Dacia Jogger review

Is the Dacia Jogger a good car?

The Dacia Jogger is a fantastic family car that offers seven-seat flexibility and plenty of practical space, all for an affordable price that you won’t have to break the bank.

The Jogger is brilliant in its simplicity and, with no other new seven-seater car offering anywhere near this value for money, it should grab the attention of family buyers. Yes, it’s quirky-looking and a little plain inside, but it’s good to drive, and available with an efficient hybrid engine, making it a great overall package. It's no wonder we named it our Family Car of the Year in 2022 and 2023, plus a highly commended rating in 2024.

Our choice: Dacia Jogger TCe 110 Expression

How much does the Dacia Jogger cost?

As living costs have been increasing and many families are considering their financial priorities, it’s refreshing to see companies like Dacia keeping an unwavering, laser-focus on making practical, quality cars at an affordable price. This straightforward approach has certainly struck a chord with British motorists, as the Romanian brand has managed to shift more than 250,000 cars since it launched in the UK a decade ago. 

Sitting between the Dacia Sandero Stepway crossover and Dacia Duster SUV, the front-wheel-drive Jogger is an estate/MPV hybrid that is unbelievably cheap to buy, even undercutting some new city cars. True seven-seater rivals don’t really exist at this price point, so buyers will only have the option of looking towards used examples of Volkswagen Touran, or mainstream SUVs such as the Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento, and Skoda Kodiaq. There are a few van-based MPV alternatives to consider, like the Citroen Belingo, Ford Tourneo Connect and Volkswagen Caddy, although all these have a higher starting price than the Jogger.

Of course, the elephant in the room is the Jogger’s one-star Euro NCAP safety rating due to not fitting all the safety equipment required by the safety organisation to chase a five-star rating. The company has stated that the Jogger is safer than the model it replaced, but said that omitting certain features was a ‘direct result of conscious decisions made by the company’ because they believe Dacia customers are not willing to pay for electronic aids that would improve the car’s rating. 

The company has stuck with that belief despite having to add various additional safety features to comply with European law. Notably, it hasn’t increased the price of the Jogger (and various other Dacia models), even though all versions now come with traffic sign recognition software, lane departure warning and lane keep assistance, a more advanced autonomous emergency braking system, a driver monitoring system, and automatic headlights.

Following Dacia's brand refresh in 2022, the Jogger now features a sharper front end that resembles its smaller stablemate, the Dacia Sandero supermini. Beyond that, the stretched wheelbase and higher roof line at the rear mark the Jogger out as the more practical proposition. 

Initially, Dacia offered just a single engine option for its seven-seater model, a 108bhp 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol unit mated to a six-speed manual transmission, but has since added a 138bhp full-hybrid version to the range. The Dacia Jogger Hybrid 140 features a 1.6-litre petrol engine with assistance from a pair of electric motors powered by a 1.2kWh battery pack. The Hybrid is the only way to get a Jogger with an automatic gearbox.

Three available trim levels underline the simplicity of the range. The entry-level Essential (not available with the hybrid model) includes rear parking sensors, cruise control, air-conditioning, a DAB radio and Bluetooth. We’d recommend upgrading to the mid-range Expression (previously named Comfort) trim because it adds some useful modular roof bars, electrically adjustable door mirrors, front parking sensors, climate control and an eight-inch media touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity. The top-of-the-range Extreme has diamond-cut alloy wheels, integrated sat-nav, an enhanced audio system, and an extra USB port.

The ' Sleep Pack ' is among the plethora of accessories Dacia makes for the Jogger. It’s a box that replaces the third row of seats in the Jogger’s boot and unfolds to provide futon-esque slatted support for a mattress. The basic Sleep Pack includes storage bags for the third-row seats and blackout blinds for the car’s windows, while the ‘Sleep Pack Ultimate’ adds a huge Dacia-branded four-person tent that can be connected to the boot of the Jogger.

The Jogger range starts from just over £18,000, while the top-of-the-range version in hybrid form is around £24,000. The options list is refreshingly simple, consisting of just metallic paint and (in the case of petrol versions) a spare wheel.

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The Jogger is much lighter than a bloated seven-seat SUV, so it feels well suited to urban journeys for a car of its carrying capacity. Its light steering makes parking easier, and there’s decent grunt from the little 1.0-litre petrol off the line to nip into gaps in the traffic. The Hybrid 140 also copes well in town and predominantly runs in electric mode, making it the most refined Jogger in the city. You will have to work the 1.0-litre harder on the motorway, and there’s a little wind noise to contend with at speed. Read more about the Dacia Jogger's engine, performance and drive…

The 1.0-litre version is reasonably efficient; we achieved 45.4mpg as part of our real-world testing, which isn’t far off the official combined WLTP economy figure of 47.9mpg. The Hybrid 140 does even better, getting a figure of 58.9mpg, and we saw around 50mpg from this version on our test without trying too hard. A low on-the-road price means no additional surcharges to pay in yearly road tax. Company car drivers will be better off with the Hybrid 140 because of its lower emissions, and private buyers will be pleased to know the Jogger range manages to hold on to its resale value rather well. Read more about the Dacia Jogger's MPG, CO2, and running costs…

The chunky exterior styling and extensive use of black plastic body cladding suggest that the Jogger has been built to shrug off the effects of family life. The robust interior isn’t going to win any awards for style, but it is refreshingly functional. It’s all highly logical and easy to use, which is more than can be said of a lot of modern family cars. Mid-range Expression is our favourite trim because you get an eight-inch touchscreen that works well, and you can utilise apps from your phone for music and navigation. Read more about the Dacia Jogger's interior, design and technology…

Seven seats make the Jogger a highly versatile car, and the rearmost seats are easy to remove, turning it into a van for a house move or an IKEA flatpack trip. We’ve found that fitting adults across the second and third rows is possible, and the raised rear roof design and big back doors help with access. Mid-range models and above have a flexible roof bar system in case you need to fit a roof box to make up for the Jogger’s small boot when all seven seats are occupied. Read more about the Dacia Jogger's boot space, comfort and practicality…

The Dacia brand improved on its 2023 Driver Power score to come in 22nd place out of 32 manufacturers in the 2024 survey. The manufacturer scored well in the economy and servicing cost categories, along with boot space and the mix between physical and touchscreen controls, but needs to do more in terms of driving pleasure.  Some recent upgrades to the list of standard safety equipment are welcome to see, considering that the Jogger only gets a one-star Euro NCAP rating. It’s a shame that seat belt reminders for the third row still aren’t fitted. Read more about the Dacia Jogger’s reliability and safety…

Dacia Jogger alternatives

There isn’t a direct seven-seater rival to the Dacia Jogger at this price, meaning you’ll need to look towards a used seven-seater car in order to find something of similar value.

The next closest alternatives would be the Citroen Berlingo, Ford Tourneo Connect, and Volkswagen Caddy Life van-based MPVs. All will cost you more to get into, and there are no fuel-saving hybrid options with those rivals, although higher-mileage drivers might prefer the fact you can get a diesel engine in all of these vehicles, plus there’s an electric Citroen e-Berlingo that’ll be cheaper to run for those paying Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) company car tax.