Dacia Logan1.0 SCe Essential 5dr
2019
54,020 miles
Petrol
£5,750
TR85YA
When it was new in 2013 the Dacia Logan MCV was the cheapest estate car you could buy in the UK, and joined the Sandero hatchback (the cheapest supermini you could buy) and Duster (the cheapest 4x4… you get the picture) in the budget-friendly range.
With a specification sheet that reads like a car from the 1980s and handsome but conservative styling, the Logan MCV estate was, and still is today as a used car, an entirely pragmatic purchase. You won’t be buying one to show off (unless you’re friends with Ebeneezer Scrooge), nor to enjoy a country road, but as a no-nonsense people-and-things hauler, it’s got merit.
It’s got a little more competition used than it did new, however, where its slow depreciation has counted against it somewhat. You’ll need to decide carefully whether you’d want a Logan MCV for similar money to a Ford Focus or VW Golf Estate, that’s for sure.
When the Dacia Logan MCV was new, the answer to this question would have been a no-brainer. You could buy a brand-new, top-spec example for less than most low-end superminis, or to put a different spin on it, have a useful new estate car with a warranty for the same kind of money as a six or seven-year old estate from another brand.
As a used purchase, the case isn’t as clear. Dacias are relatively resistant to depreciation since they cost so little to start with, and for similar money to a five-year old Logan MCV, you can find a five-year old Ford Focus Estate. When both are out of warranty, it’s harder to make a case for the Dacia.
But if you’re interested regardless, the Logan MCV certainly isn’t a bad car. In fact, it’s quite a good one considering its budget billing. By supermini standards there’s plenty of space in both the front and rear rows, and the 573-litre boot gives you more room than the 530-litre boot of a Skoda Fabia Estate - in fact, it’s up there with the aforementioned Focus Estate.
The interior design isn’t much to look at and there’s hard, dark grey plastic absolutely everywhere. But the Logan was designed to be tough in markets far less image-obsessed than the UK, so it does actually feel well built. And if you’re allergic to beeps, bongs, and flashy screens, then the basic, logical layout and minimal equipment might be quite refreshing.
The mechanicals are simple carry-over parts from Dacia’s parent company Renault. They won’t have you going for a drive for the hell of it, but the Logan rides and grips acceptably well. You should probably avoid the turgid naturally-aspirated engines, but the turbocharged petrol and diesel make things much easier.
We still think a used estate from another brand makes more sense today than a used Logan MCV, but if the Dacia brand talks your language and you’ve got the budget, there are a couple of other options that may appeal - the Dacia Duster SUV is similarly practical but better looking and more charming to drive, while the newer Dacia Jogger, which replaced the Logan MCV, is a huge improvement and even more spacious.
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Steer well clear of the basic SCe 75 engine. It may be frugal and cheap but you’ll be sacrificing the kind of performance we’ve come to expect from modern cars. Likewise, Access trim is just too basic - only choose it if you think any car built since the 1980s is just too fancy.
That leaves either the TCe 90 petrol or the Blue DCi 95 diesel, each of which has a much more reasonable turn of pace and will be better suited to a car full of people and things. And since Dacias are so affordable new, the even cheaper used prices mean we’d shop for Comfort spec (Ambience for older models) which starts to approach modern-car levels of equipment.
Dacia’s most recent models have struck a keen balance between offering all the basic amenities you’d expect from a modern car while ignoring anything that would make its cars too expensive, too complicated, or simply too annoying for its customers. When it came to older models though, Dacia really did keep kit to a minimum, in order to offer cars at exceedingly low prices, and the Logan MCV was one of these - the basic Access models didn’t even get electric front windows or central locking. Some buyers might find these versions charmingly retro, but thankfully not a lot more money gets something a little better equipped…
The Dacia Logan MCV’s dimensions are:
The Dacia Logan MCV’s boot size is:
For models registered prior to April 2017, you’ll pay VED, sometimes known as car tax or road tax, based on a car’s CO2 emissions. That makes some Logan MCVs very cheap to tax thanks to their low CO2 emissions - in fact, the diesel is free, thanks to its 97g/km CO2 rating. Models registered after April 2017 pay a flat rate of £180 per year, as things currently stand.
Insurance costs may be as low as you’re likely to find for an estate car. The basic Access model with the SCe 75 engine starts in just group 2, and while this rises quickly (Essential and Comfort trim with the same engine can be found in group 4, and the TCe-engined models in group 9) even the top-spec Comfort with the diesel engine is still only in group 11.
Read our full Dacia Logan MCV review