• Dacia Duster wins Best Tow Car and Best Winter Car at the Carbuyer Best Cars Awards 2017
• Robust SUV praised for its grip, ruggedness and affordability
• Pair of category wins build on Duster’s previous success in the annual awards
• Priced from £8,702 OTR in Jersey, Duster is the most affordable new SUV in the UK
The Dacia Duster has won further acclaim for its robust and rugged design after it was voted the Best Tow Car and Best Winter Car at the Carbuyer Best Cars Awards 2017.
The tough Duster scooped the duo of awards after impressing the Carbuyer.co.uk team of motoring experts with its unrivalled value, surefooted driving dynamics, tough construction and user friendliness.
Judged with the needs of car buyers in mind, the annual Carbuyer Best Cars Awards take into account a car’s reliability, price, running costs and how easy it is to live with in addition to how well it performs and handles. The award categories reflect the types of vehicles proven to be the most in-demand by Carbuyer’s readers and follow the straight-talking, jargon-free approach that has made it one of the most respected car review websites in the country.
In the course of providing motorists with the very best information and determining the winners of its awards, the Carbuyer team tests more than 500 cars a year.
It’s not the first time the Dacia has been praised by the Carbuyer judges. Since the awards were established in 2011, it has twice been judged the best small SUV available. Having undergone a facelift earlier this year, the Duster’s popularity among the British public shows no signs of slowing either.
Stuart Milne, Editor, Carbuyer, said: “The Dacia Duster is small, rugged and easy to drive, all of which are perfect attributes if you’re driving a car throughout the winter. Choose a four-wheel drive version, and you’ll have a car with remarkable grip that’ll make short work of the toughest wintery conditions, with little impact on day to day running costs.”
Louise O’Sullivan, Head of Dacia UK, said: “These awards perfectly illustrate the robust, rugged nature of the Duster, underlining its ability to easily cope with demanding driving conditions and usage.
“We’re delighted that these accolades add to the Duster’s ever-growing trophy cabinet and that its no nonsense approach to motoring and fantastic value continue to hit the spot with the automotive press and public alike.”
The multiple award-winning Duster starts from just £9,495, making it the most affordable SUV on the UK market.
The Duster is available in a choice of four trim levels, with 1.6-litre naturally aspirated (SCe 115) or 1.2-litre turbo charged petrol (TCe 125) or 1.5-litre turbodiesel (dCi 110) engines and in 4×2 or 4×4 set-ups. A six-speed EDC (Efficient Dual Clutch) automatic gearbox is also available and despite its sophistication compared to rival systems is the most affordable automatic crossover on sale.
Dacia has been a real success story in the UK since its launch in 2013 finding over 90,000 customers thanks to the brand’s clear value for money and no-nonsense approach. Duster, the tough crossover, has struck a particular chord with Britons having seen 6,503 sales in the first 10 months of the year alone – up 20 per cent on the same period last year.
About Dacia:
Dacia has a long history associated with Renault, the French brand first working with Dacia plants in Romania in the 1960s, before acquiring them fully in 1999. The brand concept is simple: to shake up preconceived ideas. Dacia produces spacious, robust, high-quality vehicles of original design that are affordable for everybody.
Dacia vehicles offer exceptional value for money. Reliable and resistant, they embody the best of Renault expertise. Relaunched by parent company Groupe Renault in 2004, the Dacia range has been expanding constantly and buyers have a wide array of vehicles to choose from, ranging from Dacia Duster, a sporty all-terrain vehicle, to light commercial vehicles or family vehicles such as the Dacia Sandero and Dacia Logan MCV. The concept continues to enjoy great success with over 4 million Dacias sold in Europe since the brand’s revival in 2004.
Dacia launched in the UK in January 2013 and enjoyed the most successful start ever for a new car brand in the UK. Dacia was rated 4th best car manufacturer for ownership satisfaction in the 2016 Which? Car Guide – out of 34 rivals including many luxury brands. Auto Express Driver Power, one of the UK’s largest automotive owner satisfaction studies, has placed Dacia in its top five best manufacturers for three consecutive years – out of 32 brands featured in the 2016 survey, with customers in particular praising the brand’s reliability.
Dacia was also voted number two in the 2016 Auto Express Driver Power Dealer Aftersales Satisfaction survey, proving that owners enjoy incredible value-for-money and an outstanding ownership experience.The Dacia Sandero has been awarded the title of “Best Small Car under £12,000” by What Car? for four consecutive years (2016, 2015, 2014, 2013). The Dacia Duster was named TopGear magazine’s “Bargain of the Year 2012” at launch.
