New vs used hybrid SUVs: Dacia Duster or Toyota RAV4?
Hybrid SUVs are growing in popularity, but what's the best option for a budget of under £25k?
Hybrid SUVs are growing more and more popular as they combine two of the most sought after features for car buyers with a family - low running costs and plenty of space. They also offer a refined driving experience, swapping smoothly between electric and petrol power.
However hybrid SUVs are generally more expensive than their conventionally-powered cousins, meaning a used model often makes far more sense for those on a budget. So should you go down the second-hand route, or is a factory fresh model simply more appealing?
To help found out we pitted a new Dacia Duster against a used Toyota RAV4 to weigh up the pros and cons of both.
New: Dacia Duster
- Our pick: Dacia Duster hybrid Expression
- Price: £24,074 (saving £963 on RRP)
- Standard kit includes: 17-inch wheels, rear parking camera, manual air-con
- Key stats: 56.5mpg, 114g/km CO2, 10.1secs 0-62mph
- Road tax: £220 in first year, then £190
- Insurance group: 24
- Warranty: Three years/60,000 miles
Buy a new car for the price of a used one is Dacia’s sales pitch. And this third-generation Duster definitely ticks the new box, having only hit the UK market late last year.
The range starts with the £18,850 Duster Essential running a 99bhp TCe three-cylinder engine. But the most intriguing derivative mixes petrol and electric power to create one of the cheapest hybrid SUVs on the market. We were offered a Duster in tier-two Expression spec for £24,074 in Auto Express’s new-car marketplace, a £963 saving off the RRP.
Used - available now
2015 Mercedes
GLA
64,307 milesAutomaticDiesel2.1L
Cash £8,900
2015 Renault
Grand Scenic
139,735 milesManualDiesel1.6L
Cash £1,995
2021 Skoda
Octavia
51,925 milesManualPetrol1.0L
Cash £10,600
2024 Citroen
e-Berlingo
57,511 milesAutomaticElectric
Cash £11,270The hybrid system has two motors, one for electric drive, the other to harvest energy from braking and to start the engine. This Duster pulls away quietly on electric power and generally switches slickly between its power sources, although harsh acceleration can cause the 1.6-litre petrol to wail. The upside is 56.5mpg (on the official cycle) and 114g/km of CO2, so road tax is fairly cheap.
The Duster’s soft suspension makes for a very comfy, calming ride. And despite its compact 4.3-metre length, the car packs good interior space and a 349-litre boot (the hybrid’s battery eats a little capacity).
One of the benefits of buying new is to get the latest infotainment and safety kit, and despite Dacia’s no-frills mantra, all Dusters bar the Essential trim have a 10.1-inch touchscreen with simple but clear graphics. A reversing camera comes on Expression models.
Regulation now forces Dacia to include forward emergency braking and lane-keep assist, and while Euro NCAP rates the Duster pretty well for on-board adult and child protection, its performance safeguarding cyclists and motorcyclists, and warning of pedestrians while reversing, plus having no internal rear seatbelt alert, mark it down to a three-star rating.
Being so new, this Dacia is yet to feature in our Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, but the previous version topped the charts in 2024, thanks to its easy-to-use controls, cabin stowage and spaciousness. The latest Duster doesn’t appear to have compromised any of those virtues.
Used: Toyota RAV4
- One we found: Toyota RAV4 hybrid Design
- Price: £22,024
- Standard kit includes: 18-inch black alloys, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, rear parking camera, sat-nav
- Key stats: 49.6mpg, 129g/km CO2, 8.4secs 0-62mph
- Road tax: £190
- Insurance group: 26E
While Dacia is new to the hybrid game, Toyota is the daddy of petrol/electric power. And SUVs: the RAV4 is a global best-seller. But don’t be fooled by the name: this RAV4 is front-wheel drive (like the Dacia), although four-wheel drive is available on both models.
New-car buyers in the UK can currently only get a plug-in hybrid RAV4, which you must recharge for good economy. But this 71-plate example from the Auto Express marketplace is a regular hybrid and it’s half the price of a new RAV.
It’s also almost 30cm longer than the Duster, making the RAV4 even more spacious. However, that extra mass – and a larger-displacement engine – means the Dacia can beat its 49.6mpg. The payback is that the Toyota is almost a couple of seconds quicker over the 0-62mph sprint.
This RAV, which was £36,580 when new, has 44,600 miles on the clock and it’s just out of the basic three-year manufacturer’s warranty. However, Toyota has a hard-earned reputation for dependable cars and the RAV4 was placed fourth in last year’s Driver Power survey both for reliability/quality and in the overall rankings. It needs servicing every 10,000 miles, though.
This interior includes grey cloth seats and driver’s dials that mix analogue and digital info – unlike newer cars, which have a purely digital display that is configurable. The chunky, rubberised air-con controls are a nice touch.
Like the Dacia, the RAV4 offers a comfortable ride and although the Toyota’s hybrid drivetrain can suffer from noise at high revs, its 218bhp 2.5-litre engine doesn’t need to be overstretched too often. And like most of the contemporary Toyota line-up, the RAV4 delivers neat handling – for an SUV.
Euro NCAP awarded the RAV4 a full five stars in tests, and it has plenty of standard equipment: a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, autonomous emergency braking, lane-departure warning and road-sign assist. There’s intelligent cruise control as standard, too.
Used - available now
Hybrid SUV buying advice
The practical SUVs we've chosen are kindred spirits, even down to both looking great in khaki paint. Their powertrains have the same strengths and weaknesses; the Toyota is best for punch, the Dacia economy.
The choice between them comes down to your use case: if the smaller Duster meets your requirements, it’s a great buy. But for us, the bigger Toyota offers more car and kit for the money – albeit without the peace of mind of a new-car warranty.
Ready to treat yourself to a new or used hybrid SUV? You can find a great deal right here...
