• Boot capacity is okay, but rear seats don’t fold flat
• Not enough interior storage space
• Rear seat space could be better

How much space is there?

While the Duster isn’t exactly a large SUV, its dimensions mean that it doesn’t fit easily within conventions used by most car manufacturers. Take parent company Renault’s range, for example: the Duster slots neatly between the dainty Captur crossover and Austral SUV in terms of length, but its pricing is more closely aligned to the smaller model.

Three adults can sit in the back of a Duster without too much trouble, although whoever’s relegated to the middle seat isn’t going to be happy on longer journeys. Kneeroom for rear passengers is also on the tight side, particularly if those in the front have the seat moved all the way back. A Skoda Kamiq is also worth considering if rear seat space is important, although this relatively compact model is much more expensive.

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Boot space and storage

The Duster’s boot area has grown over the old generation to 517 litres, managing to remain competitive against cars that are both smaller and larger than it. Frustratingly, the rear seats don’t fold flat either, which means that if you need to slide large and heavy loads all the way into the boot and into the passenger area, you’ll have to use some muscle to haul them over the step made by the base of the folded seatback.

Storage elsewhere in the car is mixed. There are big door cubbies in the front as well as lots of different spaces for different items, but rear storage is lacking – the rear door bins are very small, and the centre console only provides two USB-C sockets without any extra storage.

Is it easy to park?

Despite being an SUV, the Duster feels relatively compact. Every Duster model at least has parking sensors as standard which should help in tighter spaces – which will be useful given the large pillars and relatively small rear windscreen. In fact, the view through the windscreen is quite shallow, which may hinder you a little without the car’s technological assistance.

Safety

• Unimpressive Euro NCAP safety rating
• It is an improvement over the older one
• But lags behind rival cars

The previous-generation Duster scored a pretty average EuroNCAP star rating of three stars, and although this one matches that with an identical three-star rating, that reflects the tougher standards in the 2024 test.

The reason that the Duster fails to impress is down to its paucity of driver assistance systems. It meets the minimum Euro NCAP requirement of having autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning, intelligent speed limiters and drowsiness detection, but that’s about all. Dacia maintains that its customers do not want so many assistance systems, favouring a lower price – but we’re not so sure.

Watch: Dacia Duster Euro NCAP safety test video