Dacia and Renault are pretty much connected companies for a long time. Especially since 1999, when Renault decided to buy this Romanian automobile manufacturer. For this comparison, we chose the cheapest SUVs these two companies are offering, Dacia Duster vs Renault Captur.

Video comparison: Duster vs Captur

Basic info

Dacia Duster

Manufacturer: Dacia
Production: 2009 – 2017 (1st generation), 2017 – present (2nd generation)
Model Years: 2018 – present
Class: Compact SUV / crossover
Assembly: Romania, Brasil, Colombia, India, Indonesia

Renault Captur

Manufacturer: Renault
Production: 2013 – present
Model Years: 2013 – present
Class: subcompact crossover
Assembly: Spain, Malaysia

Exterior dimensions: Dacia Duster vs Renault Captur

Dacia Duster is bigger in all directions compared to Renault Captur. It is longer, wider, and higher, with a longer wheelbase.

Duster also has 40 mm (or 1.6 inches) more ground clearance. Looking from a distance Dacia looks much more robust and terrain ready while Captur is much cuter and elegant, for cruising around the city.

Dacia Duster vs Renault Captur interior dimensions

The external dimensional increment is reflected in the interior spaciousness. While we have no data for the legroom of both cars, it is clear from the image that Duster offers more head and shoulder room than Renault Captur. As expected.

Duster vs Captur luggage compartment

The new generation Dacia Duster has bigger luggage compartment. With all seats in place it has around 26% more room (or 101 liters). When rear seats are folded down, the difference is even bigger.

If you would move all the luggage from a fully loaded Captur to Dacia Duster, you would be left with 388 liters of empty space. Which is more than basic luggage volume in Captur. Interesting.

Dacia Duster vs Renault Captur engines

Comparing the engines between Duster vs Captur, there are no important differences. The fact that Renault is the owner of Dacia certainly plays an important role here.

For a small city crossover like Renault Captur these engines are more than appropriate, while Duster would for sure be grateful for 10 or 20 or even more horses under the bonnet.

Performance: Duster vs. Captur

Due to its smaller size (and weight) Renault Captur is definitely more lively on the road. It reaches about 13 km/h higher top speed on average (comparing the slowest and the fastest version).

Renault Captur also accelerates quicker from standstill to 100 kilometers per hour. Not much quicker though, but just enough for the driver to spot the difference.

Duster vs Captur safety (Euro NCAP)

If Dacia Duster has the size advantage, smallest Renault crossover proves to be much better when safety is in play. It is true that these ratings cannot be directly compared due to the fact that crash test has been performed in different years, but the overall Euro NCAP safety rating is pretty obvious. 5 stars for the French and 3 stars for Duster.

Dacia Duster vs Renault Captur price

One part of the price difference between Duster vs Captur goes on the account of less built-in safety assist systems. The other part is the value of the brand in customers eyes.

Yes, Dacia Duster is one of the most affordable if not the most affordable SUV on the (European) market. Even much smaller Renault Captur cannot match its price.

Final comparison: Duster or Captur? Main differences.

What to say for the conclusion? Are Duster and Captur competitors? We say not really. Each of these has their own target customers. We actually believe Renaulr Captur has to fight much harder for its market share since we see a new small cute crossover introduced almost every day.

On the other hand, Dacia Duster has a really strong attribute in its hands, and that is the price. Very low price. True, even Duster’s price goes up when you add some additional equipment, but the base model price has no competition. It is so much lower, that Dacia can easily afford only 3 stars in Euro NCAP crash test rating and not loosing the customers. Not many models can do that today.

Image credit: World Auto Evolution Youtube Channel, Dacia, Renault

Video credit: World Auto Evolution Youtube Channel