Dacia Bigster Review 2026: Prices, specs and verdict

What is the Dacia Bigster?  

Dacia likes to keep things as simple as possible. The Bigster, as the rather odd name suggests, is the biggest Dacia on sale in the UK. 

This does-what-it-says-on-the-tin approach has worked wonders for the Renault-owned Romanian brand. Dacia is the biggest selling car company in Europe in terms of retail sales, and the Sandero is the region’s best-selling car.  

Up until now, though, Dacia’s range has focused on smaller, more accessible car categories. The Bigster is the long-awaited solution to that, competing in the larger family SUV segment that occupies half of the list of the top 10 most popular new cars in the UK in 2025. 

The Bigster is an all-new model, but in essence it’s a Dacia Duster that’s been made longer and given some extra kit options. It’s still only a five-seater, though (you’ll want the Dacia Jogger if you want seven-seats). So, is the Bigster any good? Our in-depth review covers everything to find out.  

Verdict: is the Dacia Bigster a good car?

The Dacia Bigster is the perfect car for those that need maximum space for minimal outlay. It’s also ideal for drivers who value ease-of-use over gadgets and gizmos. It’s roomy, comfortable and mostly well-equipped, but the Bigster falls behind pricier rivals on cabin plushness, refinement and (crucially for some) its Euro NCAP safety rating.  

Pricing, specs & rivals

List prices for the Dacia Bigster start at £25,215 for the entry-level Expression in Mild Hybrid 140 form.  

That’s even cheaper than an MG HS, let alone the Hyundai Tucson, Nissan Qashqai or Vauxhall Grandland. It’s also nearly £13,000 less than the cheapest Volkswagen Tiguan. So yes, the Dacia is a value proposition.  

You can add four-wheel drive to the base model for an extra £2,250 or step up to the full hybrid version from £28,190. Opting for mid-spec Journey trim increases the price by a reasonable £1,550 across the board. 

Top-spec Extreme trim starts at £27,015, topping out at £29,990 for the full hybrid. That means no Bigster variant strays over the £30k barrier when many rivals’ ranges start well over that.  

And it’s not as if you’re slumming it when it comes to spec, even in Expression trim. That still comes with 17in alloys, a 10.1in touchscreen with wireless smartphone mirroring, keyless entry, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, a multi-view camera and plenty of safety aids. 

Journey adds an upgraded sound system, adaptive cruise control, sat-nav, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, an electric tailgate, exterior styling upgrades, wireless phone charging and a bigger driver’s display screen. 

Extreme, meanwhile, gets some rugged body protection and hill-descent control along with rubber floor mats for off-road excursions. It also features a panoramic sunroof that opens, but is otherwise similar to Journey.  

Rivals 

The Dacia Bigster has lots of family SUV rivals, but very few of them have such an affordable starting price. The closest is the MG HS, while new Chinese brands like Jaecoo and Chery will sell you some affordable alternatives too.  

But the usual (more expensive) rivals include the Nissan Qashqai, Renault Austral, Skoda Kodiaq, Seat Ateca, Hyundai Tucson, Vauxhall Grandland and Kia Sportage. 

Interior comfort, quality & technology

The Bigster’s interior looks very similar to the Duster. That means it’s simple and hard-wearing, but very far from premium. 

Okay, so nothing feels like it’s going to fall to pieces over a speed bump, and the overall design is smartened up by neat air vents and silver painted trim. But everything you touch bar the armrests is cheap, unyielding plastic. It’s certainly better than Dacias of old, but a Nissan Qashqai feels luxurious by comparison. 

Still, we love the simplicity. Everything is where you expect it to be, and there are physical buttons for the climate control along with simple physical wheel controls and a (rather old-school) media control stalk behind the wheel.  

The driving position isn’t as roomy as many rivals, however. This is partly because it’s based on the Duster which shares its platform with the Renault Clio and Captur, but also because Dacia has given the Bigster a larger centre console.  

This isn’t an issue if you’re under six-foot. But if you aren’t, the shallow pedal box means your knees stick out into the hard centre console and door trim if you sit close enough to the steering wheel to get comfortable. It’s a minor complaint, but worth considering.  

Still, all-round visibility is good thanks to sitting even higher up than in the Duster, and parking is a doddle because every version has reversing sensors along with four cameras giving a view round the car.   

Infotainment, sat-nav, stereo and connectivity

Every Bigster gets a 10.1in touchscreen infotainment system, with Expression models missing out on sat-nav. 

The system is simple rather than feature-packed, but the graphics are smart enough and the menu icons are easy to press with your finger when on the move. Our main complaint is that it isn’t very responsive by the standards of today, meaning you have to wait for it to register an input. 

It’s clearly been designed for most owners just to connect their phone and use the standard wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay phone mirroring, which works well enough.  

Expression models feature a smaller 7in digital driver’s display, which is basic but fine. The 10.1in display in higher-spec models is clearer and more configurable, however. You won’t find luxuries like a head-up display even on the options list.  

Expression models make do with a basic four-speaker audio system that sounds a bit weedy for a larger car, but the six-speaker Arkamys 3D system in other versions is decent enough. You’ll find four USB-C connectors spread across the front and rear of the car, plus a wireless charging pad in the centre console on Journey trim (it’s quite slow, however).  

How practical is the Dacia Bigster?  

With dimensions of 4,570mm in length, 1,812 mm in width and 1,710mm in height, the Dacia Bigster is 230mm longer and slightly taller than the Duster, but no wider. It’s also slightly longer than a Volkswagen Tiguan. 

While headroom up front is generous and the front seat passenger has plenty of space, drivers over six-foot might feel a touch hemmed in by the driving position (as mentioned above). But it’s not uncomfortable by any means. 

There’s plenty of room in the rear seats for a pair of adults to stretch out, with headroom a particular highlight. An MG HS does offer a bit more legroom, and being the same with as the Duster means sitting three adults across the back isn’t as easy, but overall it’s far from cramped.  

Wide opening doors aid access, too, while there’s plenty of room for a rear-facing child seats and ISOFIX points on both outer seats. Overall, and particularly considering the price of the Bigster, this is a spacious family car for most needs. 

Storage and boot space

There’s decent storage in the front of the Dacia Bigster. The door bins are a good size (if a little narrow), while the glovebox is roomy enough and the centre armrest has a good cubby space – it’s refrigerated on certain versions, too. There’s also a pair of cupholders under a sliding cover, but the cupholder trim can be removed to turn it into a small bin.  

Dacia includes its ‘YouClip’ system in all Bigsters. It’s a neat idea, with a few square mounting points dotted about the car to which you can clip phone holders, cupholders, luggage hooks and some other bits. 

In the rear, you’ll also find decent-sized door bins and some pockets in the front seatbacks, but there isn’t a centre armrest. You can fold the centre seat down (the rear seats have a useful 40/20/40 split) to find a pair of cupholders and a couple of grippy smartphone holders, but it isn’t exactly comfortable to rest your elbows on.  

The Bigster’s real selling point is the vast boot space on offer. The variant with the largest space (the Mild Hybrid 140) has a huge 677 litres, bigger even than the VW Tiguan, let alone most rivals. Opting for the 4x4 model cuts this down to 629 litres, while the Hybrid 155 has 612 litres – both are still very competitive.  

It’s a well-shaped boot with a wide opening that’ll swallow up everything a big family holiday can throw at it. You also get two height-adjustable boot floor to add some underfloor storage and remove the load lip – though speccing a spare wheel takes up the underfloor area. Seat folding is easily done via boot-mounted levers.  

Performance & drive: What is the Dacia Bigster like on the road? 

Don’t expect fireworks from under the bonnet of the Dacia Bigster. It delivers just enough performance in all versions to not feel too gutless, without ever feeling quick.  

There are three engine options in the Bigster, and two of them use the same 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol unit. The Mild Hybrid 140 produces, you guessed it, 140hp through the front wheels.  

It’s mated solely to a six-speed manual gearbox with a decent shift action, and while it can feel a bit lethargic at low revs, once the turbocharger spins into life it pulls well enough into the mid-range. Even fully loaded it’s unlikely to feel desperately underpowered. 

It’s a similar story with the Mild Hybrid 130 4x4. This drops 10hp on the front-wheel drive model and weighs a bit more, so even with four-wheel drive traction 0-62mph takes a more leisurely 11.2 seconds. It’s worth it if you plan to use the Bigster on muddy tracks or slippery fields, though. 

If you want an automatic, the only option is the Hybrid 155. This uses a 1.8-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine and a 1.4kWh battery pack – both slightly larger than in the Duster Hybrid – combined with a 50hp electric motor putting out 155hp. It’s also front-wheel drive only and uses an unusual four-speed clutchless automatic gearbox.  

This allows the car to roll around in electric mode alone up to around 40mph. It won’t do this for long before the engine fires into life, but it’s enough to cruise through the town centre silently and smoothly and can even accelerate away from the lights on pure electric power.  

Once the engine does fire into life, it will either spin at fixed revs to generate power for the battery or drive the wheels depending on the situation. This new version is a lot less noisy than the system in the Duster because the engine doesn’t have to work as hard. It’s a decent hybrid, if still not the most powerful or quiet.  

The Bigster Hybrid has regenerative braking, which is fixed in two modes depending on whether you select ‘D’ or ‘B’ on the gear selector. Both modes have fairly strong regen, meaning you need to get used to the car not coasting as easily as a normal petrol car. At least the brake pedal is smooth.  

Power, 0-62mph times 

• Dacia Bigster Mild Hybrid 140: 140hp/ 9.8 secs 

• Dacia Bigster Mild Hybrid 130 4x4: 130hp/ 11.2 secs 

• Dacia Bigster Hybrid 155: 155hp/9.7 secs 

Ride and handling 

The Bigster strikes a decent balance between a ride that cushions you from the worst potholes and handling that doesn’t feel too roly poly. It’s not up to the standards of cars like the Nissan Qashqai, but it isn’t too far away.  

The suspension is at its best when cruising, delivering a smooth motorway ride. It’ll also cushion speed humps and the worst potholes but can get a bit unsettled over really craggy tarmac – avoiding the larger 19in alloys helps this.  

There’s a fair bit of body roll when you throw the Bigster into a corner, and grip levels aren’t as high as some more sophisticated family SUVs. The steering is quite slow (again, good for cruising) and not the most precise, either, but we’re being picky as for most buyers it’s perfectly capable. 

Noise and refinement 

There is some audible evidence the Bigster is built down to a price on the road. It’s mainly from the engines, which are a bit vocal under acceleration and send more vibrations into the cabin than rivals. It’s not intrusive, though, and even though wind noise is noticeable at motorway speeds, road noise is well isolated.  

Euro NCAP: is the Dacia Bigster a safe car?  

Euro NCAP tested the Dacia Bigster in 2024 and awarded it a disappointing three stars out five in its crash testing. However, this is based on the score of the smaller Duster with some limited retesting. 

Don’t be alarmed, either – this isn’t a desperately unsafe car to put your loved ones in. Indeed, an 85% rating for child occupant protection is very competitive, but the Bigster lost marks in adult protection partly because it lacks centre airbags to prevent occupants from colliding into each other in a crash.  

Euro NCAP also marked the Bigster down in some areas for pedestrian protection in an impact, and while safety assist tech worked well on the whole Dacia offers no ‘safe exit alert’ system to stop occupants opening doors in front of traffic or cyclists.  

Still, every Bigster gets automatic emergency braking that detects pedestrians and cyclists, plus traffic sign recognition, lane keep assist and driver attention monitoring. Journey trim and above also get blind spot monitoring. 

We like the Dacia uses the same ‘MySafety Perso’ switch as Renault, allowing you to choose the driver assists you want turned off and quickly double tap a button to do so on startup.  

Running costs and fuel economy 

Dacia hasn’t skimped on mechanical engineering, so the engine range is very efficient. 

Opting for the cheapest 140hp mild hybrid petrol engine gives you an official economy figure of between 51 and 52mpg using the WLTP combined test. That’s a lot better than the 38mpg claimed for the pure petrol Jaecoo 7, for example. 

There’s a small penalty for opting for the 4x4 model, as it drops the official figure down to 47mpg (still good by class standards). 

But it’s the full hybrid model that does the best in official tests and in the real world. It manages up to 61mpg combined, despite having more power than either petrols. A Hyundai Tucson Hybrid only manages 48mpg in the same test.  

Happily, the Bigster is so cheap that all versions easily avoid the ‘Luxury Car Tax’ – a chunky extra annual VED payment for cars with a list price above £40,000. 

How much does the Dacia Bigster cost to insure? 

The Bigster shouldn’t break the bank in terms of insurance costs, either. The 130hp 4x4 versions has the lowest insurance group at 26, with the 140hp model at group 27 and the hybrid at group 28. That’s regardless of trim level.  

That is a bit higher than a Hyundai Tucson and Nissan Qashqai, for example, but unlikely to pose a problem for most motorists.