Dacia Duster review (2024 - 2025)
Dacia Duster cars for sale
4.0
Expert review
Pros
Great value compared to similarly sized rivals
Thoughtful practicality with generous boot space
Efficient hybrid powertrain option
Cons
Refinement still falls short of mainstream competitors
Interior materials remain utilitarian
Engine noise intrusive with hybrid powertrain
The CarGurus verdict
The 2025 Dacia Duster has grown up without losing its identity. It maintains the value proposition that made the original so popular but delivers it in a significantly more sophisticated package. While still not matching mainstream rivals for refinement or luxury, the gap has narrowed while the price advantage remains substantial.
For pragmatic buyers who are prepared to overlook an interior that is functional rather than plush, and who don’t mind the sometimes basic technology setup, the Duster makes a compelling case for itself. It's no longer just about being the cheapest option – it's a genuinely good car with character and charm that happens to also represent excellent value.
What is the Dacia Duster?
The Dacia Duster is a compact crossover positioned as the brand's rugged, affordable SUV offering. At 4.3 metres long, it sits in the ultra-competitive small SUV segment, offering a blend of practicality and value that has become Dacia's hallmark.
The Duster competes with likes of the Ford Puma, Nissan Juke, Renault Captur, and Skoda Kamiq, but typically undercuts them all significantly on price. Starting from around £19,000, it's no longer as unbelievably cheap as it once was (the original Duster strarted from just £9,995, which is still remarkable even after you’ve adjusted for inflation) but delivers considerably more refinement and equipment.
Powertrain options include a 1.0-litre bi-fuel engine capable of running on petrol or LPG, a 1.2-litre mild hybrid petrol with 130 horsepower, and a range-topping 1.6-litre full hybrid system. The entry-level engine is only available with a manual gearbox and front-wheel drive. The mid-range 1.2-litre mild hybrid is also manual-only but can be had with front- or four-wheel drive (the latter offering genuine off-road capability that's rare in this segment). The flagship Hybrid 140 is automatic and front-wheel drive.
How practical is it?
The Duster delivers impressive practicality for its compact dimensions. Boot capacity varies by powertrain, with the front-wheel-drive petrol models offering a class-leading 517 litres, four-wheel-drive petrols offering 456 litres, and the hybrid version getting 430 litres. These are all strong numbers by the standards of the class.
It’s a five seater (go for a Dacia Jogger if you need seven seats), and rear passenger space is adequate rather than generous. A six-foot adult can fit comfortably with sufficient headroom, though legroom is more limited. Under-seat foot space is plentiful though, and the wide-opening doors aid access. Three adults can squeeze across the rear bench, though it would start to feel tight on longer journeys.
The cabin features thoughtful touches like USB-C charging ports for rear passengers in higher trim levels. Visibility is good looking forward over the distinctive ridged bonnet, but thick A-pillars and limited over-the-shoulder visibility make the available reversing camera and blind spot monitoring particularly valuable additions.
Compared to rival compact family SUVs like the Nissan Juke, the Duster offers more boot space and similar passenger accommodation, though it lacks some of the more premium interior finishes found in more expensive competitors.
What's it like to drive?
The Duster's driving experience represents a significant improvement over previous generations. While early Dusters were known for their somewhat vague handling and bouncy ride, the new model feels much more tied down and secure on the road.
The full hybrid powertrain (badged Hybrid 140) delivers adequate performance with its 139 horsepower enabling a 0-62mph time of 10.1 seconds. It's not quick as such, but provides sufficient acceleration for confident overtaking and motorway merging. The hybrid system always pulls away on electric power, contributing to impressive fuel economy of around 50mpg in real-world driving.
However, the hybrid system does have drawbacks, notably in refinement. The 1.6-litre petrol engine can be quite vocal when it fires up, and the system holds onto its lowest gear until you exceed 30mph, meaning town driving can be accompanied by an intrusive engine note. The cheaper TCe 130 1.2-litre mild hybrid may be a better option for many buyers, provided they’re happy to have a manual gearbox. Accelerating from 0-62mph in this model takes 9.9 seconds in the front-wheel-drive model, or 11 seconds if you go for the Duster 4x4. All Dusters, in other words, offer a similarly leisurely approach to acceleration, save for the entry level TCe 100 bi-fuel which takes an outright slow 14.1 seconds.
Ride quality is generally good enough by class standards (and a revelation compared with older Dusters), though slightly fidgety at lower speeds. Handling is safe and secure rather than engaging, with the Duster turning into corners predictably. Road and wind noise become more noticeable at higher speeds, no doubt highlighting where some compromises have been made to achieve the price point.
The four-wheel-drive versions deserve special mention for their genuine off-road capability. With 20cm of ground clearance, competitive approach and departure angles, and a low kerbweight of under 1,400kg, the Duster 4x4 has much more off-road ability than most competitors in this class.
Technology, equipment & infotainment
The 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system (on all but the Essential trim) looks somewhat basic and can be slow to respond, but includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which are welcome additions at this price point. The reversing camera suffers from low resolution, though again its presence is appreciated, particularly given the limited rear visibility. Physical controls for heating and ventilation are another practical touch.
Entry-level Essential trim swaps the touchscreen for a simple Bluetooth streaming unit and mobile phone holder, and you get analogue dials rather than the 7-inch screen for the speedo. There’s also manual air conditioning rather than climate control, 16-inch steel wheels instead of alloys, and you can only have a Duster in Essential trim with the least powerful engine.
You might well therefore find yourself upgrading to the Expression trim. This adds 17-inch alloys, the infotainment screen, a 7-inch digital dial display, and a rear parking camera to go with the rear parking sensors. You also unlock access to the mild hybrid and full hybrid engines.
Next up is the Journey, which also adds 18-inch alloy wheels, climate control, navigation and electrically folding door mirrors. blind spot monitoring, and various interior trim enhancements including blue and silver plastic accents to break up the predominantly black cabin.
Top-spec Extreme adds some contrasting colours for the exterior styling as well as roof bars, heated seats and a heated steering wheel.
Another neat touch is that the Duster benefits from Renault's "My Safety Perso" system, allowing drivers to save their preferred safety settings with a single button press – a thoughtful feature that prevents annoying safety warnings when they're not wanted.
Material quality throughout the cabin is utilitarian rather than premium, with hard plastics dominant, but this fits with the Duster's positioning as a practical, no-nonsense vehicle. The build quality certainly feels more substantial than it used to, with nothing feeling particularly cheap or flimsy.
Dacia Duster running costs
While the Duster’s purchase price has increased substantially over the years, it still undercuts mainstream rivals by thousands of pounds, making the overall ownership proposition very attractive. This is reflected in low monthly finance costs too.
Not only that, but the Duster excels in keeping running costs low. The full hybrid model achieves around 50mpg in real-world driving, making it very economical for a crossover of this size. The mild hybrid petrol engine won’t be too far behind, particularly if you do a lot of motorway driving.
For those who have easy access to an LPG pump at a nearby filling station, the entry-level bi-fuel engine might also be worth considering as a way to lower fuel costs. Do be aware, however, that LPG availability in the UK is sporadic.
The Duster's straightforward nature and relatively modest performance should help to keep insurance costs low, too.
Dacia Duster reliability
While specific reliability data for the newest Duster isn't yet available, Dacia as a brand has performed well in reliability surveys, ranking sixth out of the 31 manufacturers included in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey (Renault, its parent company, was ninth). The previous generation of Duster meanwhile came 4th out of the 21 cars in the small SUV class.
The standard new car warranty on the Duster runs for a bog standard three years and 60,000 miles. That’s really nothing special, but in April 2024 Dacia introduced its Zen extended warranty programme, which means that each time you have your car serviced at one of its dealers it’ll add another 12 months and 18,000 miles worth of warranty cover, up until the car is seven years old or has covered 75,000 miles. With that kind of reliability record and generous warranty cover, owning a Duster shouldn’t give you too much cause for concern.
- The Duster features innovative exterior cladding called "Starkle" that contains up to 20% recycled materials. It's dyed rather than painted, theoretically making scratches less visible, though we still noticed some marking.
- The Duster is no longer Dacia’s largest SUV. The new Bigster takes over that role, offering a similarly value-led approach but with even more space.
- One area where Dacia has historically lagged behind rivals is safety, and the latest Duster is no different. It scored three out of five stars in EuroNCAP’s industry standard crash tests, where most of its rivals get four or five stars. No one area let the Dacia down; it just scored below its competitors across categories.
- If you want the cheapest: That’ll be the Essential trim with the basic 99bhp, three-cylinder petrol engine. In many ways it represents a lot of car for the money, but we’d still be tempted to upgrade to get the more powerful engine and more equipment.
- For the best value: So long as you are happy to have a manual gearbox, the 1.2-litre mild hybrid Duster in Expression trim might be all the compact crossover you really need. It still undercuts most rivals by a significant amount, while offering a respectable level of equipment.
- For those prioritising practicality: A front-wheel-drive petrol model is the way to go if you want to maximise boot space. With 517 litres of carrying capacity, these are great if you regularly carry large loads.
- If you want to go off-road: We’d suggest the cheapest 4x4 model available (just in case you damage it on a rock), which is the mild hybrid petrol engine in Expression trim. For less than £25,000 you’ll be getting genuine off-road capability.
- If you want the most fuel efficient model: Any Duster with the hybrid powertrain is going to give you 50mpg or more if driven carefully, and will be particularly economical around town.
