Renault Duster

The Renault Duster nameplate, which kick-started the extremely popular compact SUV segment, has now made its comeback after a long hiatus. The car has now been unveiled in India, and given that this generation of the Duster has already been in international markets for a couple of years now, Renault has made some India-specific changes to the SUV. Prices are set to be announced by mid-March 2026, but you can pre-book the Duster if you want. You’ll find the delivery timelines of the new Duster here. 

While the Duster nameplate is no doubt extremely popular, it has a big fight ahead as stalwarts such as Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Victoris and Tata Sierra are now ruling the show. So does the Duster have enough up its sleeve to go against the tough competition? Let’s find out.

There is no doubt that the Duster starts off on the right note as its tough, butch design gives it a lot of presence. 

The traditional boxy SUV design continues, but it now packs a host of modern design elements to keep up with the times. It comes with LED headlights with LED DRLs, and a rectangular grille with a bold ‘DUSTER’ wordmark spelt out along its length. It also sports a chunky air dam finished in silver, while also integrating the fog lights. Unlike the 'Duster' badging in the Indian version, the international model gets a 'Renault' badging on the front.

In profile, it maintains a muscular appeal with squared wheel arches and 18-inch dual-tone alloy wheels that give it a rugged appeal. A thick body cladding runs along the length of the SUV, while roof rails add to its rugged character. Notably, the rear door handles are mounted on the C-pillar. Here's how big is the new Duster compared to all of its rivals in all proportions.

At the rear, the Duster gets connected LED tail lamps and a chunky skid plate at the rear. Our image gallery of the 2026 Renault Duster gives you a closer look at its design elements. If you're curious how has the Duster evolved from its earlier version, we covered that here.

In terms of dimensions, the Duster is far from being the longest, tallest or widest car in the segment. It measures 4346 mm in length, 1815 mm in width, 1703 mm in height and has a wheelbase of 2657 mm. Yet, the Duster’s road presence won’t exactly be dwarfed compared to taller and wider cars like the Tata Sierra, because there’s a lot of muscle in the design. 

The new Renault Duster gets an all-new dashboard layout and theme, which looks really premium. The all-black theme with the contrasting silver elements has a sense of European sophistication in the design, while the configurable ambient lighting has been neatly integrated in the dashboard and door trims. 

In terms of overall quality, everything feels solid and well-built, but the materials aren’t setting any benchmarks in the segment. Still, the plastics feel smooth and there’s generous use of leatherette on the dashboard, central armrest, seats, steering wheel and door trims. We appreciate the fact that Renault hasn’t sacrificed functionality for aesthetics as you get a row of physical controls below the central AC vents, which are used for various functions like auto AC, defogger and temperature control. 

All these toggles feel nice to use and just like the old Duster, you don’t get any steering-mounted audio controls. Instead, there’s a separate audio stalk behind the steering wheel, which might take some getting used to, but proves to be rather intuitive once you do.

Front Seats

The one thing that’s clear from our limited interaction with the Duster is the fact that the cabin is very driver-centric. There’s a sense of cockpit-like feel with the infotainment being angled towards the driver and the high position of the dashboard. 

The seats themselves feel sport with a firm cushioning, which feels comfortable and supportive, especially for long journeys, and there’s even lumbar adjustment on offer. There’s a wide range of adjustments and finding a low and sporty driving position is very easy too, especially if you are of an average height. And while there’s enough space for most in the footwell area, really tall people might find their knees brushing against the dashboard.

The steering offers both tilt and telescopic adjustment.

Rear Seats

In terms of space, the Duster offers enough room for two 6-footers to sit one behind the other. It gets a rear central armrest too. That said, from our limited time, the back seat is best for two occupants, and the middle seat is best for a small child. Rear AC vents and two Type-C USB charging ports are present for your convenience. However, there are no rear sunshades available.

So while the Duster offers enough space for two occupants to be comfortable in the rear seats, the sense of space of the car isn’t the best with its tall window line, high dashboard positioning and dark interior theme.

Note that Duster is offered as a 5-seater offering, while Renault will also introduce a 3-row version of the SUV, which is likely to be called the Bigster. This model will make its debut in 2027. 

Features

In terms of features, the Renault Duster checks most of the boxes. It gets a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system and a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display - both of which run Google OS. The graphics are crisp and the animations, especially for the driver’s display, felt very fluid. They might not be the biggest screens in the segment, but they are second to none when it comes to the experience with the crispy resolution and colours. The Renault Duster has a unique feature that has been carried forward from the older version, and it replaces the steering-mounted audio controls.

Other highlights include dual-zone climate control, a panoramic sunroof, a wireless phone charger, a powered front seat with ventilation, multi-colour ambient lighting, and a powered tailgate. Here are a few things that are infact first for the Duster nameplate. Also, do note that the India-spec Duster comes with more equipment than its international counterpart.

The International-spec Duster was crash tested by Euro NCAP in July 2024. Intrigued to know its score in the crash safety test? Fret not, as our in-depth crash test report of the Duster will give you a detailed overview of its performance in the Euro NCAP crash safety test. 

In India, the Renault Duster offers safety features like 6 airbags (as standard), ABS with EBD, electronic stability control (ESC), a 360-degree camera, a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

Renault claims to have the biggest boot space in the segment with 700-litres of storage space that’s measured up to the roof. The shape of the boot is well designed for maximum utilisation – it is deep and boxy, so you should be able to pack in multiple large suitcases with ease.

Even with the hybrid powertrain, Renault was quick to note that there will only be a marginal compromise in the boot space, and you should still be able to accommodate a full suitcase set with ease. There are no official boot space figures out for the Duster Hybrid yet.

There’s also a 60:40 split available in the rear seats, that will let you pack larger items if required.

Renault offers the India-spec Duster with three petrol engine options, specifications of which are as follows:

There will be Eco and City drive modes available in the Duster, along with a configurable drive mode which will let you personalise the steering and engine modes individually.   

1-litre turbo-petrol

This engine is likely to do duties in the entry-level variants of the Duster and is the same unit found in the Kiger as well. It will be available with a 6-speed MT only, and should offer good driveability for daily city usage and occasional highway drives.

1.3-litre turbo-petrol

This engine will cater to people who want an exciting drive. It is not the biggest engine in the segment, but will be the most powerful turbo-petrol engine. It will be available with both manual and DCT automatic transmission, opening up options for people who either want engagement or convenience. 

1.8-litre Strong Hybrid

This powertrain might not be available at launch, but will boast the highest displacement engine, along with the biggest battery (1.4kWh) capacity for any strong-hybrid vehicle in the segment. Renault claims it will be capable of doing 80% of the drives within the city in pure EV mode, so it is bound to be one of the most fuel efficient vehicles in the segment with an expected real-world fuel efficiency of more than 20kmpl. 

The performance should be usable for both city and highway drives.

Renault also offers a 7-seater version of the Duster in international markets called as the Bigster. This model is also India-bound and you can read more about it here. 

In India, the Renault Duster is expected to be priced from Rs 10 lakh (ex-showroom). As of now, the variant lineup of the Renault Duster has not been revealed.

The Duster will have its work cut out in a segment that is probably the most fierce of all segments that exist, but the nostalgia factor associated with the Duster is equally strong. Lest we forget, the Duster was actually the one who birthed the compact SUV segment, and what remains to be seen is its pricing. If priced aggressively, there is no doubt the Duster could turn around Renault’s fortunes in India, beacuse it definitely has a lot of substance to match its hype.

The Renault Duster makes a good case for itself with everything that it offers. If you're in the market for a compact SUV and want to check out other alternatives to the Duster, here are the comparisons that you should check out:

- Renault Duster vs Tata Sierra

- Renault Duster vs Hyundai Creta

- Renault Duster vs Kia Seltos