When tested by EuroNCAP in 2011 the Duster only received three stars. Parent company Renault will be hoping for a better Dacia Duster safety score when EuroNCAP come to evaluate the new model.

Dacia Duster practicality is best-in-class. With the seats in place the Dacia Duster has 475 litres of luggage space (408 litres in 4×4 with spare wheel) and with the rear seats folded this expands to 1,636 litres. Compare the boot space on the Duster to the Nissan Qashqai and you can see that the Duster has trumped the class-leading Qashqai on the practicality stakes.

With seats in place the Nissan has 410 litres and when the rear seats are folded flat this expands to 1,513 litres. If you compare the Dacia to the Hyundai ix35, the Duster comes out on top when the seats are folded flat. The ix35 has 591 litres with the seats in place while it has 1,436 when flat. The MINI Countryman is another rival that lags behind in the space race when compared against the Duster. The Countryman has a load space of 350 litres and 1,170 litres.

For families, the Duster offers practicality at the bargain basement end of the market. There is a generous amount of interior space in the Dacia. The Duster has five seats and you could ferry five adults – the middle seat in the rear bench is actually well sized and could accommodate an adult of average size and build. Head- and leg-room is plentiful.