Dacia has received over 1,000 pre-orders for its new budget SUV the £8,995 Duster.

There are still three months before the Duster launches in the UK and none of the customers that have pre-ordered have driven a right-hand-drive UK-specification car.

The Duster will be sold by Renault’s network of 135 dealers.

The highest proportion of orders to date is for top-of-the-range Lauréate versions at £12,995 with over 50% of total orders so far.

The entry level Access has taken nearly a sixth of total orders.

Topping the sales chart, and by quite a healthy margin, are the Welsh, with Cardiff and Swansea postcodes dominating.

Phil York, Dacia UK marketing director, said: “We always knew Dacia had the potential to tap into a stagnant UK new car market.

“Our Duster flagship is off to a great start even before we’ve received our first right-hand-drive shipment. We’ve jealously watched our European neighbours sell Dacias by the thousand over the last few years, so it’s not just great for us, but more importantly for British buyers, that there’s a new “smart buy” in the car market.”