The French carmaker has finally revealed the much-awaited Renault Duster. In India, the Renault Duster was first launched in 2012 and pioneered the mid-size SUV segment in the country. For its capabilities, the French mid-size SUV etched its name in history books, but was discontinued in 2022. This all-new Renault Duster is the Indian-Spec model of the third-generation global-spec Renault Duster. With the new Duster, Renault aims to reclaim lost ground and has gone all out to make the SUV as capable as possible. Here is what the new Renault Duster has to offer.
2026 Renault Duster: Design
As far as design is concerned, the Indian-spec Renault Duster is nearly the same as the global-spec model, while there are some differences to make the Indian-spec model look distinguishable. The front fascia has a muscular, scooped-up bonnet. The gloss black grille section has ‘DUSTER’ lettering embossed on it and is flanked by eyebrow-shaped LED DRLs that double up as turn indicators. The muscular blacked-out front bumper features a protruding silver surround like the first-generation model, and there are pixel-shaped fog lamps on either side of the bumper. The overall silhouette is boxy, and the rugged black cladding covers the bottom of the SUV, as the rear door handles are mounted on the C-pillar. The SUV rides on 18-inch alloy wheels, and the ground clearance is 212 mm. At the rear, the trapezoidal wrap-around tail lamps are connected by an LED light bar – a feature missing on the global-spec model. Other highlights of the rear are a raked windshield, a rear wiper and washer, and a roof-mounted spoiler.
2026 Renault Duster: Interior and Features
Like the exterior, the interior of the new Indian-spec Renault Duster is nearly the same as the global-spec model. It gets an all-black interior theme, with green stitching and accents on some parts. The clean, layered dashboard features a 3-spoke steering wheel with some button controls, a free-standing touchscreen, and a digital instrument cluster display. Unlike many manufacturers, Renault has chosen to give easy-to-use physical controls for HVAC instead of integrating them into the touchscreen. The neat and clean central console has a few button controls for functions such as the seat ventilation and a small gear shifter. The front armrest is slide-adjustable and has a storage compartment, while the rear centre armrest has two cupholders.
In terms of features, the new Renault Duster offers a 10.1-inch touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, a panoramic sunroof, a wireless phone charger, dual-zone climate control, a powered tailgate, 6-way powered and ventilated front seats, and more.
For the safety equipment, the new Renault Duster offers six airbags as standard, a 360-degree camera, front and rear parking sensors, a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), disc brakes on all four wheels, an electronic parking brake with auto hold, a Level-2 ADAS safety suite, and more. Notably, the Renault Duster is the first Renault car in India to be equipped with a Level-2 ADAS safety suite. Moreover, Renault claims that the Duster is aimed to score a full 5-star rating in the NCAP safety test.
2026 Renault Duster: Engine and Transmission
To compete with strong-hybrid rivals from Maruti and Toyota, Renault has equipped the new Renault Duster with a strong-hybrid powertrain. This strong-hybrid powertrain has a 1.8-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine, which produces 109 PS power, connected with a 49 PS-producing electric motor and 20 PS-producing hybrid starter generator (HSG), powered by a 1.4 kWh (280 V) battery. However, the engine will be launched in India by Diwali 2026.
The other engine options include a 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine that produces 163 PS and 280 Nm peak torque, and a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine that generates 100 PS and 160 Nm peak torque. The 1.3-litre turbo petrol engine is mated to a 6-speed DCT automatic, while the 1-litre turbo petrol engine is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox.
2026 Renault Duster: Price, Launch, and Rivals
Renault has opened bookings for the Renault Duster at Rs. 21,000, with the SUV launching in March 2026. The new Renault Duster is expected to be priced at Rs. 10 – 20 lakh and will compete with the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Maruti Suzuki Victoris, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, MG Astor, Honda Elevate, Volkswagen Taigun, Tata Sierra, Tata Curvv, and Skoda Kushaq.
