Item: Dacia Duster 2009-2018
Rating: 4

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The term ‘all-rounder’ is overused, but when it comes to the trusty and affordable Dacia Duster, it couldn’t be more appropriate.

Having taken some 100,000 sales since its UK launch in 2013, the Duster is now cemented as one of Britain’s favourite small SUVs, and not just because it allowed people to get into a new car at an affordable price but because it was pretty decent across the board, too.

The really smart money went on the first Dusters just over a decade ago. You could get a new SUV with a robust, spacious interior for just £8995 – far cheaper than the Skoda Yeti. It even undercut the Ford Fiesta and Fiat Panda.

Access trim was the entry point, and while it was dirt cheap, describing its spec as spartan would be an understatement, as it got steel wheels, unpainted bumpers and no radio.

It could only be had with an unhurried 104bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine, driving the front wheels as standard, but you could spec four-wheel drive for an extra £2000.

Mid-rung Ambiance trim was a little better equipped, with its part-coloured bumpers, stereo (with Bluetooth and USB connection) and adjustable seat, plus it brought the option of a 108bhp 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine.

If you wanted true luxury (by which we mean alloy wheels and air conditioning), the £14,995 Laureate was manna from heaven. Stump up an extra £470 and Dacia would even make the paint metallic. Very posh.

Prestige and SE Summit trim levels came later. They featured cruise control, electric windows and heated door mirrors, but the real telltales are the diamond-cut alloy wheels and the 7.0in multimedia touchscreen.

When we first drove the Duster, it gave us an unpleasantly large dose of road and wind noise, and it had more of a tendency to move around at higher speeds than the rival Yeti.

Still, its diesel engine had plenty of shove, despite the unusually spaced ratios of the six-speed manual gearbox, and we couldn’t fault the ride quality, as the relatively small 16in wheels of the Laureate meant the Duster maintained a composure befitting a much more expensive SUV.

It’s worth noting that safety wasn’t a selling point: the Duster was awarded just three stars in Euro NCAP’s testing (scoring poorly for pedestrian protection and safety assist), despite being fitted with anti-lock brakes, emergency braking assistance, stability control, traction control and airbags.

In 2014, Dacia restyled the Duster with a new front grille and headlights and made some tweaks to its interior.

A year later, it added a 123bhp 1.2-litre turbo petrol four (albeit reserved for Laureate trim). Meanwhile, the sedate 1.6 petrol engine was replaced by the 1.6 SCe, which had a bit more pep (115bhp).

Your own particular needs will determine which version to go for. A ‘UN-spec’ Access model will make an ideal workhorse, and a Laureate car will have more standard kit, although the premium commanded by 4WD dents its value appeal.

For day-to-day drudgery and tip-run supremacy, it has to be a mid-spec Ambiance with two driven axles.

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 8

Used Dacia Duster 2009-2018 review

Romanian Renault is a go-anywhere bargain SUV that's robust, spacious and likeable

Good

Exceptional value for money

Spacious interior

Frugal diesel engine

Bad

Soggy handling

Noisy diesel engine

Poor safety rating

RELIABILITY

Is the Dacia Duster reliable?

The Duster shouldn't present any major concerns from a reliability standpoint, and is regarded as a robust and dependale SUV that can easily fulfill any workhorse duties.

In the What Car? reliabilty survey, the go-anywhere Duster fininshed in the middle of the pack in the SUV class, with Romanian value brand finishing 13th out of 32 in the manufacturers survey.

Engine: Keep an eye out for the engine overheating in slow traffic: owners claim that a poor-quality cooling fan is to blame and its fuse blows as a result.

A clogged-up diesel particulate filter will send a diesel into limp-home mode. As with any car so equipped, regular use of fast roads is required to keep things flowing freely.

Brakes: Any unusual noises from the front as you go from a forward gear into reverse suggests that the front brake pads might be unseating themselves. Make sure you get the braking system inspected thoroughly if you have any concerns.

Gearbox: A jolt when shifting or a clunking noise could be worrying – or it might just mean the gearbox oil is low, so check before making any decisions.

Body: Indian-built first-year Dusters are quite prone to rust, with the doors, bonnet and boot hinges affected.

Check the footwells and around the windows for water leaks, as this is also a common issue on early cars. A poor bulkhead and leaking door seals are often the culprits.

Interior: Being on the cheaper side, the Duster can suffer from some creaks and rattles after a while. Before buying make sure you take it for a test drive and have a good look around the interior for any other signs of wear.

Electrical faults are common, particularly the dashboard and lighting systems on early models.

An ovwner’s view

David Gauld: “I’ve owned five Dacia Dusters, my first being a 2016 Laureate 1.5 dCi 4x4. It was a bit agricultural, with cheap plastics and old-fashioned buttons, but during my three years of ownership it was super-reliable, it would regularly get 50mpg, the 4WD system was excellent and I could easily get adults and luggage in the back.

“It did suffer from a water leak – the back floor used to get wet – and the windscreen wiper motor broke. A bit more ground clearance for off-road driving would have been useful, too. But overall I covered 36,000 miles in the car, and while it was basic, I loved it.”

Also worth knowing

It may be a compact SUV, but the Duster is nevertheless a truly practical option for families, with a spacious rear seating area and a 475-litre boot, which is just shy of 60 litres more than you get in the Yeti.

The standard roof rails allow for the addition of a roof box, and some owners have even turned their Dusters into micro camper vans.

If you want to tow a caravan or trailer, the Duster has a braked capacity of up to 1500kg.

DESIGN & STYLING

Pros

Robust, rugged design meets baby off-roader brief

Compact silhouette makes it usable around town

Cons

Poor safety rating

Plastic bumpers and trim aren't the most refined

Like its even cheaper Dacia Sandero sister, the Duster sat on the Renault-Nissan B0 platform which, for the avoidance of doubt is B Zero, not a personal hygiene issue.

The Duster gained a more distinctive exterior in 2017, with the front grille dominating alongside an upgraded headlight system and bumpers. The interior was improved, too, both in terms of quality and ergonomically, to allow it to retain its position as a compelling choice for those looking for a cheap, rugged small SUV.

The platform mandated the use of traverse engines, with a 1.2-, 1.6-litre petrol or a 1.5-litre turbodiesel

The entry-level 1.2-litre petrol engine had 123bhp while the bigger capacity 1.6-litre petrol produced a miserly 112bhp and the diesel 107bhp.

For the first time, the Duster recieved Renault's EDC dual clutch automatic gearbox, a decision that was driven by the increase in sales of automatics.

The all-wheel drive system cames courtesy of Nissan and featured three different modes: front drive, permanent four-wheel drive or ‘automatic’ that switched between the two according to need.

Cleverly the Dusters also came with an unusually low first gear ratio in place of a heavy, complex and expensive low ratio transfer box for off-roading.

As you might expect the suspension of front drive Dusters varied not at all from the class norm with struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear.

Four-wheel drive models, meanwhile, received an independent four link rear end that provided better wheel control and typically superior ride and handling – although this came at a cost of 67 litres of boot capacity.

Less promising was the the Dacia's inabilty to gain a five-star EuroNCAP rating, with the Duster scoring just three stars when tested back in 2011.

INTERIOR

Pros

Spacious cabin is big enough for adults front and rear

Decent SUV-like seating position

Cons

Little my the way of material richness with cheap plastics throughout

Better kit tied to pricier models

Peer into the Duster’s cabin and while you wouldn't conclude that the Promised Land now lay before you, you were unlikely to throw your hands up in horror.

The interior looked perfectly pleasant and was proficiently styled, even if a little grey. Probe away diligently at the largely rock hard plastics of many different textures and you soon gained a sense of where Dacia had cut corners to meet its affordable price.

For a car in which right hand drive appeared an afterthought – it took two years for Dacia to get around to making it – the fundamental driving position was actually quite reasonable.

There was no reach adjustment on the steering wheel which was disappointing and for taller drivers it felt too far away, but the relationship between seat, driver and pedals was acceptable.

You sat high in the car in time-honoured SUV style and while the driver’s seat was height adjustable the squab itself was flat, short and shapeless providing no more than adequate comfort over longer distances.

Likewise the Dacia's side bolsters, whose lack of support was mitigated only by the fact the Duster was not a car that would ever generate substantial lateral g.

Ergonomically it was there or thereabouts. The switchgear was not pretty and the ventilation controls were set a little too low but it was never a problem to identify and operate whichever dial, switch or button you needed.

All round visibility was excellent too. It’s worth remembering however that air conditioning was available only on top spec Laureate models.

By class standards the Duster was pretty roomy, too. There was space in the back and front for four average adults to travel in peace, with the only short straw being the additon of a fifth passenger.

Not only would he or she be perched uncomfortably on a pad between the rear seats, but the centre seatbelt arrangement, which had its upper mounting point far behind you on the C-pillar, was sub-optimal not just for you, but the person sitting to your left.

Predictably, given the price, there wasn't a great deal of equipment on the basic Duster model - but you did get power steering and remote central locking.

Opting for Access trim added a bit more equipment, mainly in the shape of bigger steel wheels, electric front windows and height adjustable rear headrests.

Move up to mid-spec Ambiance trims and suddenly the Duster became a lot more modern, with kit including fog lights, DAB radio, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, while for 2016 the Ambiance Prime spec added a bit more luxury, including an exclusive metallic paint job and 16in alloy wheels.

The range-topping trims - Laureate and Prestige both offered 16in alloy wheels, air conditioning, electrically adjustable and heated wing mirrors, while the latter feature a 7in touchscreen infotainment system with sat nav and traffic updates, a reversing camera and rear parking sensors.

The Duster also had a decent boot: there was no clever stuff here like underfloor storage or any means of securing your shopping.

If it was just pure space you were after, there was more space than you’ll find in the Yeti, Nissan Qashqai and even the Range Rover Evoque. Seats down and load area was comparable to that of an Audi A6 Avant.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

Pros

Diesel brings best performance and economy

Good low down torque and minimal turbo lag

Cons

Oli burner can feel a little breathless at the top end

Clattery diesel isn't the most refined

The Dacia Duster was lighter than you’d think, with even the diesel model weighing just 1205kg (though this rose to 1294kg with four-wheel drive).

On paper there was little to tell between petrol and diesel performance, but in the real world the diesel that proved the preferable choice every time - not just because of the extra range and fuel consumption it delivered.

This was not the kind of car you'd ever be likely to drive to the limit of its performance potential so what mattered for every day driving was that the engine responded keenly to each press of the pedal, no matter what revs the engine was pulling.

This was territory the ubiquitous Renault/Nissan 1.5-litre diesel was familar with. It had excellent low down torque although, even by diesel standards, it got breathless very quickly at the top end.

There was little turbo lag and always a strong response to commands, aided by the slightly notchy six speed gearbox that nevertheless had all points of the Duster’s power curve nicely covered.

A shame then that in the Duster installation the diesel was intrusively noisy at all speeds from idle to redline.

In most such cars you accept a degree of clatter when the engine was cold or under load but so too would you expect it quieten down to a point where it was nearly inaudible at a cruise. In the Duster this never happened.

RIDE & HANDLING

Pros

Soft suspension deals with lumps and bumps with ease

Solid braking ability

Cons

Substantial kickback through steering

Lacks body control through corners

You got the impression that the provision of decent handling and ride was not among the options presented to Dacia’s chassis engineers by the raw materials at their disposal.

Drive the Duster, at least the front-drive Duster with a beam axle at the back, and you could almost see the thought process that followed.

Probably correctly ride comfort had been prioritised and as a result the Duster's chassis actually seemed superficially quite sophisticated at first, sponging away everyday lumps and bumps like a seasoned pro.

But there was a price to be paid: while the soft springs kept such intrusions from shuddering through the cabin, the same could not be said of the steering which felt like it had a less-than-rigidly mounted rack.

It provided the unlikely and unfortunate combination of substantial kickback through the rim with almost zero feedback - precisely the reverse of what you would want.

And those soft springs also affected the primary ride comfort, with pronounced roll rates evident on country roads and notable heave and wallow over crests and into dips.

Braking ability was reasonable: the pedal was a little spongy and ultimate retardation felt limited by the amount of forward weight transference created by those soft springs, but ABS actuation was sensibly delayed and the system itself was fade free in normal use.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

The Duster wasn't just cheap to buy, it was cheap to run too.

You might assume that the Nissan Qashqai using the same diesel engine would somehow be more frugal but it wasn't: the two-wheel drive diesel Duster could manage 56.5mpg on the combined cycle, a smidge better than the 54.3mpg recorded by its distant cousin.

Petrol models were less efficient, however, and struggled to even break 40mpg.

The Duster came with a standard 3yr/60,000 mile warranty that could be extended to 5yr/60,000 miles or 7yr/100,000 miles.

VERDICT

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 8

Used Dacia Duster 2009-2018 review

Romanian Renault is a go-anywhere bargain SUV that's robust, spacious and likeable

Good

Exceptional value for money

Spacious interior

Frugal diesel engine

Bad

Soggy handling

Noisy diesel engine

Poor safety rating

If the Duster had been priced alongside cars you’d regard as its natural competitors, it would have meaned eaten alive.

Compared to the class leading Yeti, the Duster was way off the pace in every important area save interior space.

The Duster is not without appeal, but it's not a car for everyone
Nic Cackett
Road tester

Moreover in certain regards, refinement, handling and NCAP crash test result in particular, the Duster performed poorly by almost any standard.

But you couldn't ignore the pachyderm sitting patiently in the corner. The Duster was an attractive, spacious and, with diesel power, a relatively frugal SUV available for an incredibly reasonalbe price.

Besides for cash strapped families living in difficult times, the Duster was a car unlike any other on the market.

And while it was based on some old technologies and certainly had its flaws, it was relevant, effective and cheap.

100,000 sales later and the Duster is stil going strong.

Sam Phillips

Title: Staff Writer

Sam joined the Autocar team in summer 2024 and has been a contributor since 2021. He is tasked with writing used reviews and first drives as well as updating top 10s and evergreen content on the Autocar website.

He previously led sister-title Move Electric, which covers the entire spectrum of electric vehicles, from cars to boats – and even trucks. He is an expert in new car news, used cars, electric cars, microbility, classic cars and motorsport.

Sam graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 2021 with a BA in Journalism. In his final year he produced an in-depth feature on the automotive industry’s transition to electric cars and interviewed a number of leading experts to assess our readiness for the impending ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars.

Steve Cropley

Title: Editor-in-chief

Steve Cropley is the oldest of Autocar’s editorial team, or the most experienced if you want to be polite about it. He joined over 30 years ago, and has driven many cars and interviewed many people in half a century in the business.

Cropley, who regards himself as the magazine’s “long stop”, has seen many changes since Autocar was a print-only affair, but claims that in such a fast moving environment he has little appetite for looking back.

He has been surprised and delighted by the generous reception afforded the My Week In Cars podcast he makes with long suffering colleague Matt Prior, and calls it the most enjoyable part of his working week.