Renault Duster EV has been officially announced by sister brand Dacia’s CEO

Finally, good news for SUV enthusiasts as the Duster is all set to be powered by an all-electric powertrain and will be sold under the Dacia brand in European markets. The Dacia CEO also confirmed this by saying, “will come in time” which signifies that Duster EV is in development stage.

New Duster EV CMF-BEV Platform

UK and European markets will be soon phasing out ICE cars by 2035, thus Dacia is looking to develop their exclusive EV line-up. Currently, Spring EV is the only electric car sold by Dacia in the European markets, but Dacia is focussing on providing EV powertrains on all its offerings, which also includes their Bigster. 

CMF-BEV Platform: Underpinned by Renault 5 and Renault 4 crossover, the Duster EV will utilize the same CMF-BEV platform that is specifically designed for electric vehicles. This dedicated architecture will be the electric version of the existing ICE Duster’s CMF-B platform, as all future Dacia electric vehicles will be constructed on this platform. 

Rear Axle Driven: The cars based on CMF-BEV platform are basically front axle driven, as there was a doubt whether the platform will be able to include a second motor at the rear. But recently, Renault has introduced a 4*4 concept version which is a preview of the upcoming production model and it includes a rear axle motor to ensure seamless off-roading abilities of the concept. 

This confirms that the CMF-BEV platform can also incorporate a second motor on its rear axle, which also arises a speculation that Duster could come with a 4*4 variants. 

Renault Duster EV Expected India Launch 

As per Dacia’s current line-up of electric cars, the Duster is poised to be the second Dacia model to be equipped with an all-electric powertrain. The Sandero hatchback will take the lead as the first, with an EV powertrain option planned for its next generation model, expected to launch in 2027.

In early 2026, the new Duster is projected to hit the market, and considering the current market dynamics, we can expect the hybrid version to follow within 12 months of the petrol model's introduction.

The Duster EV is currently under development for the Indian market. Currently, the Renault-Nisaan alliance is having various discussions with battery manufacturers and home-grown cell manufacturers to produce batteries at a cost-effective price. Thus it will be interesting to see whether Renault will reignite the emotional connect of Indians with Duster by introducing an electric version in the Indian market, is yet to be confirmed.