Dacia Duster review

At launch the Duster range kicked off at £18,745 – but prices have increased steadily since then. Now you’re looking at a minimum of £21,845 for the entry-level Expression mild hybrid 140.

It’s £25,095 – or £3,250 extra – for the full hybrid in the same trim. Journey and Extreme trims start at £23,545 and £26,795 respectively, with similar jumps in price if you want the full hybrid.

On lease, you’re looking at a starting figure of £199 per month with a £5k deposit over four years for the mild hybrid, or £236 if it’s the hybrid you’ve got your eye on. A lot of car for the money, that.

It doesn’t undercut its rivals like it once did, but only the Suzuki Vitara and Renault Captur come anywhere close. The likes of the Jeep Avenger, Toyota Yaris Cross and VW T-Cross all start thousands more.

What are the trims like? 

Expression is your entry trim, and gets 17in alloys, roof bars, a 7in digital driver's display, a 10.1in central infotainment touchscreen with wireless Apple and Android, manual aircon, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera. Very swish. 

The top two trims are meant to form a Y structure – Extreme is more lifestyle-y with 18in alloys, modular roof bars, heated steering wheel and seats, washable interior trim, auto aircon, satnav, front parking sensors, and Dacia’s fun YouClip system. Journey is meant to be more comfort oriented, with slightly different 18in alloys, fog lights, keyless entry, wireless phone charging, satnav, a multi-view camera and an upgraded sound system.

Which one should I go for? 

Honestly? The cheapest Expression trim offers very strong value for money. The entry mild hybrid with its manual gearbox is well suited to Dacia’s cheap and cheerful brief, but you might err towards the full hybrid for the improved fuel economy and, if you’re regularly sat in slow crawling traffic, the automatic gearbox.

Dacia’s standard warranty is three years/60,000 miles, or you can take advantage of its 'Zen' warranty – meaning that for every annual service at a Dacia dealer you activate another year of warranty, up to seven years/75,000 miles. Kind of them.