New Dacia Duster Cargo is SUV-based van priced from £23k
Dacia’s family SUV has had its rear seats ripped out to create a practical option for businesses...
On sale Late 2025 Price from £22,995 (excl. VAT)
Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice that involves rearranging a living or workspace to achieve a sense of harmony – and it’s an art that seems to have caught on with a number of carmakers who are taking out the rear seats of some of their models to create car-based vans. The latest addition is the new Dacia Duster Cargo, which is based on the Duster family SUV, but it’s aimed at providing harmonious practicality for businesses.
Indeed, the Duster has had its rear bench of seats removed in order to take advantage of its full boot space. The van version will offer 1149 litres, or 0.97m3, of space in the back, as well as a payload of up to 430kg.
This isn't the first time the Duster has spawned a van variant. There was the Duster Commercial, which was available with petrol and diesel power, and offered a higher payload than the new Cargo model.
There aren’t many direct rivals for the Duster Cargo, but for reference, that’s just less than what the Toyota Corolla Commercial can manage, and it’s around half the payload of the Toyota Land Cruiser Commercial – though that model is far bigger and much more expensive.
The Duster’s rear seats are replaced by a flat wooden floor, with the passenger compartment separated by a mesh bulkhead. There’s also a full-length load cover and tinted rear windows for extra security, as well as four lashing points for securing loose items.
The Duster Cargo is available with either mild hybrid or full hybrid power – the latter being the same engine that was recently added to the regular car.
The mild hybrid 130 option combines a 1.2-litre petrol engine with a small electric motor for a total output of 128bhp. In line with the Duster’s rugged nature, it gets four-wheel drive, as well as a terrain control system that allows you to change driving modes depending on the conditions of wherever you’re driving. Adaptive hill descent control also comes as standard.
Or you can opt for the brand new full hybrid 155 option, which combines a 1.6-litre petrol engine, an electric motor, generator and a small 1.4kWh battery. It pumps out 153bhp and can run on pure electric power for short distances around the city. Unlike the mild hybrid model, it’s front-wheel-drive.
To keep things simple, there’s just one trim available: Expression. It comes with 17in alloy wheels, LED lighting, roof bars, tinted windows, automatic windscreen wiper and wheel-arch protection.
Inside, there’s a 7in digital driver’s display alongside a 10.1in infotainment touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring. As standard, there’s six-way adjustability on the driver’s seat, four-way adjustability on the front passenger’s seat and height-adjustable seatbelts and headrests.
Standard safety features include cruise control, rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera and advanced emergency braking (AEB).
The Dacia Duster Cargo will arrive before the end of this year. Prices start at £22,995 for the mild hybrid model and jump to £23,595 for the full hybrid. That’s in the same ballpark as the Toyota Corolla Commercial.
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