100,000 Dacia Bigsters and the death of old prejudices
Romanian carmaker Dacia reached a telling milestone. Just a year after production began, the 100,000th Bigster rolled off the line at the Mioveni plant. The model was meant to prove that Dacia could offer more than bare bones transport. In doing so, it also confirmed a broader shift in the European family car market, where pragmatism increasingly outweighs polished marketing promises.
The Bigster story began well before the first customer took delivery. More than 13,000 pre orders were placed early on, signalling that demand existed long before showroom lights came on. By the second half of 2025, the car had climbed to the top of the European retail charts in the C segment SUV class. Buyers, it seems, are no longer chasing badges for their own sake. They want something robust and spacious that does not require draining a bank account.
A revealing trend emerges in powertrain choice. The Hybrid 155 version dominates sales, suggesting that even Dacia’s traditionally conservative customer base is ready for electrification, provided it arrives in a sensible and affordable form. The most popular Journey trim and the favoured Indigo Blue paint also hint at a changing mindset. The Bigster is no longer chosen purely outarau necessity. Comfort and visual restraint clearly matter.
With the Bigster, Dacia appears to have found its niche and shows little intention of abandoning it. Old assumptions about what buyers expect from a budget brand are quietly falling away, replaced by a simpler truth. Honest cars, priced realistically, still have a powerful pull.
