Rugged hybrid 4x4s closer to Oz: 2026 Dacia Duster and Bigster Hybrids locked in for UK launch to one-up the Subaru Forester, Suzuki Vitara and Toyota RAV4

Renault’s budget subsidiary brand, Dacia, has confirmed it is launching hybrid all-wheel drive versions of the Duster and Bigster in the UK.

This therefore means that right-hand drive versions of the Duster and Bigster will exist with this new hybrid all-wheel drive powertrain and theoretically makes it closer to an Australian launch.

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Renault launched the Duster in Australia last year under its namesake brand and it’s currently offered with two-wheel drive automatic and all-wheel drive manual powertrains.

The Bigster hasn’t been confirmed for Australia, nor its Renault-based counterpart for global markets which is called the Boreal.

To date this new hybrid all-wheel drive powertrain for the Duster and Bigster was only confirmed for markets in mainland Europe with a petrol and LPG bi-fuel set-up. It appears the UK-spec models will only have a petrol tank.

As a base this new powertrain uses the familiar 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine with a 48V mild-hybrid electrification that drives the front wheels, but adds an independent electric motor on the rear axle. Total system outputs are 113kW, which is 17kW more than the standard version.

The petrol engine is mated to a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, whereas the rear-mounted electric motor has a two-speed transmission.

The electric motor is fed by a 0.84kWh lithium-ion battery pack which allows the Duster and Bigster to travel short distances on electric power alone.

Dacia also offers a regular hybrid powertrain for the Duster and Bigster which has a four-cylinder petrol engine, mated to dual electric motors and a 1.4kWh battery, as well as an automatic transmission that includes four gears for the petrol engine and two for the electric motors. It is front-wheel drive only, however.

Renault has previously disclosed it plans to launch six new or refreshed models over the next 18 months in Australia.

“Now that’s one on average every three months, or one once a quarter,” said Renault Australia Managing Director Glen Sealey back in September 2025.

Beyond the Scenic E-Tech and updated MY26 Trafic that are already confirmed for Australia, it’s unclear what these other new or updated Renault models will be for our market.

“When we look at those six new models to come, there’s a bit of water under the bridge, there’s currency, there’s regulatory changes, there’s tariff changes rolling around the place,” said Sealey.

“What I can say … they may vary between now and then.”