Dacia Bigster (2025 - )

The Dacia Bigster is a wonderful companion, writes Tim Barnes-Clay. It’s economical, comfortable and has a cabin you can wipe clean after a family of five has had a good road trip in it. After driving over 1200 miles in the car in a week, I can honestly say the Bigster is like a dependable mate. It was doing 60mpg regularly – only ever dipping to 59mpg when I nudged the car out of ‘Eco’ mode – but more on the running costs later.

The Bigster is Dacia’s first motor in the C-segment – a versatile compact class known for balancing affordability and comfort - and is based on the company’s third-generation Duster. It is the biggest vehicle the automaker has made – and even though it’s not huge, it really works as a family car. Well, it’s a Compact Crossover SUV (C-SUV) really – and a hybrid one at that – and you don’t even need to plug it in as it’s self-charging.

Keep on reading to find out more about the Journey Hybrid 155 model I tested below. 

The proportions of the Bigster are highlighted by sleek, geometric shapes and forms, with uncomplicated lines that focus on the essentials. The wheel arches and the positioning of the lights at the Bigster's edges create a commanding kerbside presence, exuding a sense of robust styling, which is further emphasised by its compact, upright front end, typical of SUVs.

The front design is quintessentially Dacia, featuring a broad, gloss-black grille adorned with the iconic "Dacia Link" logo at its centre. The sculpted, horizontal bonnet helps give a clear view of the road ahead. Additionally, graphic design elements provide a hint of casual elegance, accentuating the front, doors, and area above the rear number plate. The skid plates are dyed during production, enhancing their durability and resistance. The cladding on the sides, wheel arches, and bumpers utilises Starkle. Developed by Dacia's engineers and incorporating recycled materials, Starkle is used in an untreated, unpainted form.
The car comes with standard 17- or 18-inch alloy wheels, with the tested Journey trim featuring 19-inch wheels. Also, a new body colour, Indigo Blue, is exclusively available for the Bigster. This metallic hue adds a touch of sparkle, and I was pleased to have my test vehicle in this shade.
Inside, the vertically mounted dashboard enhances passenger space in the front, with driving information seamlessly integrated into the digital instrument panel and multimedia details displayed on a central touchscreen. An elegant green line connects the two screens, visually tying them to the dashboard.
The Bigster in the Journey trim boasts a high console with an armrest that features a built-in cooler compartment, an induction charger, and ample storage space. And in terms of seating upholstery, there’s a clear focus on simplicity, aesthetics, and enhanced comfort - particularly evident in the mid-range Journey variant, with its comfier-than-it-sounds plastic-coated textiles.

Finally, the Dacia Y signature accentuates the connection between the Bigster's interior and exterior design, featuring Y-shaped air vents and door handles inside, along with a Y-shaped light signature at the front and within the rear LED lights.

The Journey trim, as driven, comes equipped with a Media Nav Live multimedia system, which offers connected navigation featuring real-time traffic updates and map revisions for a period of eight years. A six-speaker Arkamys 3D Sound System complements this system.
Tech-wise, and as alluded to earlier, the Bigster comes with a 10-inch display in Journey guise. This customised colour display allows you to showcase the information you deem most important.
You and your family can also enjoy the benefits of dual-zone air conditioning. The Bigster Journey is equipped with a wireless smartphone charger, too - and the hybrid comes with Adaptive Cruise Control.
Additionally, the Bigster is equipped with a range of driving aids. These features encompass advanced emergency braking, traffic sign recognition with speed alerts, rear parking assist, emergency stop signalling, lane change alerts, lane keeping assistance, driver attention warnings, and the emergency call system, eCall.
To simplify matters, Dacia has introduced an innovative feature called My Safety. This function enables you to quickly switch certain Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) to a personalised mode upon starting the vehicle, eliminating the need to adjust individual settings each time the Bigster is started.

The Bigster's all-new hybrid 155 powertrain, as driven here, combines a 109bhp four-cylinder petrol engine, two electric motors (a 50bhp motor and a high-voltage starter/generator), a 1.4 kWh battery and an automatic electric gearbox. It features four gears for the 1,799cc combustion engine and two additional gears for the electric motors. This combined tech is made possible by the absence of a clutch. 
The car is no slouch - but it's not exactly a speed-demon, either. We holidayed up to the Lake District, so I didn't want to test the limits of the car on the winding country lanes - especially with my family aboard. But the Bigster will get to 62mph in 9.7 seconds, which is fine for what it is. On motorways, if you wanted to push it all the way, it would eventually reach 112mph. Why would you, though? Especially in the UK.
Handling-wise, even though the Bigster sits high - almost like it's on stilts, there’s not as much body roll as you would imagine in corners - and the car gives a sense of confidence for the most part - and its strong brakes are very welcome - especially down the very steep hills you get around the Lakes. With five-up and a boot full of luggage, the Bigster does struggle on the way up hills - but you can get a bit more oomph by getting out of the 'Eco' driving setting, which I had on most of the time I drove the Dacia.

The Bigster is one of the roomiest vehicles in the C-SUV category, comfortably accommodating five passengers and a load of luggage.
With really good headroom at the front and rear, the Dacia impresses - it also offers decent legroom for rear passengers, ensuring a comfortable ride on three-hour-plus trips. Boot capacity is also top-notch, with up to 677 litres available beneath the parcel shelf, making it an invaluable asset for family outings. 
The interior of the Bigster is filled with a variety of practical features that enable you to capitalise on the generous space available. There is a 40/20/40 split to the rear seats, allowing for the transport of bulky items without sacrificing passenger comfort. 
And when two people occupy the rear, the central part of the backrest can fold down to create an armrest fitted with two cupholders and a phone holder. That wasn't possible at first for us - but when we dropped off one of our three offspring at the Leeds Festival (yes, another reason I racked up the miles on the Bigster - the Lakes to Leeds and back is over 200 miles) - the remaining two youngsters had that armrest down quick as lightning. 
With the backrests folded flat, the Bigster presents a seamless boot floor with an impressive maximum load length of 2.7 metres. Indeed, the Easy Fold system simplifies the process of folding the rear backrests from the boot, thanks to two levers located on either side of the load area. 
Furthermore, a durable, easy-to-clean rubber boot mat provides protection for the load floor; it can be rolled up for storage when not in use. We used it most of the time - mainly due to dirty, wet towels and clothing after a couple of paddleboarding sessions in Ullswater and Buttermere.
The Bigster also benefits from YouClip, Dacia's clever accessory system. This straightforward system enables the secure fixation of various accessories, such as a phone holder, tablet holder, or bag hook, at key locations within the passenger compartment or boot.
Accessing the Bigster is made effortless with the hands-free key and electric-powered tailgate. This feature, standard on the Journey trim, can be activated through three methods: the button located next to the registration plate light, the dashboard button, or via the key.

The hybrid 155 enhances the hybrid 140 lineup found in Dacia's Duster and Jogger models. It boasts increased poke, along with improved efficiency, achieving a decent reduction in fuel consumption and emissions. This is accomplished through the integration of regenerative braking, the high energy recovery capabilities of the battery, and the effectiveness of the automatic transmission. Additionally, the Bigster consistently starts in all-electric mode.

The official fuel economy is an impressive 60.1mpg for the Bigster Journey, a figure I managed to maintain for almost the entire 1200 miles I travelled during my holiday - only dropping to 59mpg when I pushed the accelerator hard while climbing hills out of 'Eco' mode or hammering back to the Lakes after the drop-off at the Leeds Festival.

The Dacia Bigster Journey Hybrid 155 is subject to a Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax rate of 25% for the 2025/26 tax year, which is a relatively reasonable rate for a hybrid. Its CO2 emissions stand at 106g/km, and with a fuel tank capacity of 50 litres, fuel stops are rare.

The Bigster is big – but not so big that you can get more than five people in it. For that, you’ll need the Dacia Jogger.

For a family of five – it’s bang on, though. And two of my youngsters are adult size, so it genuinely will handle that amount of people comfortably.

The boot swallowed all we needed to take for a holiday - and was bursting at the seams by the time we filled it with extra Leeds Festival gear for the eldest. But once that lot was taken out - the boot almost let out a sigh of relief - and became the boot that kept on giving as we toured the Lakes, stuffing it full of paddleboard kit and clothing, on top of some luggage and shopping that was already there.

The Bigster is a really easy car to drive, thanks to its automatic transmission and infrequent fuel stops – it’s also a cinch to clean out. Additionally, its sat nav and safety equipment make it a top companion for navigating the roads less travelled.

The Dacia is comfortable – but you have to adjust the seats manually, which is no disaster. The plastic, no-frills trim inside the cabin is totally acceptable, practical, and, again, easy to wipe down should any drinks or food get spilt. Occasionally, there is the odd squeak from the cheap plastics, but this can soon be drowned out by the Bigster’s decent enough audio system - or a good old conversation. I also noticed that the rearview mirror isn’t self-dimming, so I got a bit of glare at night from other road users’ headlights before manually dipping the mirror old-school style.

I liked the Bigster a lot. It’s still not within reach for me - thirty-grand is not something this freelance writer can afford outright - but if I keep the journalistic gigs going, then forking out between £289 and £375 per month on a Personal Contract Purchase plan could be a realistic option should I look at purchasing a new car. And, honestly, if I were - then the Bigster would be high on my car-buying list. It’s a top family motor – and really does the mpg it claims on the tin.