Dacia Duster review – a budget family SUV favourite
The best cars for snow and winter driving 2024
If you plan on driving this winter, these new and used options will keep you moving when the weather turns frigid
While our winters in the UK aren’t quite as extreme as some of our European neighbours, many of us still need a car that can tackle frosty and snowy weather. As we approach the end of autumn and temperatures begin to plummet, driving conditions can become increasingly tricky, with snow and ice making roads particularly slippery.
Thankfully, most modern cars are equipped with traction and stability control systems to help prevent loss of control in some slippery conditions, but that doesn’t mean they can tackle snow. For that, you’re best served by something with four-wheel drive and enough ground clearance to avoid getting stuck. It’s especially true if you live in a remote area where gritting lorries don’t operate.
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The key to safe motoring in icy, snowy conditions is traction and grip. Having plenty of grip means the car will obediently stick to the road when you’re moving and, most importantly, help you slow down again. Having good traction allows you to actually get moving in the first place, too, with the engine’s power being applied to the road effectively, rather than just spinning the tyres.
Four-wheel drive is a definite advantage when the roads get slippery, and if you’re buying an SUV for this reason, make sure it actually does have four-wheel drive. Despite rugged appearances, not all do – the Peugeot 3008, for example, is front-wheel-drive only, while the Ford Kuga only offers it on more powerful flagship versions.
While four-wheel drive will certainly help, you should never drive in snowy conditions without an appropriate set of winter tyres. Winter tyres are designed to provide extra traction on snow and ice and make driving in snow much safer.
The best cars for snow and winter driving
Our list covers the best cars we’d like to be driving in winter when the roads turn tricky. Skip to the bottom of the list for three used alternatives.
- Priced from around £19,000
If you thought you couldn't afford an SUV, the Dacia Duster could make you think again, because it's closer in price to a supermini than most rivals. That doesn't mean it's flimsy or short on ability, with more than 200mm of ground clearance and the option of four-wheel drive making the Duster an impressive machine for off-road driving and slippery conditions. The third-generation Duster is also slightly bigger and better appointed inside than before, with neater looks that make it even more desirable.
The Duster is currently available in four trims but you’ll need to eliminate the entry ‘Essential’ model from your list if you want four-wheel drive. There’s only one engine option for four-wheel drive models, too: a 1.2-litre mild-hybrid four cylinder. It’s not particularly quick, but it will still return up to 47mpg, which isn’t bad for a four-wheel drive SUV. It’s worth noting that the four-wheel drive Duster is only available with a manual gearbox, so you’ll have to look elsewhere if you need an automatic.
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- Priced from around £36,000
Just because you need something to tackle winter roads, doesn’t mean you’re restricted to an SUV. There are still plenty of four-wheel drive cars available in other bodystyles, including the Skoda Superb Estate. While most Superb Estate models have a front-wheel drive setup, the most powerful diesel and petrol models can be had with four-wheel drive, making them excellent choices for those who plan on driving in slippery conditions but don’t want something as tall and bulky as an SUV.
Outside of winter, the Superb Estate is one of the best family cars we’ve tested. You’ll struggle to find an estate car more practical, while the interior quality and technology on offer have improved significantly over the previous generation. When conditions do turn unpleasant, four-wheel drive versions of the Superb Estate have plenty of grip. Plus, at under 1,700kg, the Superb Estate weighs less than many of today’s SUVs, which is a bonus when braking in slippery conditions. Just be aware that four-wheel drive Superb Estates will cost you more than the entry-level car by around £6,000, although that still represents decent value compared to other four-wheel drive estate cars.
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- Priced from around £58,000
The Land Rover Defender comes high up our list of the best cars for winter for many of the same reasons it tops our best 4x4s list. It was always going to be hard following in the footsteps of the classic Defender, but Land Rover made sure the new car was just as capable as ever, while adding plenty of upmarket appeal.
The latest Defender gets Land Rover’s state-of-the-art off-roading technology, such as the brand’s latest Terrain Response 2 software which modulates power to the wheels to find the right amount of traction to haul itself out of any tricky situation. If at some point this winter we get unexpected snow, the Defender is ready with a dedicated Snow drive mode that adjusts the chassis settings to cope. Even in Auto mode, however, the clever system can detect what sort of conditions you’re driving in and adjust itself accordingly.
The added beauty of the latest Defender over the classic, though, is that while it’s making light work of the harsh wintry conditions outside, its interior offers great levels of luxury and comfort for the driver and passengers. There are great quality materials used throughout, and lots of equipment and gadgetry, including Land Rover’s Pivi Pro infotainment system. However, all of that luxury does come at a price – you’ll need around £60,000 for even the most basic two-door Defender 90.
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- Priced from around £38,000
Not everyone who regularly encounters poor driving conditions wants an SUV and Subaru has been serving this audience for decades. Since the 1970s – when Subarus were first sold through agricultural equipment suppliers – full-time four-wheel drive has been a brand trademark and it adds to the Outback's unique appeal.
Subaru has now made several generations of Outback, each based on the estate version of the Legacy but dressed up with tougher bodywork fixings and riding on raised suspension for extra ground clearance – a recipe that brands like Volvo and Audi have since replicated with their Cross Country and Allroad models. The latest Outback is yet another large, practical estate, with a well built (if rather plain) interior, which can negotiate rough roads and keep going in wintry conditions like few other cars.
You can now only choose a characterful flat-four 2.5-litre petrol engine – the 2.0-litre diesel engine is no longer offered – that returns around 33mpg. While the Outback's slightly high-set posture means it can't match more traditional estate cars for responsive handling and resistance to body lean, it's far less likely to be caught napping when the weather turns nasty. For those who come to depend on the Outback's ability to deal with rough road conditions, a slightly dull design ceases to matter on a car whose reliability has been so well proven.
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- Priced from around £47,000
Those in the market for a premium family SUV have countless models to choose from these days, but the BMW X3 is one of the best all-rounders and offers a stable, dependable drive in wintry conditions. That’s because all models come as standard with BMW’s xDrive four-wheel drive system, unlike the rival Audi Q5 which costs extra for ‘quattro’ four-wheel drive. We’re fans of the xDrive system; it’s proven to be reliable since its introduction and offers plenty of grip and configurability.
The latest BMW X3 stands apart in other areas, too, thanks to its fantastic interior and great driving dynamics. Petrol and plug-in hybrid models are offered, plus there’s still a diesel model which isn’t all that common in 2024. Sure, it’s not designed to be a go-anywhere Land Rover Defender rival, but the BMW X3 will be more than capable at tackling British winters, while offering a brilliant family car experience for the rest of the year.
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- Priced from around £43,000
Winter driving can be tough for drivers who want a more performance-oriented model, with rear-wheel drive cars becoming challenging to drive when road conditions worsen. The 316bhp Golf R is the answer many will turn to, thanks to its grippy all-wheel drive, which not only aids its acceleration, but also makes for a great year-round driving experience. Volkswagen has even managed to maintain a nearly identical boot size to the basic front-wheel drive Golf models so you won’t have to compromise on what you can carry.
We advise sitting in the new Golf R and checking you get on with the infotainment controls before making a purchase, as some may find navigating the touchscreen and haptic controls frustrating.
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- Priced from around £40,000
While electric cars can be particularly affected by the lower temperatures of winter which can reduce range and charge speeds, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is one of a growing number of EVs that comes with technology to help mitigate this. The Ioniq 5 comes with an efficiency-boosting heat pump as standard, which helps keep the battery at an optimal operating temperature – the car automatically begins warming the battery when the driver programmes in a stop at a charging station via the sat nav, to optimise for quicker charging times. This is an optional extra for cars like the Skoda Enyaq and Ford Explorer.
We recommend buying the all-wheel drive Ioniq 5 if you want the best traction in slippery conditions. Hyundai also equips the Ioniq 5 with a Snow Mode which tweaks the power delivery and optimises traction control for driving on snowy or icy roads. Other handy features include Hyundai’s BlueLink app, which allows you to pre-heat your Ioniq 5’s cabin remotely, so you can get the interior nice and toasty ready for you on a crisp winter morning.
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- Priced from around £19,000
If we asked you to picture a four-wheel drive car, we doubt you’d imagine something supermini-shaped, but the Suzuki Swift is an unusual car. It’s one of the only superminis you can buy with the option of four-wheel drive, giving it a unique selling point against its rivals. Of course, a car of this size will never compete with a Land Rover Defender in very harsh conditions, but the four-wheel drive Swift will appeal to city dwellers who need something capable when the weather turns sour.
Suzuki’s Allgrip four-wheel drive system sends power to the front wheels in most driving scenarios, helping to maintain decent fuel economy, but it can divert power to the rear if the front wheels lose grip. It even gets a 25mm ride height increase over the standard Swift, so it should be harder to get stuck. It’s not designed to allow the Swift to wade through deep snow, but it will provide an extra safety net if the roads are particularly slippery. It does come at a price premium over the entry-level car, but at under £22,000, it’s still the most affordable car on this list.
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- Priced from around £31,000
The Jeep Renegade comes from a brand famous for its rugged four-wheel drive SUVs and so it should be no surprise to see one on our list of best winter cars. The 4xe model is the plug-in hybrid version of the Renegade and is our pick of the range for its fuel efficiency of up to 134.5mpg, helped by its electric driving range of around 25 miles. It also retains several dedicated all-wheel drive modes to tackle tough terrain, so those in rural communities struggling with frozen streets and snowy hills shouldn’t get stuck when bad weather arrives.
Aside from the Renegade’s off-road abilities, it has lots of interior space for passengers and luggage, and doesn’t miss out on the tech fitted in similarly priced premium cars. The driver gets a digital display and an 8.4-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, although there are still plenty of physical buttons and dials for features like the climate control, making the car easy to operate wearing thick gloves.
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- Priced from around £34,000
Just one look at the Ford Ranger pickup’s rugged, purposeful exterior is enough to suggest it will do well in extreme driving conditions. The good news is that it’s also much more sophisticated under the skin than it looks, with plenty of off-roading technology including standard-fit four-wheel drive and a ‘Slippery’ drive mode for use over wet grass, gravel or snow. This optimises the transmission to reduce wheelspin, and sharpens up the traction control response to maintain grip in such conditions.
On the inside, the Ranger feels more refined than ever for a pickup, while high quality materials and an impressive infotainment system make the interior feel particularly modern and car-like. The key benefit of a large pickup like the Ranger is, of course, that massive load bed. Now there’s no excuse not to go for the biggest Christmas tree you can find – the Ranger will make bringing it home, and taking it to the dump when it’s done with, a doddle!
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Best used cars for winter driving
If the idea of taking a brand new car down a slippery, snowy track doesn’t sit well with you, we have some affordable used options, too. You’ll save some serious cash to put towards a new set of winter tyres.
Dacia Duster (2018-2024) – best used SUV
- Priced from around £9,000
While the newest third-generation Dacia Duster tops this list, the second-generation model is still hard to beat when it comes to winter driving. It misses out on the hybrid tech of the new car, but four-wheel drive models were offered with a diesel engine instead – something the new car misses out on. It’s simple, rugged, and dependable, and four-wheel drive models can now be picked up from as little as £9,000.
Volvo V90 Cross Country (2017-2023) – best used estate car
- Priced from around £20,000
Straddling the estate car and SUV segments, the Volvo V90 Cross Country delivers the best of both worlds. It’s as comfortable and plush inside as the regular V90, but a jacked up ride height and extra bodywork cladding help it tackle tricky terrain without a fuss. All models came with four-wheel drive, and there are petrol, diesel and hybrid models to pick from. Despite being nearly 10 years old, the V90 is still offered today, although Cross Country models have since been discontinued. We think that’s a shame given its added winter-ready capabilities, but at least there are plenty to choose from on the used market.
Fiat Panda 4x4 (2012-2022) – best used hatchback
- Priced from around £5,000
The original Fiat Panda 4x4 of the 1980s was one of the first small cars to be offered with four-wheel drive, and the Italian brand continued to offer a similar package up until very recently. The third-generation Fiat Panda 4x4 is no longer available to buy brand new, but it makes for a very affordable way into four-wheel drive motoring. It’s neither quick, nor spacious or particularly efficient, but its four-wheel drive system gives it an edge over many of today’s front-wheel drive SUVs when the roads get slippery.
Do you need four-wheel drive to drive in winter?
While investing in a vehicle with four-wheel drive is one option, it’s worth asking yourself whether you actually need it. You’re likely to only require four-wheel drive just one season a year and there could be cheaper ways to prepare for winter. A good set of winter tyres, for example, will give you extra confidence in wintry weather, as they’re designed to stick to the road at temperatures below seven degrees centigrade.
It might sound strange, but even a small city car can be a good companion when temperatures plummet. While their skinny tyres may find less traction than the wide rubber on an SUV, light cars don’t need as much traction to get moving in the first place, and their low weight makes them easier to control when cornering and braking. A big 4x4 might get going easily, but bringing them safely to a stop is just as important, and you may find that their additional weight makes them skid in extreme conditions.
Modern electronic systems are also pretty good at dealing with snow, but a set of good winter tyres or the security of all-wheel drive will mean you don’t have to rely on electronic help quite as much.
Want to find out more about driving in winter conditions? Check out our winter driving tips. If you want to read more about the best 4x4s on the market, click here for our guide to the top 10 best 4x4s and SUVs.
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