The Renault Duster small SUV – sold in Europe under the Dacia brand – has arrived in Australia priced from about $35,000 drive-away, with the promise of tough looks and modest soft-road capability.
The first car from Renault’s budget brand Dacia – the rugged 2025 Duster small SUV – is due in showrooms this month, priced from $31,990 plus on-road costs.
The Duster will be sold as a Renault in Australia, and is marketed as a more rough-road capable alternative to the likes of the Hyundai Kona and Toyota Corolla Cross small SUVs, without adopting heavy-duty ladder-chassis underpinnings.
It will be offered in two model grades – Evolution and Techno – each available with a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine, front-wheel drive and an automatic transmission, or a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder, mild-hybrid assistance, all-wheel drive and a manual gearbox.
Prices will start from $31,990 plus on-road costs for the Evolution 4x2 automatic, but it will be marketed for a limited time for $34,990 drive-away nationwide.
The 4x4 all-wheel-drive variant starts from $36,490 plus on-road costs, while flagship Techno variants are listed at $36,990 with front-wheel drive and $37,990 with all-wheel drive, all before on-road costs.
All bar the Techno all-wheel drive – due in December 2025 – are planned to reach showrooms this month.
Renault Australia has warned the first shipment of Duster SUVs will be "limited" before deliveries ramp up in 2026, with the promise that "we are now working closely with the factory to improve our allocation moving forward."
The closest rival for the Duster in how it is marketed is the Subaru Crosstrek, which is priced from $35,990 plus on-road costs with all-wheel drive and an automatic transmission.
A Suzuki Jimny XL manual – a genuine four-wheel-drive on a ladder-frame chassis – is priced from $34,990 plus on-roads, while the front-wheel-drive Hyundai Kona starts from $32,500.
The Renault is not as well equipped as key rivals, however, the cheapest model lacking blind-spot monitoring – a key safety feature standard on most new cars today – and push-button start.
All models have cloth seats – without heating, ventilation or power adjustment in any variant – and adaptive cruise control is absent across the line-up.
Both variants are fitted with a series of 'YouClip' accessory attachment points – from the rear console to the tailgate – to fit items ranging from a phone holder or additional cupholders, to a detachable torch.
Renault says "a range of genuine and locally-sourced accessories" will be offered, expected to include a Rhino-Rack rooftop tent and platform.
Powering the front-wheel-drive Duster is a 1.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine producing 113kW and 270Nm, matched with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with paddle shifters.
The all-wheel-drive version uses a 1.2-litre turbo three-cylinder petrol engine with 96kW and 230Nm, matched with a six-speed manual and mild-hybrid technology which cannot power the wheels on electricity alone, but can switch the engine off when stationary to save fuel.
As a result, the 1.2-litre engine is rated to consume less fuel than the 1.3-litre – at 5.7 litres per 100 kilometres, against 6.5L/100km – but it requires 95-octane premium unleaded at minimum, rather than the four-cylinder's 91-octane.
All-wheel-drive models also add more sophisticated independent rear suspension, plus hill-descent control, a series of rough-road drive modes, and raised suspension with up to 212mm of ground clearance, up from the front-drive version's 174mm.
At 4345mm long, 1813mm wide and 1650mm tall on a 2657mm wheelbase, the Duster is similar in size to a Kona or Toyota Corolla Cross, and can tow up to 1500kg braked.
Boot space is more generous in the front-wheel-drive version, at 457 litres behind the rear seats, against 358L.
The 2025 Renault Duster is available to order now, ahead of showroom arrivals of three of the four model variants later this month.
2025 Renault Duster price in Australia
2025 Renault Duster Evolution standard features:
2025 Renault Duster Techno adds (over Evolution):
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
