Car of the Year Awards 2026: Best small SUV for value
A small SUV's compact size mustn’t come at the expense of practicality and should be reflected by low running costs. It should ride comfortably, too, while maintaining a sense of fun...
Dacia Duster 1.2 TCe 140 Expression
Dacia has a well-earned reputation for offering a lot of car for your buck, so you don’t need to approach the keenly priced Dacia Duster as though you’ve bought a budget airline ticket; in most respects, you’ll struggle to see any significant signs of corner cutting.
With the current iteration being larger than the original, there’s more room for four six-footers than in many rivals, while the huge, 517-litre boot of our preferred two-wheel-drive model also impresses.
The entry-level 1.2-litre petrol engine is eager to rev and provides enough oomph for most people’s needs. True, it isn’t as smooth as the Volkswagen T-Roc’s engine, and the Duster also lets in more wind and road noise, but it’s more refined than Dacias of the past. And while body movements would ideally be a little more tightly controlled, the Duster is still comfortable, thanks to soft suspension and tall-sidewalled tyres that take the sting out of potholes and scarred surfaces.
Entry-level Expression trim comes with all the essentials, along with a decent amount of standard safety kit. So, while it isn’t as multi-faceted as the T-Roc, the Duster is small SUVs that's a whole lot less basic than you might expect.
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