fbpx
Newspress Awards 2024 wide

Automotive Website of the Year

Automotive Website of the Year

Newspress Awards 2024 wide

Automotive Website of the Year

Automotive Website of the Year

Find an Expert Rating: 
Used Car Expert Rating

Dacia Duster (2010 to 2017)

Expert Rating

Used car score:

55
%
E

This model is no longer on sale or in production, so it doesn't have a New Car Expert Rating score.

Expert Rating report card

Media Rating:

61
%
D

Safety Rating:

11
%
E

Eco Rating:

-

Reliability Rating:

99
%
A

Running Costs:

63
%
B

How are our Expert Rating scores calculated?

Expert Rating

Used car score:

55
%
E

This model is no longer on sale or in production, so it doesn't have a New Car Expert Rating score.

Expert Rating report card

Media Rating:

61
%
D

Safety Rating:

11
%
E

Eco Rating:

-

Reliability Rating:

99
%
A

Running Costs:

63
%
B

Summary


The Dacia Duster is a small SUV/crossover, priced at the budget end of the market. This model was the first generation, which was launched in late 2010 and ended production in 2017.

The first iteration of the Duster received a rather mixed bag of review scores while it was on sale. As a spacious and practical family car that undercut the price of its rivals by several thousand, the Duster was praised by the British media for its serious value for money, but this budget deal had several trade-offs.

“It has genuine off-road ability”, Carwow commented, “but it drives like it was designed in the 1990s”. Several reviewers agreed with this sentiment – the Duster could soak up potholes with ease, but it wasn’t too agile in the corners and was quite noisy on the motorway. A number of journalists also commented that they could not recommend the Duster due to its poor Euro NCAP safety rating.

The biggest compromise facing buyers was the car’s interior, however. Reviewers took issue with the SUV’s fragile interior plastics, dated on-board tech and the car’s rather basic entry-level equipment list, which did not include modern essentials like air conditioning.

As of January 2025, the first-generation Dacia Duster holds a Used Car Expert Rating of E, with a score of 55%. It scores top marks for its excellent reliability record and also gets good grades for its low running costs. But its media review scores were poor, while its safety score is very poor as it’s now long outdated (and wasn’t a great score when it was new).

Duster highlights

  • Serious value-for-money
  • Spacious and practical cabin
  • Large boot
  • Two- and four-wheel drive models on offer

Duster lowlights

  • Fragile interior plastics
  • So-so fuel economy
  • Lead-in models didn’t have air-con
  • Dated driving dynamics

Key specifications


Body style: Small SUV/crossover
Engines:
petrol, diesel
Price when new:
From £9,290 on-road

Launched: Autumn 2010
Last updated: Winter 2013/14
Replaced: Summer 2018


Media reviews


Highlighted reviews and road tests from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

Auto Express

+

Auto Trader

+

Business Car

+

Car

+

Car Keys

+

Carbuyer

+

Carwow

+

Daily Mail

+

Daily Mirror

+

Eurekar

+

Green Car Guide

+

Heycar

+

Honest John

+

Parkers

+

The Sun

+

The Sunday Times

+

The Telegraph

+

Safety rating


Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

Overall score: 3 stars
Date tested: February 2011
Date expired: January 2018
Read the full Euro NCAP review

Adult protection: 74%
Child protection: 78%
Vulnerable road users: 28%
Safety assist: 29%

Notes on safety rating

The Dacia Duster was originally tested by Euro NCAP back in 2011 and awarded a three-star rating. However, this rating expired in January 2018 and is no longer valid as the car no longer meets the standards required for such a rating. This is normal practice, as Euro NCAP reviews its ratings on most cars annually with most ratings expiring after about six or seven years.

Although the rating has now expired, the score is still useful if you are comparing a used Duster to vehicles of similar age – whose ratings will have almost certainly expired as well.

Eco rating


Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP

No eco rating

The first-generation Dacia Duster was not assessed by Green NCAP as it was out of production before the emissions testing body came into being in 2018.

Reliability rating

MotorEasy logo 600x167

Reliability data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by MotorEasy

All data based on MotorEasy average workshop costs for extended car warranty claims

As of October 2024, the Dacia Duster holds an excellent reliability score of 86%, according to workshop and warranty data provided exclusively to The Car Expert by our partner, MotorEasy.

The average repair cost is also very low at £200, meaning that the Duster is also likely to be inexpensive to fix if it does go wrong. The only caveat to all this good news is that we still don’t have a lot of data on the Duster’s servicing costs, so the results could change quite significantly with only a few high-cost repairs.

Awards


Trophies, prizes and awards that the Dacia Duster has received

2017

  • Carbuyer Awards – Best Cheap Car + Best Winter Car

2016

  • Carbuyer Awards – Best Winter Car

2015

  • The Green Apple Awards – Best Small SUV

2013

  • Tow Car Awards – Best Budget 4×4

2012

  • Top Gear Awards – Best Bargain Car

Similar cars


If you’re looking at the Dacia Duster, you might also be interested in these alternatives

Citroën C3 Aircross | Fiat 500X | Ford EcoSport | Honda HR-V | Hyundai Bayon | Jeep Renegade | Kia Stonic | Mazda CX-3 | MG ZS | Mitsubishi ASX | Nissan Juke | Peugeot 2008 | Renault Captur | SEAT Arona | Skoda YetiSsangYong Tivoli | Suzuki Vitara | Toyota Yaris Cross | Vauxhall Crossland X | Volkswagen T-Cross


More news, reviews and information about the Dacia Duster at The Car Expert

Dacia Duster Hybrid test drive

Dacia Duster Hybrid test drive

Dacia Duster

Dacia Duster

New Dacia Duster now on sale

New Dacia Duster now on sale

New Dacia Duster SUV debuts

New Dacia Duster SUV debuts

Five of the safest new small SUVs on sale

Five of the safest new small SUVs on sale

The cheapest new cars on sale in 2022

The cheapest new cars on sale in 2022

Dacia expands Duster range with Extreme SE trim

Dacia expands Duster range with Extreme SE trim

The best new petrol SUVs for every budget

The best new petrol SUVs for every budget

Dacia Duster Bi-Fuel test drive

Dacia Duster Bi-Fuel test drive

Dacia Duster gets new entry-level engine

Dacia Duster gets new entry-level engine

Dacia Duster test drive

Dacia Duster test drive

Dacia Duster (2017 to 2024)

Dacia Duster (2017 to 2024)

Buy a Dacia Duster


If you’re looking to buy a used Dacia Duster, The Car Expert’s partners can help you find the right car

Motors 600x300

Search less, live more. We make finding the right car simple. Find out more

Auto Trader logo 600x300

Search for your next new or used car with Auto Trader. Find out more

Carwow logo 600x300

Discover great deals available on both new and used cars. Find out more

Used car finance

Looking for an alternative to dealer finance? The Car Expert's partners can help
We Finance Any Car 400x200

Used car finance from We Finance Any Car.
Find out more

Blue Motor Finance

Used car finance from Blue Motor Finance.
Find out more

Happy Motor Finance 600x300

Used car finance from Happy Motor Finance.
Find out more

Sell your car

Do you have a car to sell? The Car Expert's partners can offer you a great price
Motorway 600x300

Get a free valuation in seconds from Motorway.
Find out more

Auto Trader logo 600x300

Get a cash offer for your car in minutes from Auto Trader.
Find out more

Carwow logo 600x300

The free, easy way to get 3,000+ dealers all over the UK bidding on your car.
Find out more

Best car rankings

The top cars in every category

The Car Expert has the ultimate ranking of the best and worst new cars on sale, analysing scores from 35 of the top UK motoring websites to give you a definitive rating. We're adding more cars and more lists all the time, so keep checking back for the latest results.

This page last updated:

This page contains links to some of our commercial partners. If you click on any of those links, we may receive a commission.

The first-generation Dacia Duster was a small SUV with unparalled affordability, but buying one required some interior quality compromises.Dacia Duster (2010 to 2017)