Dacia's Bi-Fuel LPG option will give a claimed 620-mile range

Published 16 June 2020

Dacia is offering a new dual-fuel powertrain, making it the only mainstream manufacturer to offer new cars that run on LPG (liquid petroleum gas).

LPG versions of the Dacia Duster, Sandero and Logan MCV models are now available, badged TCe 100 Bi-Fuel. All are powered by a 1.0-litre turbocharged dual-fuel powertrain and look identical to their petrol and diesel equivalents.

Prices start at £9145 for the Sandero Essential Bi-Fuel, while the Duster Essential Bi-Fuel is priced at £13,195.

A button on the dashboard switches from the petrol to LPG fuel tanks, offering a combined range of up to 620 miles. The steel LPG tank is mounted in place of the spare wheel, meaning boot space is unaffected.

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Dacia says that CO2 is reduced and torque is improved in LPG mode. In the Sandero, the smallest model, the new engine shaves nine per cent off of previous emissions. The Duster sees an 11 per cent drop in CO2 emissions, with up to 2.4 tonnes CO2 saving over a four-year period

The manufacturer claims that a Sandero Stepway Bi-Fuel could save the average driver around £594 per year, with UK LPG prices currently around half that of petrol and diesel. 1400 fuel stations in the UK currently sell LPG.

Dacia has offered LPG as an option in Europe for several years, and claims that one-third of all Dacia models in Italy are LPG-powered. Servicing and maintenance intervals identical to standard petrol models with the same three-year, 60,000-mile warranty.

Order books are now open.

Dacia Sandero Bi -Fuel (3)

Comments

hissingsid on 17 June 2020

Very clever. I would have bought a Duster years ago if only there was an automatic, but this is unlikely to become an option as it would take sales away from the parent company Renault's more expensive range.

Another example of manufacturers trying to sell us the cars they think we ought to have instead of those that we actually want.

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ROGER FURNEAUX on 22 June 2020

Why are Dacia introducing this now? There are very few LPG filling stations left: the two nearest to me removed their tanks years ago due to lack of demand. The future is electric, whether battery or fuel cell (which again will be a very niche market due to lack of hydrogen filling stations).

Even hybrids (especially "mild" ones!) make no sense: I recently traded in a Vauxhall Ampera plug-in hybrid (marvellous car, 40-odd miles on battery, lifetime comsumption 140mpg after 50,000 miles, which many current hybrids cannot match) for a Hyundai Ioniq Electric ("only" 160 miles range, but more than enough for my needs).

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soldierboy 001 on 24 June 2020

They are giving us the option but other countries have a better LPG network, so it does no harm, some parts of the U*K still have LPG available.

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on 22 June 2020

I cannot agree more. There is a potentially huge market of what are called "Baby Boomers" - older drivers who are seeking automatic options and who have very good occupational pensions linked to their final salaries. Until Dacia have automatic options then the other benefits will not be attractive enough to pull in customers whose needs are currently met by other manufacturers particularly those based in the far East.

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Grippy on 23 June 2020

In Romania most of the Dacia taxis run on LPG, the fares are so low they wouldn't make any money otherwise. Not sure why LPG never caught on in the UK I would have thought our high petrol and diesel prices would have been an incentive.

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newcastleman on 23 June 2020

Blame Gordon Brown. Once lpg started to become popular the tax on it started to increase and he gave more incentives for diesel. Even then we knew diesel was bad for local air quality but it looked good for co2 reductions. Manufacturers followed and Vauxhall, Volvo, Ford stopped selling lpg versions. Modern petrol engines also became harder/more expensive to convert.

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yokohamapete on 23 June 2020

Dacia did produce the Duster as an automatic for a couple of years and they seem to hold their prices very well. I have had LPG cars for the last fourteen years and have saved a great deal of expence in this way. At half the price of petrol, it pays for the cost of conversion in a year or so. The only drawback is that one has to be a bit organised when venturing into new parts of the UK where there are fewer LPG stations. Oh yes, you can't go on the channel tunnel train either.

Edited by yokohamapete on 23/06/2020 at 11:18

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soldierboy 001 on 24 June 2020

Yes but you can use petrol when LPG is not available with these cars.

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Bottle-Whisperer on 29 June 2021

Most cars in the UK are only driven short distances, less than 5 miles round trip (supermarket, school, etc) so going electric in South-East England makes sense. However, if you are like me and spend 2 hours in the driving seat between appointments, LPG makes sense. LPG is readily available in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cumberland, Co. Durham and Northumberland from BATA and other agricultural fuel stations.

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