Used Dacia Logan MCV review and buying guide (2013 to 2019): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Dacia Logan MCV should you buy?

Go for a Logan MCV with the 1.5 dCi 90 diesel if you cover plenty of motorway miles, since its tall fifth gear gives 32mph for every 1,000rpm and keeps the engine relaxed at speed. Nothing separates one year of the 2013 to 2019 run from another: there's no generation change to weigh up and no known fault logged against any version, so judge each car on its own condition rather than its age.

That empty fault record isn't proof the car's trouble free. It means very little has been logged either way, so a thorough test drive counts for more here than on a better documented model. The Stepway on 16-inch wheels handles and grips noticeably better than the standard estate, and the Logan MCV scored 3 stars in Euro NCAP testing.

Which Logan MCV engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

No Logan MCV engine or gearbox has a known fault on record, so there isn't one to rule out, but none has a proven clean history either. The 1.5 dCi 90 diesel has the most relaxed gearing, doing 32mph per 1,000rpm in fifth, which makes it the one for motorway work. One owner found its gearchange notchy, so try every gear before you agree a price.

The 0.9 TCe turbo petrol runs much more sweetly on a higher octane super unleaded than on ordinary 95 ron, so expect to fill it with the better fuel. The 1.0 SCe (998cc) petrol has one owner's report against it: a car bought in April 2019 developed a fault that couldn't be fixed until the manufacturer produced a new chip, which gave the owner grounds to reject it within the first 30 days.

What should you check when viewing a used Logan MCV?

The gearchange and clutch deserve most of your attention on the test drive. One owner's 2015 car, at 30,000 miles, would turn clunky and noisy between gears and then refuse to select any at all, only recovering after five to ten minutes with the engine off; the cause was put down to the brake and clutch sharing one fluid reservoir. Run up and down every gear, and don't buy one that baulks.

Sit in the car with the heater running and feel for warm air reaching your legs: one owner of a 2015 car complained it left everyone's knees cold, and a mechanic's only fix was to switch off air recirculation. Ask for paperwork on any electronic repairs, because one 1.0 SCe bought in 2019 needed a new chip from the maker before it could be sorted.

If you're planning to change the stereo, don't assume a cheap off the shelf unit will do. A cheap standard radio isn't compatible with the speakers Dacia fitted at the factory, so you'd need a specific radio to make them work. Check the existing head unit powers every speaker, too, in case a previous owner has already tried a swap.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

What does a used Dacia Logan MCV cost to run?