EVERYONE likes a bargain which is probably why budget brand Dacia has sold three million cars in 10 years in Europe.

While the brand started in Europe in 2004 with the Logan, Dacia only launched in the UK in 2012, selling 35,000 cars in a year. During the first half of last year Dacia registered the biggest increase in sales of any European brand at over 36 per cent.

The Romanian car maker's success in Britain has been driven by the dirt-cheap and dirt-busting Duster 4x4.

Now the off-roader has been facelifted which has developed a cult following of value-for-money owners.

The revamped Duster five-door family-sized SUV has prices starting at just £9,495 for a petrol-driven two-wheel drive model and £11,495 for a diesel four-wheel drive version.

This was the mid-range, and likely to be the most popular, Ambiance model with four-wheel drive which costs just £13,995, a lot less than its rivals which include the Skoda Yeti, Ford Kuga and even the Toyota RAV4. More good news, insurance costs are low. The car here is rated in Group 10.

One of the questions people ask about Dacia is how they can be so cheap. The answer is simple. Dacia models share about half of their components with models from parent company Renault.

Options are kept to a minimum, plus there's a simple choice of colours and accessories to keep production costs low - allowing savings to be passed on to customers.

For 2015, all Dusters benefit from a package of styling and trim upgrades. There's a more stylish chrome front grille, Duster branded roof bars and high-quality black tailgate trim.

Ambiance models have 16-inch steel wheels, body-coloured bumpers, front foglights, roof bars, side sills, electric front windows, Bluetooth and a USB connection.

There is also new upholstery and seats for every model and while the emergency spare wheel remains standard on 4x4 models it is now an option on the 2x4 versions.

Inside the cabin there is lots of hard plastic trim, not particularly pretty but it stands up to a lot of punishment from younger passengers.

The overall design looks fairly modern and there are ample storage spaces. Seats are comfortable with good support. Large windows mean visibility is good.

The instruments are well arranged although the heater and ventilation controls are quite fiddly.

Front and rear passengers have plenty of room and there's a good sized boot to take their luggage - 475 litres with all seats in place and 1,636 litres with the back seats folded.

The doors sound tinny when closed firmly and there is quite a lot of wind and road noise.

The car lacks a little finesse in fit and finish - hence the budget price. But these quibbles are not serious enough to put off millions of buyers Europe-wide.

The 1.5-litre turbodiesel engine in the Duster four-wheel drive model produces 107bhp with 177lb/ft of torque delivered from 1,750rpm. Top speed is 104mph with 0-62mph taking a leisurely 12.5 seconds.

Officially, it returns 53.3mpg in the combined cycle. Many miles of driving on mixed roads saw it return just under 45mpg which was pretty good. With CO2 emissions of 137g/km road tax is £130 a year.

It is not the quietest or smoothest diesel engine around, especially first thing in the morning but it soon warms up for its task. It is very responsive low to mid-range but runs out of energy towards the top end of the rev range.

With a six-speed manual gearbox the transmission has three modes - 2WD, Auto which allows the rear wheels to provide drive as and when necessary and 4WDLock which gives permanent four-wheel drive for off-roading or when road surfaces become slippery.

The handling is not all that sharp but it is only at higher speeds on twisty, narrow roads that some bodyroll is felt. For the most part it provides a comfortable amd secure ride.