Dacia Duster vs Renault Captur: which small SUV should you buy? 

If you’re in the market for a small SUV, you’re pretty spoiled for choice. One of our favourites is the Dacia Duster, because it offers loads of interior space and plenty of kit for a bargain price.

But you could also consider the Renault Captur, which costs just a few thousand pounds more, but on the face of it seems a bit more premium.

So which should you choose? Well we’re going to compare their design, practicality, technology and value for money.

Remember, you can buy a brand new or used car right here on Carwow. And you can sell your car, too. We’re here to help you through every step of your car-changing journey.

Dacia Duster vs Renault Captur: prices and deals

Let’s start by talking money. The Dacia Duster starts from just over £19,000, however you can get one through Carwow at the time of writing for just £18,300. That’s a spacious and comfortable SUV for less than a Vauxhall Corsa.

The Captur, on the other hand, starts from just over £22,000. Through Carwow you can get one for less than £20,000 at the time of writing, and there’s something else to consider as well.

The basic Dacia Duster is very sparsely equipped, with steel wheels and no infotainment screen. To get a similar amount of equipment to the Renault you’ll have to step up to the Expression model, and that starts from £21,820. You can save a few hundred pounds on this version through Carwow.

Dacia Duster vs Renault Captur: equipment and value for money

As we mentioned, the basic Dacia Duster is very bare-bones. Unless you’re a fan of minimalism, you’ll likely want to step up to the mid-spec version. This gets a 10.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a reversing camera, 17-inch alloy wheels and a digital driver’s display.

The Captur has a more generous standard kit list. Entry-level models get a 10.4-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and mid-spec models get an excellent Google-based setup with apps like Spotify and Google Maps built in.

Going for the Duster does mean forgoing some driver assistance tech, such as adaptive cruise control which doesn’t come on any model. That said, only the range-topping Captur gets this and that car is around £4,000 more expensive than any Duster.

Dacia Duster vs Renault Captur: exterior design

Choosing between these two cars based on their design will come down to personal preference, because both have a very different vibe.

The Dacia Duster is a rugged-looking SUV. It has a bluff nose and squared-off edges, as well as chunky black cladding around the lower half which alludes to its more rufty-tufty nature. It’s a properly handsome car.

The Captur on the other hand is more rounded and sporty-looking. Nothing about this car suggests that it’ll ever turn a wheel off road, it looks much more at home on the high street.

Dacia Duster vs Renault Captur: interior and practicality

There’s an honest simplicity to the Duster’s cabin which lends it a certain charm. It’s not pretending to be a luxury car with its swathes of hard plastic, but everything feels solid and built to last. The Captur on the other hand is more sporty to sit in, and there are more posh materials around the cabin as well.

The Duster also gets Dacia’s handy “YouClip” system, which is essentially a series of mounting points throughout the car which you can use to fit accessories such as lights, cupholders and clothes hangers.

Getting comfortable behind the wheel of the Duster is a breeze, and there’s a good amount of space in the rear seats as well. Fitting a child seat is easy thanks to the wide door openings, although the zips which cover the ISOFIX anchors and a faff, and the 472-litre boot is larger than you’ll find in a Volkswagen T-Cross.

However, the Captur’s boot is even bigger. You get 484 litres of space, and this can be expanded to 616 litres by sliding the rear seats forward.

With those seats all the way back, the Captur also has a good amount of rear legroom – if not quite as much as the Duster. It’s not as good for carrying three in the back either thanks to a slightly narrower body.

Both of these cars are really practical for their size, but the Dacia Duster just edges it courtesy of its roomier rear seats.

Dacia Duster vs Renault Captur: engines

Renault may own Dacia, but these cars don’t share engines – although both are available with either petrol or hybrid options.

The basic Duster is only available with a 1.0-litre petrol engine with 100hp and a manual gearbox, and it can also run on LPG – a cheaper fuel than petrol which is getting hard to find in the UK.

Mid-spec cars and up are then available with a 1.2-litre petrol engine with 130hp and mild hybrid tech to improve efficiency. This is also paired to a manual gearbox, and you can also get it with four-wheel drive if you fancy taking your Duster off the beaten track.

Finally, there’s the hybrid. This is powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine and an electric motor, and it can shuffle along in slow-moving traffic on electricity alone. It’s the most fuel-efficient of the three options, returning a claimed 55mpg on average.

The Captur’s engine lineup is much simpler, because there are just two to choose from. You can have a 1.0-litre petrol with 91hp and a manual gearbox, or there’s a 1.8-litre hybrid with 160hp. The petrol is nippy enough and will return 48mpg, but the hybrid engine is a peach. It’s smooth around town and really economical, returning well over 60mpg.

If you ever want to venture off road, the Duster is the better bet thanks to the four-wheel drive option, and it’s super comfortable on the road as well. Refinement is surprisingly good for a budget car like this, and it’s easy to drive in town thanks to the boxy dimensions.

The Captur is also good to drive around town, however visibility isn’t as good as the Duster’s. It’s also slightly firmer over bumps, but it is more quiet on the motorway.

Dacia Duster vs Renault Captur: which should you buy?

It’s a tough call, because these are two cracking SUVs. The Captur is stylish, practical and economical, and it has a more premium-feeling interior.

However, the Duster is even more spacious inside, more comfortable and there’s something about its rugged styling which makes it look really cool. Add in the fact that it’s cheaper, and you can get up to seven years of warranty cover when you service it within Dacia’s network as opposed to the three years of coverage offered by the Captur, and it’s the Duster which clinches the win here.

Car change? Carwow!

Looking for a new set of wheels? With Carwow you can sell your car quickly and for a fair price – as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you’re looking to buy a car brand new, are after something used or you want to explore car leasing options, Carwow is your one stop shop for new car deals.

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