Among the plethora of accessories Dacia makes for the Jogger is what it calls the ‘Sleep Pack’. 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 also 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 which connects 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.
Engines, performance & drive
The Jogger is much lighter than a bloated seven-seat SUV, so it feels well suited to urban journeys for a car of it's 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 more refined of the two in the city. You will have to work the 1.0-litre harder on the motorway, and there’s a little bit of wind noise to contend with at speed. Read more about the Dacia Jogger's engine, performance and drive…
MPG, emissions & running costs
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 48.7mpg. The Hybrid 140 does even better, getting a figure of 56.5mpg, 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…
Interior, design & technology
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 or plushness, 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 your own apps for music and navigation. Read more about the Dacia Jogger's interior, design and technology…
Boot space, comfort & practicality
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 it is possible to fit three adults across the second row, plus another pair of adults in the third row. The raised rear roof design and big back doors help with access, while 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…
Reliability & safety
The Dacia brand only managed a disappointing 26th place out of 32 manufacturers in the 2023 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, which suggests the band has some work to do to improve its ranking. 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, which means it’ll continue to be penalised, even if retested. Read more about the Dacia Jogger’s reliability and safety…
Should you buy a Dacia Jogger?
If you’ve had a bad experience with buying used cars in the past, and want the reassurance of a new car warranty (which can be extended up to seven years or 75,000 miles through routine franchised Dacia dealer servicing), plus you need seven seats, then there isn’t anything to touch the Dacia Jogger at this price point. The closest alternatives are van-based MPVs such as the Ford Tourneo Connect and Volkswagen Caddy Life, but those cost significantly more to buy. So does the ageing Volkswagen Touran, although the pay-off would be you will benefit from much greater refinement with the Touran.
The Jogger comes with all the things you’d need to tackle family life, such as its highly practical and robust interior, has lots of versatile features (such as the handy roof bars), and cost about as much to run as a family hatchback despite being huge inside. Overall, we think the whole package is good enough to warrant being called the best family car you can currently buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Dacia Jogger is a fantastic family car that offers seven-seat flexibility at an almost unbelievable price, with the recent addition of hybrid tech only adding to its appeal.
Yes, every Dacia Jogger comes as standard with seven seats, and we've found there's enough room for even six-footers in the rearmost row.
Yes, you can remove the Jogger's third row of seats, but the middle row can only be folded and tumbled down.
The regular Dacia Jogger managed to return 45.4mpg during our own testing, while the Jogger Hybrid 140 returned roughly 50mpg when we drove it.
