Dacia Jogger - Reliability and safety

The Dacia Jogger is a great family car, but some buyers might be concerned about its poor, one-star Euro NCAP safety score. While the industry crash-test body (represented in the UK by Thatcham) has undeniably improved overall standards, the low rating applied to the Jogger is quite nuanced. 

Euro NCAP based its results on the (two-star) Dacia Sandero Stepway crossover, with which the Jogger shares the same CMF-B LS platform. The seven-seater model was then downgraded to a single star based on the lack of a seatbelt reminder for the third row of seats, and the car’s relative lack of electronic assistance systems.

However, Dacia has since updated the list of standard safety features, so all models now feature traffic sign recognition, which is useful if you’ve missed a speed limit sign for the road you’re on. There’s also lane departure warning and lane keep assistance to keep you in your lane on the motorway in an emergency. There’s also a more advanced autonomous emergency braking system, along with a driver monitoring system and automatic lights. Mid- and top-spec cars add front parking sensors and a blind spot warning system. 

The Jogger didn't make an appearance in the 2023 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey results, although the Mk2 Dacia Duster managed to finish fourth on the list of best cars to own. Meanwhile Dacia itself finished in 26th position out of 32 brands in the best car manufacturers rankings – up from 27th in 2022.

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Warranty

Dacia still offers a standard three-year/60,000-mile warranty for the Jogger, along with free roadside assistance for the same period, but has followed Toyota in offering an extended warranty as part of routine servicing. If you take your Jogger to a Dacia dealer for annual servicing, you get an additional 12 months of cover, or up to 18,000 miles after the standard manufacturer’s warranty has expired. You can repeat this until the car is seven years old, or has covered 75,000 miles, which is longer than most manufactures’ warranties, including Volkswagen. The battery in the hybrid system is covered for eight years or 100,000 miles, but the degradation limit of maintaining above 63 per cent capacity over that time is greater than most manufacturers, who guarantee the battery pack won’t drop below 70 per cent.

Servicing

Dacia says the Jogger needs to be serviced once a year or every 18,000 miles, whichever comes first. As is the norm with most mainstream manufacturers, Dacia provides individual servicing plans to help spread the cost of scheduled maintenance, with a typical three-year/30,000-mile plan is around £600.