Key considerations
- Available for £6,500
- 1.0-litre or 1.3-litre petrol turbo or 1.5 diesel turbo, front- or all-wheel drive
- Painless everyday SUV motoring
- Surprisingly capable, comfortable and cost-effective
- So far so good on reliability, little goes wrong
- Still cheap, but the gap is closing
Dacia – which in ancient Romanian meant ‘home’ – used to be a bit of a joke brand, sitting somewhere near Lada in the marque pecking order. Their first effort in 1968 was a Renault 8 built under licence in Romania. In 1999, Dacia became part of the Renault group; five years after that, in 2004, the Logan appeared as the first ‘proper’ Renault-invested Dacia.
You could say that things have been going pretty well for the brand ever since, with more than 8 million cars sold in 44 countries over the last twenty years. The Duster has been central to that success. Between its Geneva show reveal in 2010 and the launch of the gen-two at Frankfurt in 2017 over a million Dusters were sold. Eight years later, in 2025, the number has effortlessly passed the 2.2 million mark.
The visually tweaked version of the gen-one that appeared at Frankfurt in 2013 was the first Duster to go on sale in the UK. You can see why it became the best-selling SUV of any size in Europe. It was a sturdy, no-nonsense car for real-world folk who weren’t really interested in how it might fare on an F1 track or on a Land Rover Experience day. Actually though, buoyed by low expectations, it was remarkably pleasant to drive on ordinary roads and usefully handy off the road in either front-wheel or all-wheel drive formats thanks to its low weight (1,160kg or 1,250kg for the AWD). It didn’t look half bad either, despite – or maybe because of – what Dacia itself described as ‘voluminous haunches’. Good name for a pole dancer.
Of course, the real USP of the Duster was its low purchase price. When the gen-two was announced in 2017 the entry price being talked about was still under £10,000 – £9,495 to be precise. Even though that rose to £10,995 when UK sales began in mid-2018, looking back it still seems freakishly cheap. The phrase that was concocted by one magazine and eagerly taken up by Dacia was ‘shockingly affordable’, and it was hard to argue with that.
Global events, and one in particular that kicked off in 2020, have changed things. Dusters have changed too, moving on from the rubber-mat simplicity of the gen-one to a much speccier proposition with a wider appeal. Overall though Dusters are still cheap relative to other cars and therefore still winning ‘great value’ awards left and right.
Getting back to the subject of our guide, the gen-two, this was distinguished from its dad on the outside by new square headlights and new square rear lights, and on the inside by a redesigned and re-equipped interior that Dacia called ‘status-enhancing’, reflecting the fact that Dacia owners now had aspirations. More of these will be met in the gen-three Duster that was popping up in showrooms at the time of writing in February 2025. There were no gen-two Dusters on Dacia UK’s website at this time. The only cars that were posted there as current models were the All-New Spring and the massively-selling Sandero.
There’ll be no diesel option in the gen-three Duster range but there are hybrid versions and, inevitably, higher prices. You’re talking about £18k to £26k for it, depending on the model. It’s still not a king’s ransom, but it’s getting further from the idea of ‘new cars for people who didn’t think they could afford one’, as Renault boss Steve Norman said in 2010, and closer to normal cars that were never predicated on the simple notion of Dickensian specifications and prices to match.
Fortunately you can escape this disturbing trend towards convention by dipping into the used Duster market, where you will be able to pick up a leggy gen-two for as little as £6,500.
SPECIFICATION | Dacia Duster Mk2 (2017-2023)
Engine: 999cc 12v or 1,333cc 16v turbo petrols, 1,461cc turbo diesel
Transmission: 5-speed manual (1.0), 6-speed on others, front- or rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 100@5,000rpm (TCe 100), 130@5,000rpm (TCe 130), 150@5,250rpm (TCe 150), 115@3,750 (dCi 115)
Torque (lb ft): 192@2,000rpm (TCe 100), 177@1,600rpm (TCe 130), 184@1,700rpm (TCe 150), 192@2,000 (dCi 115)
0-62mph (secs): 12.5 (TCe 100), 11.1 (TCe 130), 10.4 (TCe 150 4x2), 10.6 (TCe 150 4x4), 10.5 (dCi 115 4x2), 10.4 (dCi 115 4x4),
Top speed (mph): 104 (TCe 100), 118 (TCe 130), 124 (TCe 150 4x2), 121 (TCe 150 4x4), 112 (dCi 115 4x2), 109 (dCi 115 4x4),
Weight (kg): 1,191-1,405
MPG (official combined): 44.4-64.0
CO2 (g/km): 123-145
Wheels (in): 16 or 17
Tyres: 216/65-215/60
On sale: 2018 - 2023
Price new: from £10,995
Price now: from £6,500
Note for reference: car weight and power data is hard to pin down with absolute certainty. For consistency, we use the same source for all our guides. We hope the data we use is right more often than it’s wrong. Our advice is to treat it as relative rather than definitive.
ENGINE & GEARBOX
The gen-two Duster offered three petrol engines, or two if you want to be picky, and one diesel, all of them turbocharged. The slightly wheezy naturally aspirated 115hp 1.6 SCe was available in the gen-two body but Dacia didn’t acknowledge it in its press pack as far as we can see so we’re giving it a swerve too.
As regards the others, the model numbers told you their horsepower outputs. The TCe 100 was a three-cylinder 1.0 litre petrol, the others – a 1.3 litre TCe 130 or 150 and a 1.5 litre Blue dCi 115 diesel – were fours. The TCe 100 and TCe 130 petrols were front-wheel drive only whereas the TCe 150 petrol and Blue dCi 115 diesel could come with FWD or AWD underpinnings.
Although the 1.0 TCe 100 might have looked a bit puny on the spec sheet its turbocharged three-pot layout helped it to conjure up a useful 192lb ft of torque at 2,000rpm, more than the 130 or 150 and the same amount as the 115 diesel. Its low kerb weight of under 1,200kg did it no harm either. For comparison, the dCi weighed up to 1,400kg in AWD format. The 1.0 only had five gears to play with – the others had six – but it still managed a 0-62mph time of 12.5 seconds and an official combined fuel consumption figure of 52.3mpg.
For about £400 on top of the 1.0 TCe’s price you could get a BiFuel version with a 34-litre LPG tank in place of the spare wheel. It was marginally quicker than the straight petrol car and not a bad shout if you were a high-miler looking to minimise your fuel costs as long as you didn’t mind not being allowed on the Channel Tunnel train. The Duster taking the least time to get to 62mph from zero was a tie between the TCe 150 4x2 (which was also the fastest Duster at 124mph) and the dCi 115 4x4, both of which were claimed to do it in 10.4 seconds, and both of which were the dearest Dusters to tax in the UK. The thirstiest Duster was the TCe 150 4x4 at 44.4mpg. The most abstemious was the 4x2 diesel at 64mpg. All of them had stop/start tech.
Some particulate filters have clogged up on the 1.5 dCi engine and there have been instances of the ‘check antipollution’ warning coming up even when the AdBlue fluid level was correct. One recommended fix for this was to replace the AB pump and change your brand of cow pee. Actually there’s no cow pee in AdBlue so we’re not sure why we said that. Some say that the clutch on the 1.5 dCi has a reputation (built mainly on Renaults rather than Dacias) for getting heavy with mileage but others reckon that’s rubbish.
As far as we’re aware there’s only been one recall on the Duster which was to rectify a problem with the ignition switch failing to disengage after starting. Generally speaking, the gen-two Duster has performed very well in small SUV reliability surveys, scoring in the top five per cent of cars in that class and beaten only by rivals like the Audi Q2 or the Toyota Yaris Cross. Dacia as a marque usually finishes in the top third in the reliability stakes.
On any list of common issues electrical ones would probably be near the top, but in Dusters these are often caused by nothing more worrisome than dodgy fuses. The warranty wasn’t anything out of the ordinary at three-year/60,000 miles but you could extend it to as long as seven-year/100,000 miles for £795. Servicing was annual or 18,000 miles, whichever came first. A three-year/30k service plan was £350, or £650 for four-year/40k.
Although there has been plenty of praise for the speed and competitive pricing of repairs in the UK and for the general standard of Dacia customer service here, some owners have reported slow or unresponsive service from dealerships which in some cases has led them to migrate to independents.
CHASSIS
Simple but effective would be a reasonable summation of the Duster’s chassis. If you’re old enough to remember the best cars from the golden days of the French auto industry, the way the Duster went up the road might remind you of those times.
Obviously chassis designs have moved on somewhat since then, but not always for the best, the drift into needlessly large wheels being particularly culpable for the sacrificing of ride quality on the altar of short-term showroom appeal. For the gen-two Duster Dacia bowed to the pressure by going up to a mighty 17-inch wheel but only on the top two specs (Prestige and Techroad). The others happily stuck with 16-inch wheels, with steelies on the bottom two specs (Access and Essential).
The selectable 4x4 versions were really good with a dial near the gearshift lever to lock them into 4WD. They had 210mm ground clearance, approach/departure angles of 30/33 degrees, multi-link rear suspension (the front-wheel drive cars didn’t). hill descent control and hill start assist. The gen-two’s electronic power steering (standard across the range) meant there was 35 per cent less effort needed on your part than had been the case with the gen-one.
BODYWORK
The gen-two’s body shared no panels with the gen-one’s. It was styled with stretched headlight assemblies and a bigger grille to make it look a bit wider than the gen-one, to make it look a bit stronger than before courtesy of a higher belt line, and to make it look a bit less ‘blobby’ overall. They gave the windscreen more rake and moved it forward by four inches to create a more spacious feel. New aluminium roof bars extended the screen line and black wheelarch trims along with front ‘skid plates’ (described as scratch-resistant) added ‘adventurer credentials’.
It did succeed in looking bigger than before but it was still a small car on the road, so all in all it was a good job. Every paint colour apart from white was a £495 extra. Moscow-built gen-one Dusters had paint issues but we’re not aware of any similar problems with the gen-two.
The gen-two’s Euro NCAP score wasn’t great at three stars out of five but the boot was big enough to absorb a meaty rear impact if you filled it with marshmallows or similar. The FWD car had space for 445 litres of them, the AWD 411 litres. One lever pull would drop the back seats to a nearly flat position, increasing the cargo space to up to 1,623 litres. It was a one-piece back seat on the Access.
Dusters do generate ownership love but at these prices not everybody was careful with them. Cars without rear parking sensors - i.e. Access and Essential - were particularly prone to getting banged up.
INTERIOR
The gen-two Duster cabin was comprehensively revised in both appearance and equipment options. The dash was new and somewhat sharper in its look, with the MediaNav display (where fitted) moved to the upper part. The seats were revamped and cabin stowage was increased to 29 litres. First-time-in-a-Duster items included blind spot warning, a Multiview camera, curtain airbags, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility plus a hands-free door locking and unlocking card that did away with the need for an ignition key.
Of course, you needed to get the right model to get the right stuff. The names in the lineup were the same as before. The entry-level £10,995 Duster Access didn’t even have an audio system fer flip’s sake, but you knew that. Having a choice was what it was all about. Essential, the next spec up, started at £12,495 and gave you digital sounds, Bluetooth, aux and USB connections and air con. Comfort, the middle spec, began at £13,995 and added the MediaNav 7in infotainment touchscreen which gave you access to CarPlay and Android on post-December 2018 build cars. It also had sat nav, cruise control, alloy wheels, electric rather than keep-fit rear windows, a leather steering wheel and a rear-view camera with parking sensors.
For the Multiview four-camera surround system you needed the £16,295 Prestige which upgraded the air con to climate control and threw in blind spot monitoring. Slipping in between Comfort and Prestige was something called the SE Twenty which had nice 17-inch alloys, special decals and blue accents in the cabin and that Multiview camera. The top-spec £16,955 Techroad, was picked out by its posher two-tone alloys, different interior trim and upholstery, extra styling bits and bobs including body-coloured door mirrors and model-bespoke Fusion Red or Highland Grey paints.
Comfort was probably the best value new-car choice but when you’re buying used the money gaps between specs are greatly compressed so posher models become even better value. It would be exaggerating to say that a Duster cabin of any spec level ever felt ‘premium’ but it’s all about expectations innit. Blackness was the interior theme, and that’s not to everyone’s taste, but passengers were generally more interested in and impressed by the surprising smoothness of the ride and the peace of the cabin on motorway trips. Dacia said they’d used thicker glass for the new car’s front windows and that they'd increased the percentage of sound-absorbing surfaces in the cabin (and the engine bay). The improvement on the road confirmed those claims. Bigger speakers boosted the audio quality too.
Space in the back wasn’t up to Skoda Superb levels but then you wouldn’t expect that and anyway it was perfectly sufficient for average family use. Seat comfort and support front and rear were good. The driver’s perch had lumbar and height adjustment from the Essential up and an armrest from Comfort level. Leather was a £550 option.
Some of the interior design touches were slightly odd. The position of the USB socket above the screen meant that your view of the screen was interfered with by the cable. Nor was it immediately obvious or logical that the cruise control enabling switch was down by the handbrake somewhere. Duster horns have played up, either only working when the car’s lights were off or not working at all. Replacement of the horn is the quick solution.
PH VERDICT
If you’re interested in one of these small back-to-basics SUVs we’re not surprised. The prices have gone up from the heady days of £8,995 gen-one Accesses but they’re still excellent value and by the looks of it strong and reliable. Kudos to Renault for seeing Dacia as an opportunity to reach out to those who were looking for simpler, cheaper, newer motors without risking the dilution of its own brand.
The gen-two Duster went on sale in the UK in 2018 but be careful when you’re scoping out the forecourts because the gen-ones were still around then too, and on into 2019. If you’re not sure which one you’re looking at, go around the back and check the rear lights. The gen-two has four red stacked squares that were supposed to create a 3D effect. On the side, they have that Range Rover-style vertical trim behind the front wheels.
Comfort is by far the most popular spec you’ll find on the used market. The most affordable Duster we found in PH Classifieds in February 2025 was this 1.5 dCi Comfort with 117,000 miles at £6,495. For around £500 more you could have this 99,000-mile 1.3 TCe 130 petrol, also in Comfort spec.
If you’re into low spec and steelies here’s a 2021 1.0 TCe Essential with 53,000 miles at £7,970. Used 4x4 gen-twos are quite thin on the ground but you might like this 2019 one-owner diesel Comfort with 48,000 miles at £10,995. Sadly we can’t offer you a base Access car because there were none for sale on PH as we went to press. In fact, we couldn’t find one anywhere in the UK. Does this signal the end of non-aspirational Duster ownership? Finally, in case you’re wondering, it’s pronounced ‘datcha’ not ‘dah-see-a’.
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