The Dacia Duster fought off tough competition to claim the Autobest 2025 award as The Best Buy Car of Europe. It won with a total of 16,292 points, narrowly beating the Renault Symbioz by 102 points. The Opel Frontera followed closely in third position, while the Citroen C3 netted fourth place with 15,550 points, and the MG3 rounded up the rankings with 13,507 points. It was one of the closest competitions in the organisation’s history.
To attain Autobest recognition, a car must exemplify the best overall value for a broad spectrum of European customers. Crucial criteria in the voting process include price, service network, spare parts distribution, and versatility. The assessment also increasingly considers design and new technologies as pivotal factors. Autobest employs a transparent voting system; all results are published on its website.
“It is the most balanced Autobest competition in our history. The difference between the winner and the no 4 is less than 1 % of the total number of points available to Jurors to vote. This result clearly shows the impressive progress the car makers have made to fulfil the complex requests of the 665 million car users Autobest serves. This year’s Finalists proved to be outstanding products, with great appeal and impressive competence, as the Jury members thoroughly checked all the models during very detailed tests. Next year, in 2025, there is a choice of remarkable cars around for all the European motorists’ needs and tastes”, declared Dan Vardie, Founder & Chairman of the AUTOBEST organisation.
“But this tough competition is also making the victory of Duster even more important! It is proving that Dacia is keeping an edge as the `Best Buy Car` on our continent! After the victory of the first-generation Duster in the Autobest 2011 competition, today’s performance is another recognition of the leadership of Dacia Duster in the European markets. I am sure the Duster saga will continue not only in 2025 but also in the years to come!” he added.
The new Dacia Duster has just been introduced to the Irish market, with a starting price of €25,990. Now, in its third generation, the Duster is available with a hybrid powertrain for the first time in addition to a 4x4 drivetrain option. It also has a significantly improved interior design with a 10-inch touchscreen available.