DACIA DUSTER RETAINS ITS ‘BEST VALUE CAR’ CROWN AT THE 2026 AUTOCAR AWARDS

• The Dacia Duster has retained the ‘Best Value Car’ title at the 2026 Autocar Awards, taking the award for the second year running
• Autocar praised Duster for maintaining its value, practicality, everyday toughness and distinctive character in a crowded SUV market
• The award underlines Duster’s no-nonsense appeal at a time when value for money matters more than ever to UK car buyers
• Dacia’s robust SUV is available in three generously equipped trims – Expression, Journey and Extreme – with mild hybrid 140 and Hybrid 155 powertrains, and prices starting from £21,845 on-the-road

The Dacia Duster has done it again, retaining its title as ‘Best Value Car’ at the 2026 Autocar Awards and proving that real value doesn’t mean having to go without.

In a market where new cars continue to become more complex and more expensive, Duster has once again been recognised for doing what it has always done best: giving drivers the essentials they need, the toughness they can use and the affordability they demand.

The annual Autocar Awards celebrate the best cars available in the UK, with the Duster standing out for its blend of robust design, everyday usability, practical equipment and accessible pricing. The repeat win also reflects how the latest Duster has evolved without losing the qualities that have made it one of Dacia’s best-known and best-loved models.

On naming the Dacia Duster its ‘Best Value Car’ for the second year running, Mark Tisshaw, Editor, Autocar, said: “One of the cleverest things about the latest Dacia Duster is that its creators avoided messing it up. Better than that, they refined and improved it while maintaining its very attractive price and its singular character – a real feat in a car market stuffed with me-too affordable crossovers.

“The Duster’s enticements to buyers will be seen as its low prices, decent standard equipment, practicality and economy. Yet, as with the previous models, Dacia has managed to maintain its singular, almost mystical persona as an interesting and slightly offbeat machine, the ‘interesting’ choice of someone who knows what matters in cars and what doesn’t. To have maintained such a subtle and elusive quality while changing so much on and under the skin is a mighty achievement.”

Lina Ribeiro, Dacia Brand Director for the UK, added: “Winning a value award once is a great result. Keeping hold of it is even better, because it shows Duster is still delivering where it really counts for drivers. Value has always been about more than price for Dacia. It’s about giving people a car that is useful, robust, well equipped and ready for real life, without asking them to pay for things they don’t need. Duster does exactly that, and this award from Autocar is a brilliant reminder that simple, clever thinking still matters.”

Available in Expression, Journey and Extreme trims, the Dacia Duster offers a strong mix of standard equipment, safety and driver assistance systems, practical cabin technology and everyday comfort. The range is priced from £21,845 on-the-road for the Duster Expression mild hybrid 140, with Hybrid 155 versions also available for drivers looking for an efficient full hybrid option.

ENDS

ABOUT DACIA:
Born in 1968, then relaunched by Renault Group from 2004 across Europe and Mediterranean countries, Dacia has always offered the best value for money cars by constantly redefining the essentials. 

As a game-changer, Dacia proposes simple, multi-purpose, reliable cars in tune with customers’ lifestyles. Dacia models have become a reference on the market, including Sandero, the best-selling retail car in Europe each year since 2017 and the best-selling car in Europe in 2024, full stop; Duster, the best-selling SUV to European private customers since 2018 and the second most sold car to customers in 2024; Jogger, the C-segment versatile family car; Spring, the UK’s most affordable electric car; and Bigster, offering buyers of larger, family-friendly cars the robust, well-equipped, great value for money that they have been longing for.

Present in 44 countries, Dacia has sold more than 10 million vehicles since 2004. Dacia launched in the UK in January 2013 and enjoyed the most successful start ever for a new car brand. More than 260,000 Dacia vehicles have been sold in the UK to date.

For further information please visit www.press.dacia.co.uk or contact:

Charlie Roper
Dacia PR & Communications Manager
charlie.roper@dacia.com

Jim Holder
Renault Group UK Communications Director
jim.holder@renault.co.uk