A Spark from the Future: Duster Embarks on Its Electric Journey

The Romanian workhorse Duster is taking a bold step into the future, trading its fossil-fueled soul for an electric one. The budget SUV is going electric—and crucially, it may keep its all-wheel-drive capability intact.

The shift is driven by the European Union’s uncompromising plan to ban internal combustion engines from 2035. Dacia has no intention of being left behind and is pivoting full-throttle toward electrification.

CEO Denis Le Vot confirmed in a recent interview that the electric Duster is already in development and will arrive on schedule. Built on the CMF-B EV platform—also known as AmpR Small—it shares its underpinnings with the current Duster, now adapted for electric power. This is no prototype playground: the same base supports the Renault 5 and 4, and Renault recently showcased a 4×4 concept, the 4 Savane, with motors on both axles. This suggests the electric Duster could stay true to its off-road roots and offer genuine four-wheel drive.

That said, the combustion-powered Duster isn’t going anywhere just yet. It will remain on sale beyond 2030, coexisting with its electric sibling for some time. There’s an implicit recognition that the road to electrification has its bumps—and that the green transition may not unfold exactly as planned.

And Dacia won’t leave us tangled only in cords and charging cables. A new hybrid version of the current Duster is on the way, featuring an electric motor integrated into the rear axle. This petrol-electric all-wheel-drive setup is aimed squarely at stealing market share from the Jeep Avenger 4xe.