The Omoda 5, the MG ZS and the Dacia Duster are the three cars people look at when the monthly payment is the point. All three are family-sized SUVs at prices the established brands cannot match, and all three sell in numbers because of it.
The useful question is not which is cheapest. It is what the low price actually costs you, and the answer is different in each case. One gives up equipment. One has warranty small print that does not match its headline. And one is running a safety rating earned two protocol generations ago.
Here is where each of them makes its money back.
The Short Answer
The Duster if you want the most space and the lowest running costs and you are honest with yourself about equipment. The MG ZS if you want the best-known long warranty and a proper full hybrid. The Omoda 5 if you want the most equipment for the money and the longest warranty mileage.
They are genuinely different propositions rather than three versions of the same compromise, which is more than you could say about this part of the market five years ago.
The Warranties Are Not What the Headlines Suggest
This is where the real differences sit, and almost nobody reads it properly.
| Dacia Duster | MG ZS | Omoda 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headline | Up to 7 years | 7 years | 7 years |
| Actually standard | 3 years or 60,000 miles | 7 years | 7 years |
| Mileage cap | 75,000 miles via Dacia Zen | 80,000 miles after year one | 100,000 miles |
| How you keep it | Earned a year at a time by servicing at a Dacia dealer | Automatic, transfers to new owners | Automatic, transfers |
| Battery, hybrids | Not applicable on mild hybrid | 8 years or 100,000 miles | 8 years or 100,000 miles |
The standard cover is three years or 60,000 miles, which is the shortest here by a wide margin. The extension is Dacia Zen, earned one year at a time each time you service at a Dacia dealer, and it stops at 75,000 miles. For a leasing customer handing the car back at three or four years this barely matters. For anyone planning to keep the car it is close to the opposite of what the marketing implies.
Between MG and Omoda the difference is the mileage ceiling. MG's first year is unlimited mileage, which is genuinely unusual, but years two to seven are capped at 80,000 miles. Omoda's cap is 100,000. If you cover 15,000 miles a year, MG's cover runs out in year six and Omoda's does not.
Omoda also moved fifteen components, including the air conditioning compressor, the alternator and the brake calipers, from three years to the full seven in 2026, and applied it retrospectively to cars already sold. On the small print, Omoda currently has the stronger hand.
Equipment, and What the Cheapest Car Gives Up
The Duster is the one that gives up equipment rather than space, and it does so deliberately.
| What you get | |
|---|---|
| Dacia Duster | Expression, Journey and Extreme trims. The equipment is deliberately modest and the price reflects it. Mild hybrid 140 and a full hybrid 155, no diesel and no electric version |
| MG ZS | SE and Trophy. The 2026 model year update made wireless charging, a 360-degree camera and rear parking sensors standard across the range, which is generous at the price |
| Omoda 5 | Knight and Noble. Noble adds a surround-view camera, eight-speaker Sony audio, ambient lighting and heated and ventilated front seats |
On equipment per pound the Omoda and the MG are ahead. The Duster's answer is that it is the only one of the three built around toughness rather than specification, and that it has the biggest boot here.
Boot Space, With an Asterisk on All Three
| Car | Seats up | Seats folded |
|---|---|---|
| Dacia Duster, mild hybrid 130 | 517 litres | 1,609 litres |
| Dacia Duster, hybrid 140 | 430 litres | 1,545 litres |
| MG ZS | 443 litres | Sources disagree, 1,298 to 1,457 litres |
| Omoda 5 | 370 to 380 litres | Not published |
Dacia publishes a full table but only for powertrains the current configurator no longer sells, so there is no published boot figure for the mild hybrid 140 or the hybrid 155 you would actually order. MG's two most-quoted UK sources disagree by 159 litres on the folded figure. Omoda publishes no folded figure for the Omoda 5 at all. Ask us for the figure against the exact version you are quoted, because taking one brand's headline against another's is not a fair comparison here.
One more trap on the Dacia: it quotes boot volume twice, once in VDA and once in litres, and the litre figure is always the larger. A comparison that takes Dacia's litres against a rival's VDA figure flatters the Duster.
Safety: Three Different Problems
| Car | Rating | The issue |
|---|---|---|
| Omoda 5 | 5 stars, 2022 | Two protocol generations old. The same rating has since been extended to the electric E5 and the hybrid, so the car you are quoted may be running a rating earned by a petrol car in 2022 |
| MG ZS | 4 stars, 2024 | Awarded to the Hybrid. The cheapest car in the range is the non-hybrid petrol and the datasheet does not address it |
| Dacia Duster | 3 stars, 2024 | Earned on a 1.6 Hybrid 140 that Dacia no longer sells. Euro NCAP's own wording is that it meets the legal minimum on assistance systems but does little more |
The Omoda's 87% adult occupant score looks far better than the Duster's 70%, and some of that gap is real. But it was measured against an easier test, so comparing the two numbers directly overstates the difference.
So Which One?
The Duster is the honest budget choice and the most practical. You are trading equipment and assistance systems for space and low running costs, and if you know that going in it is a sound deal.
The MG ZS is the safest middle choice: four stars from 2024 on a current protocol, a proper full hybrid, and generous standard equipment. Watch the 80,000-mile warranty ceiling if you do big miles.
The Omoda 5 gives the most equipment and the best warranty small print. The caveat is the age of its safety rating and the fact that it now covers three different powertrains.
What the Low Monthly Actually Buys
These three are cheap for different reasons, and understanding which reason applies tells you whether the saving will still feel like a saving in year three.
| Why it prices where it does | |
|---|---|
| Dacia Duster | Deliberate simplicity. Shorter options lists, fewer powertrains, modest interior materials and a platform shared across the Renault group. The cost is taken out of the car rather than out of the margin |
| MG ZS | Scale and a mature UK dealer network, with pricing set to hold share rather than to maximise margin. The seven year warranty is a retention tool as much as a selling point |
| Omoda 5 | A new brand buying its way into a crowded market. Equipment levels and warranty terms are the lever, because the badge cannot do that work yet |
For a leasing customer the third case is the one worth thinking about, because a brand establishing itself tends to support its monthly rentals aggressively. That is good for you now. It also means the residual value underpinning the rental is an estimate rather than a track record, which is the funder's risk rather than yours on a contract hire agreement.
Four Things to Check Before You Sign
All three are sound choices at the money. These are the points where the small print differs enough to matter.
| Check | Why it matters here |
|---|---|
| Whether servicing is included | Dacia's extended warranty depends on servicing at a Dacia dealer. If your agreement sends the car elsewhere, the extension does not accrue. On a lease you are handing the car back, so this usually does not affect you, but it is worth knowing which it is |
| Your mileage allowance against the warranty cap | If you have taken 15,000 miles a year on a four year agreement, you are at 60,000 miles. That is inside every one of these warranties, but it is exactly at the edge of Dacia's standard cover |
| Which trim the quote is on | The gap between base and top trim is wider on the Omoda and the MG than the price difference suggests, because both load their equipment into the upper trim rather than spreading it |
| The boot figure for your exact version | Not the range figure. As above, none of the three publishes a clean set and the differences between powertrains within one model run to 87 litres on the Duster alone |
None of these is a reason to avoid any of the three cars. They are the things worth confirming in writing, which is a different question, and we will get all four confirmed against your quote before anything is signed.
Compare the Three Directly
Current lease pricing on each.
Worth Reading First
The guides that cover what a low monthly really costs.
Want These Three Priced Against Each Other?
Tell us your mileage and what you carry, and we will quote all three on the same terms and get the boot and warranty figures confirmed in writing.
Talk to LetsLeaseFrequently Asked Questions
The Duster if you want the most space and the lowest running costs and you accept modest equipment. The MG ZS if you want a long warranty with a well-known name behind it and a proper full hybrid. The Omoda 5 if you want the most equipment for the money and the longest warranty mileage. They are genuinely different propositions rather than three versions of the same compromise.
Not as standard. The standard cover is three years or 60,000 miles, which is the shortest of these three by a wide margin. The seven years is Dacia Zen, earned one year at a time every time you service the car at a Dacia dealer, and it stops at 75,000 miles. For a leasing customer handing the car back at three or four years it rarely matters, but it is not what the headline implies.
Omoda's, on the small print. MG and Omoda both offer seven years, but MG caps years two to seven at 80,000 miles while Omoda's cap is 100,000. If you cover 15,000 miles a year, MG's cover runs out in year six and Omoda's does not. MG's first year is unlimited mileage, which is unusual and genuinely useful.
The Dacia Duster, at 517 litres in the configuration Dacia publishes figures for. The MG ZS is 443 litres and the Omoda 5 is 370 to 380. The catch is that Dacia's published table covers powertrains the current configurator no longer sells, so there is no official figure for the mild hybrid 140 or the hybrid 155 you would actually order.
Three reasons. Dacia quotes boot volume twice, once in VDA and once in litres, and the litre figure is always larger, so a comparison mixing the two flatters it. MG's two most-quoted UK sources disagree by 159 litres on the seats-folded figure. And Omoda publishes no folded figure for the Omoda 5 at all. Ask us for the figure against the exact version you are quoted rather than taking one brand's headline against another's.
It dates from 2022, which is two protocol generations behind the current test. The same rating has since been extended to the electric E5 and to the hybrid, so the car you are quoted may be running a result earned by a petrol car four years ago. That is missing information rather than a verdict on the car.
It was tested in 2024 under the current protocol and scored three stars, with Euro NCAP's own wording being that it meets the legal minimum on assistance systems but does little more. The test car was a 1.6 Hybrid 140 that Dacia no longer sells. The Duster's case is that it trades assistance systems for space and low running costs, which is a trade some people will take knowingly.
Not directly. The Omoda's figure was measured in 2022 against an easier protocol and the Duster's in 2024 against the current one. Some of that gap is real, but comparing the two percentages at face value overstates it. A test date matters as much as a score.
Noble if the equipment is the reason you are looking at the car, because it adds a surround-view camera, eight-speaker Sony audio, ambient lighting and heated and ventilated front seats over the Knight. On equipment for the money the Omoda is the strongest of these three, which is the main reason it sells.
A proper full hybrid, which is the main mechanical difference between it and the Omoda. The 2026 model year update also made wireless charging, a 360-degree camera and rear parking sensors standard across the range, which is generous at the price. Be aware that the four star rating was awarded to the hybrid and does not address the non-hybrid petrol.
The Omoda range includes the electric E5, and MG offers electric models elsewhere in its range, but the Duster has no electric version at all. If an electric SUV is what you want, ask us and we will price the electric options against the hybrids on the same terms, because the monthly difference is often smaller than people expect.
LetsLease is a credit broker rather than the lender. We arrange the agreement and place it with a funder such as Lex Autolease, Novuna, Ayvens or Santander, and that funder owns the vehicle and holds the agreement with you. Because we work across several funders rather than one, we can compare how each prices the same car.