Is Dacia any good/reliable?

Dacia is owned by Renault. If you look at Autoexpress.co.uk's reliability metrics (by users) across various Dacia models, you'll see good scores ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ). Somewhere around 3/5, but the Jogger scores 2.5/5 so far. It comes with a 3-year/60,000-mile warranty, which is pretty good for a car in this price range.

Dacia Jogger camping conversions and boot size

Q: Is there a Dacia Jogger hybrid?

Yes, it's available to order from €24,100 / £22,995 .

Q: How much is the Dacia Jogger Sleep Pack?

The Jogger Sleep pack costs 1,490 EUR when bought together with a new car or 1,790 EUR standalone. This might seem expensive but the price is actually average for a camping box. Taking into account the fact that it fits the car perfectly as it is made by the car manufacturer, it is actually a good price. If you build such a camping conversion yourself , you can save a lot of money, but it's hard to achieve this level of perfection and usability. Read more about the sleep pack - images, dimensions and a video walkthrough .

This successor of Dacia Lodgy seems to be boasting everything you need from a good car for camping – SUV features to take it off-road, MPV size with 7 seats + a long and spacious boot at a very affordable price. This could be the next best everyday camping car – if you are prepared to let go of a few comforts, slightly lower boot height or accept a lower safety rating.

Combined with Dacia’s own Sleep Pack, you can easily turn it into a camper (or try a DIY camping conversion too).

In this article:

Dacia Jogger dimensions

Jogger offers a 190cm long boot, but quite low boot height of 69cm and a good width of 124cm. This earns it an average NimbleCamper rating of 2.7/5.

NimbleCamper rating: 2.7/5

an overall good car for camping, losing to other MPVs only because of its lower boot height
some users might find the build quality and safety features lacking behind other MPVs, but that is nicely balanced by its low price

Make	Dacia
Body type	MPV / Minivan, Station Wagon / Estate, SUV
Boot door type	Tailgate
Boot length (cm)	190
Boot height (cm)	69
Boot width [wheel arches] (cm)	124
Consumption MPG (UK)	44
Consumption l/100km	6.4
Comfort rating	1.5
Available in	EU, UK
Engine type	Combustion
Average used price, GBP (2015)	13000
NimbleCamper rating (out of max 5)	2.7

Interesting features:

modular roof bars/rails that convert from roof bars to luggage rack/cross bars. No need to purchase any third party ones – just unclip the existing ones, turn them around and clip them across the car. Nice!

boot height with the seats removed is around 85-90cm
7 seats
Boot length is based on user feedback, not official data

Euro NCAP rating: 1/5 – very low, mainly due to lack of most recent technologies like seat belt warning for the last row of seats or pedestrian recognition sensors + auto brake.

Users submitted boot length on camping forums is 200cm with the front seat pushed forward, so the standard boot length is around 180cm. I have used an average of those (190cm) for the NimbleCamper rating. Makes sense as the overall car length is about 30cm shorter compared to a Sharan (with a 208cm boot length). One disadvantage seems to be that the last row of seats sticks out quite high even if the seats are folded – but you can easily take them out, see here.

According to user feedback, the boot height of the Jogger is 69cm (with seats folded down) – not that tall!

Apparently, it is one of the cheapest 7-seater MPV on the market at €25,000 / £18,295 new. Not the £13,000 that have been mentioned in early articles on the web mind you, but still good. And if that’s not enough, it’s getting great reviews overall. The biggest downside seems to be the cheap plastic feel on the inside.

Although it has received a very low NCAP safety rating, most reviews rate it high – especially given the price. You will get a new car with loads of space, 7 seats as standard (or a massive boot if taken out) and a light and agile MPV, maybe the lightest in its class.

DACIA JOGGER BROCHURE

Compatible Jogger camping boxes:

So far, 5 camping box manufacturers have confirmed a camping box for the Dacia Jogger: Egoe Nest Camper, Campal Estate, Camperiz, Vanable (See pictures and more in this post)

PROs

it is one of the cheapest new MPV you’ll find
easy to maintain, no expensive or hard-to-get parts
tailgate ^{(why is this important)}
low consumption (1.0-litre petrol engine, 108bhp – reportedly not as weak as you’d expect)
very good review scores overall considering the price
boot windows open from the inside – great for letting air in when you sleep there + you can easily put a custom net in to keep mozzies out

CONs

1.0-litre petrol engine for a car this size might be a bit underwhelming if you are used to stronger engines. But a 138bhp 1.6-litre petrol-electric hybrid engine is in the works.
not a 4×4 – ok for some off-road, but not too much
middle rear seats, when folded don’t seem to create the necessary even surface you’d need for a bed – some DIY adjustments might be needed
Users report a slight step between the last and middle row of seats that is tricky with a camping conversion – not a flat surface. You’ll likely need to take the seats out.
very low-security EURO N-CAP rating
No sliding middle doors ^{(why is this important)}
Not as big as other MPVs (Sharan, Caddy, Rifter), but still good at the price

Frequently asked questions:

You’d be surprised to learn that the Dacia Jogger is built on Dacia Sandero’s (or Renault Clio’s) platform. Guess they had to stretch it a bit!

You can – but some small adjustments to the sleeping area might be needed – as the folded seats don’t create a completely flat surface. Maybe this won’t be an issue with an inflatable mattress, but anything thinner will show the uneven surface. Or you can put a block of wood underneath the legs of the rear seats to level them out.

Yes, it’s available to order from €24,100 / £22,995.

It’s not a Ferrari, but it’s not supposed to be. The Jogger has a 1.5-litre diesel engine that produces 95 horsepower, so it’s not the most powerful car out there. But it’s efficient, and it handles well for a car of its size. You won’t be breaking any lap records, but you’ll get from A to B without any issues.

The Jogger Sleep pack costs 1,490 EUR when bought together with a new car or 1,790 EUR standalone. This might seem expensive but the price is actually average for a camping box. Taking into account the fact that it fits the car perfectly as it is made by the car manufacturer, it is actually a good price.

If you build such a camping conversion yourself, you can save a lot of money, but it’s hard to achieve this level of perfection and usability. Read more about the sleep pack – images, dimensions and a video walkthrough.

Dacia is owned by Renault. If you look at Autoexpress.co.uk’s reliability metrics (by users) across various Dacia models, you’ll see good scores (¹^{, 2, 3, 4}). Somewhere around 3/5, but the Jogger scores 2.5/5 so far. It comes with a 3-year/60,000-mile warranty, which is pretty good for a car in this price range.

According to various reviews, it drives well, partially thanks to its lightweight – 1200kg is on the lighter end for an MPV, making it feel more agile and manoeuvrable.

It isn’t the biggest car if size is your primary criterion, but if you want a car that can fit all your kids, their friends, their bikes, and their luggage, then the Jogger is your answer. It’s spacious, practical, and affordable. It’s not a luxury car, but it gets the job done. If you’re looking for a car that can fit your whole family and all their stuff without breaking the bank, then the Jogger is a great choice.

It comes with all the basic safety features you’d expect from a modern car, like ABS, ESC, airbags, and a reversing camera. It doesn’t have any fancy driver assistance systems.

Yes, it can – the Jogger can tow a braked trailer up to 1,200kg, or an unbraked one up to 640kg. This is lower with the Hybrid version – the braked trailer capacity drops to 750kg, ruling out most caravans and larger trailers.

Average review score (car review websites): 4.2/5

Taken from these overall reviews (not focused on camping):
Whatcar.co.uk rating 4/5 • Autoexpress.co.uk rating: 5/5 • Carbuyer.co.uk rating: 4.2/5 • rac.co.uk: 65/100 (3.25/5) • topgear.co.uk: 8/10 (4/5) • carwow.co.uk: 9/10 (4.5/5) • Parkers.co.uk: 4.2/5 • meinauto.de: 4/5

Dacia Jogger DIY camping conversions:

There is an official Dacia Jogger camper kit – sleep pack:

It includes a camping box (boot jump) for the trunk and a Dacia tent that fits the Jogger snuggly. I’ve summarised everything about it in this post:

Dacia introduces its own Jogger Sleep Pack – a Jogger camping box

Jogger walkthrough video

Useful links:

dacianer.de forum – useful threads with DIY camping conversions, tips and images, for example here and here (in German)
Official Dacia Jogger page – models, specifications, more images and prices