1,835mm | 1,812mm |
| Height | 1,656mm | 1,625mm | 1,711mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,657mm | 2,665mm | 2,702mm |
| Boot space | 349-1,545 litres | 504-1,447 litres | 677-1,977 litres |
Seats & passenger space
A wide range of seat and steering wheel adjustment makes it easy for drivers of all sizes to find a comfy seating position. But if you’re tall, you might find the position of the left-foot rest a little awkward to sit comfortably for a longer drive.
You will need Extreme trim to get adjustable lumbar support for the driver, but all cars have a sliding armrest that improves comfort on long trips and offers extra storage. The small rear and side windows limit over-the-shoulder visibility, but the door mirrors are large.
While the Duster doesn’t feel any posher in the back, space is a strong point. Headroom is very impressive in particular, with our measurements putting it ahead of the similarly priced MG ZS and very close to larger family SUVs such as the Kia Sportage. Kneeroom is competitive, too, while the soft seats feel comfortable – even for a third passenger in the fairly wide, flat middle seat. There’s loads of foot room beneath the front seats, and only a small centre hump in the floor. There are Isofix points, but they are only accessible behind zipped covers, which makes them a little more fiddly to get to than in rival cars. The door bins in the back are tiny, too.
If you do need more space, the Bigster uses the same running gear and has the same trim levels for around £3,500 more than the Duster.
Boot space
Cargo capacity changes with the powertrain. Fitting the 1.4kWh battery in the Hybrid’s boot cuts the volume from 474 litres in TCe cars to 349 litres. But most of this capacity is lost beneath a false floor, so there’s still a reasonably large cube-shaped space to make use of. A high boot lip makes it a little tricky to load heavy items on board, but the rear seat backs drop almost completely level with the floor, so larger items slide in easily.
"Everything we wanted to take fitted in the car – that’s the three of us, a few soft toys, several bags and what looked like our own body weight in snacks. Above all, most of it went in the boot, and thanks to the square shape of the load area and the adjustable floor being set level with the load lip, it was child’s play to pack and unpack." - Andy Pringle, chief sub-editor.
Reliability & safety
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A 45th-place finish out of 50 cars in the 2026 Driver Power rankings doesn’t paint a great picture for the Duster. Owners were unsurprisingly thrilled with the value for money on offer, while practicality and fuel economy were also positive attributes. They were less impressed with build quality and reliability, powertrain performance (the 1.8 Hybrid could improve that score), visibility and the infotainment.
A three-star Euro NCAP safety rating is rather underwhelming and is a result of a shortfall of advanced driver-assistance systems, and only an adequate score for Adult Occupant Protection. There are more safety features on this third-generation Duster than on any previous model, though, including automatic emergency braking, traffic-sign recognition, a speed-limit alert, rear-parking assist, lane-departure and lane-keep assist, and driver-attention alert.
Dacia’s standard three-year/60,000-mile warranty package is par for the course, but you do get roadside assistance for the same period. There are two options when it comes to an extended warranty, with up to four years and 100,000 miles of cover available for just under £1,000, or a service-activated warranty that offers 12 months of cover with every qualifying service. This cover lasts for up to seven years or 75,000 miles, whichever comes first.
| Euro NCAP safety ratings | |
| Euro NCAP safety rating | Three stars (2024) |
| Adult occupant protection | 70 per cent |
| Child occupant protection | 84 per cent |
| Vulnerable road user protection | 60 per cent |
| Safety assist | 57 per cent |
Buying, prices and deals
Best buy: Dacia Duster 1.8 Hybrid Journey
With such great value on offer, you can afford to upgrade to a higher-spec Duster, while the Hybrid model offers excellent running costs that go hand-in-hand with decent responses.
Dacia Duster alternatives
The Dacia Duster finds itself in a relatively unique position, because it’s larger than most SUVs at the same price point. There’s no end of small SUVs to choose from, though, with the Citroen C3 Aircross and MG ZS being two of the Dacia’s closest competitors on price.
If you’re prepared to spend a bit more, the Hyundai Kona is a former Auto Express Car of the Year, and it’s available in petrol, hybrid and fully electric forms. If you prefer the rugged look, you may instead be charmed by the Jeep Avenger, or, if you want to enjoy some driving fun, we’d point you towards the Ford Puma or SEAT Arona.
While the Duster can be specced as an efficient hybrid, the Toyota Yaris Cross has a significant edge in terms of efficiency, but is a lot smaller inside. It’s one of the few small SUVs, alongside the Duster, that’s available with four-wheel drive.
Deals on the Dacia Duster and alternatives
Frequently Asked Questions
Some potential buyers might balk at the three-star Euro NCAP rating, but look beyond that and the Duster is a decent family SUV that offers good value for money and a decent amount of kit.
