French car maker Renault last week teased the comeback of its popular Duster SUV, a car that was very popular in India until a few years back. Renault announced that it will be bringing back the Duster to India on 26 January 2026, making it one of the first big launches of next year.
The new Renault Duster will be launched in the same segment as other mid-size compact SUVs like the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, and more. This is likely going to be the same car that was revealed for the global markets back in 2023 and will come with some specific changes for the Indian market. Let us take a look at everything we know about the upcoming Renault Duster:
Renault Duster 2026: Exterior and Styling
From the looks, the Duster has got the rugged look which looks a lot like Jeep cars. The front grille is chunky and will come with the ‘Renault’ badging integrated in it. There are thick claddings all across the front bumper, which give the car a very rugged and aggressive look. The LED DRLs with the arrow-like shape add to that whole aggressive feel.
The sides also look chinky. We get thick wheel arch covers. The wheels in the global variant are 17-inch so we can assume the same for India. With the 17-inch wheels, however, there is still empty space in the wheel arches, meaning visually, bigger wheels would have looked better. In terms of dimensions, the Renault Duster on sale abroad is 4.3 meters in length, 1.8 meters wide, and comes with a 2.6-meter wheelbase.
The rear is where you will find the most interesting design element of the new Duster – the tail lamps. We are getting an arrow-shaped or a rather “<>” shaped tail lamp with the Renault logo sitting in the middle of the tailgate. We are also getting the Duster badging prominently on the back and there are also functional roof rails on top.
The new Duster does take on the rugged look, giving it a very decent modern touch at the same time. While it looks nothing like the previous Duster that was sold in India, this one does look like a rugged SUV. Leaked videos from the car’s testing also show a much-enhanced road presence as compared to the last Renault Duster model sold in India.
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2026 Renault Duster: Interior and Comfort
Now, the interior of the international-spec Renault Duster comes with hard plastic all around and a monochromatic dual-tone colour scheme. The cabin gets a nice layered look with sharp and angular lines running across the dashboard. The center console is slightly tilted towards the driver, similar to a few other modern cars. Apart from this, we also get hexagonal AC vents with a similar shape to the tail lamps with a brushed aluminum finish.
In terms of features, the Renault Duster is expected to come with all the bells and whistles. The car is expected to have a 10-inch infotainment touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a 7-inch digital instrument cluster for the driver, wireless charging, 360-degree camera, and more. The Renault Duster is the first Renault model to have ADAS tech in India.
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2026 Renault Duster: Powertrain And Gearbox
Now coming to the engine and powertrain, the global variant of the Renault Duster only comes in a petrol and a strong hybrid option. In India, Renault is expected to bring only the petrol version of the Duster. This is a 1.3 litre turbo petrol engine which produces 156 bhp of power and is mated to either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a CVT automatic gearbox.
It is speculated that Renault will not be bringing the hybrid version initially to India, but reports suggest it could come a little later in the car’s life cycle. There is also no confirmation on a diesel engine, and we are not expecting an all-wheel drive variant for India, so it is expected to be a FWD motor car only.
2026 Renault Duster: Expected Price
In terms of the price expectation, we are very clueless since Renault has not had a car in this segment for more than 5 years now. However, given the segment and size of the car, it is expected to be priced similar to its rivals – the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Honda Elevate, and the likes. Given this, we can expect a starting price between ₹12 lakh to ₹15 lakh, and a top-spec price of around ₹20 to ₹22 lakh ex-showroom. However, this is just a guess and should be taken with a pinch of salt.
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