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Photo of a Dacia 1300

Dacia 1300

Romania's people's car, built for 35 years: 1969–2004.1

Researched November 2, 2026 from 28 sources

Also called

  • People's carIt put Romanians on the road in the 1970s and 1980s, carrying families and working as taxis.1
  • Iliescu's smileThe final 1310's headlights and grille were likened to the expression of Romanian president Ion Iliescu.23

At a glance

0100200
48–72 hpPower
01020
16.2–18.5 s0–100 km/h
0100200
135–154 km/hTop speed
0150300
80–123 N·mTorque
05001,000
855–980 kgWeight

The coral arc spans the family, from its mildest version to its wildest.241112

Engine
1.2–1.6 L OHV gasoline inline-fours; late 1310s use fuel injection4
Layout
Front engine, front-wheel drive4
Gearbox
4-speed manual; 5-speed offered on TLE, Denem GLX and Sport48
Built at
Mioveni plant, Romania; IATSA Ștefănești, Romania (Sport)49
Units built
1,959,730 passenger cars, excluding pickups10

The story

Conceived to cut imports and give Romania an affordable family car, the Renault 12-based 1300 became family transport and a taxi mainstay. Its 1310 evolution stayed in production until 2004.124

1966: Renault signs the license deal19661972: Romanian-built engines arrive19721973: 1300 Break joins the family19731979: 1310 brings four round headlights19791983: 1410 Sport reaches showrooms19831985: Five speeds for TLE and Sport19851999: The 1310 gets its final smile1999 Dacia 1100: 1968–1972Dacia 1310 (first restyling): 1979–1984Dacia 1310 (1984 facelift): 1984–1990Dacia 1310 (CN1) (CN1): 1991–1994CN1Dacia 1310 / Berlina / Break (final facelift): 1999–2004Dacia Logan: From 2004Dacia Logan 197019801990200020102020
GenerationsBefore and afterMilestones245
Show the numbers
YearWhat happened
1968–1972Dacia 1100
1979–1984Dacia 1310 (first restyling)
1984–1990Dacia 1310 (1984 facelift)
1991–1994Dacia 1310 (CN1) (CN1)
1999–2004Dacia 1310 / Berlina / Break (final facelift)
From 2004Dacia Logan
1966Renault signs the license deal
1972Romanian-built engines arrive
19731300 Break joins the family
19791310 brings four round headlights
19831410 Sport reaches showrooms
1985Five speeds for TLE and Sport
1999The 1310 gets its final smile
  1. 1966

    Renault signs the license deal

    Romania signs its framework agreement with Renault on September 6, paving the way for local production of the Renault 12.5

  2. 1972

    Romanian-built engines arrive

    Romanian 810-99 engines replace French 810-02 units at midyear. Four-speed gearbox production follows from France to Romania in 1974.6

  3. 1973

    1300 Break joins the family

    The wagon arrives three years after Renault's version: 4,404 mm long versus the original sedan's 4,340 mm, on a shared 2,441 mm wheelbase.25

  4. 1979

    1310 brings four round headlights

    The 1310 debuts at the Bucharest Auto Show with a redesigned nose and four round headlights.4

  5. 1983

    1410 Sport reaches showrooms

    The 65 hp coupe shortens the wheelbase by about 200 mm; Sport production eventually totals 5,500 cars.4

  6. 1985

    Five speeds for TLE and Sport

    TL trim keeps four speeds and TLE offers five; the Sport also gains a five-speed option.4

  7. 1999

    The 1310 gets its final smile

    A last facelift gives the 1310 its smiling grille; final versions use fuel injection and a catalytic converter to meet Euro2.347

Every generation

  • Dacia 1100
    Dacia 11001968–1972
  • Dacia 1310 (first restyling)
    Dacia 1310 (first restyling)1979–1984
  • Dacia 1310 (1984 facelift)
    Dacia 1310 (1984 facelift)1984–1990
  • Dacia 1310 (CN1)
    CN11991–1994
  • Dacia 1310 / Berlina / Break (final facelift)
    Dacia 1310 / Berlina / Break (final facelift)1999–2004
  • Dacia Logan
    Dacia LoganFrom 2004

Power over the years

From 53 hp to 72 hp in 25 years.

020406080 197019751980198519901995 hp 1969 · 53 hp · 13001979 · 56 hp · 1310 launch1983 · 48 hp · 1210 1.21983 · 65 hp · 1410 Sport1994 · 72 hp · 1310 1.6 72 hp 1310 1.6 53 hp 1300
2413
Show the numbers
YearHorsepowerModel
1969531300
1979561310 launch
1983481210 1.2
1983651410 Sport
1994721310 1.6

Versions

11 versions worth knowing, with their power.

  • Standard

    1300 Standard / 1300L

    1969–1981

    53 hp
  • 1300 / 1310 Break

    Standard

    1300 / 1310 Break

    1973–2004

  • Standard

    1310 MS / MLS / TL / TX / TLX / TLE

  • 1310 L / CL / Li / CLi

    Standard

    1310 L / CL / Li / CLi

    1994–2004

  • 1320

    Standard

    1320

    1987–1990

  • 1325 Liberta

    Standard

    1325 Liberta

    1991–1996

  • Standard

    Denem GLX

    1983

  • Sport 1310 / Sport 1410

    Performance

    Sport 1310 / Sport 1410

    1981–1992

    5,500 built

  • Special

    1301LS Lux Super

    1974

  • Special

    Maxibreak

    1982

    12 built

  • Special

    Superlong

    1978

How to spot one

Look for

  • Original 1300 sedan: rising roof, a small dip at the back and a tall, concave rear window.11
  • Early 1310: four round headlights around a black center grille.14
  • 1999–2004 cars: half-oval grille, nicknamed 'Iliescu's smile'.27
  • Sport: two doors and a low, level roof instead of the sedan's rising roofline.7

Year by year

  1. 1979

    The 1310 brings four round headlights, higher bumpers with turn signals, and combined rear light blocks.413

  2. 1986–1992 (Sport)

    Longer doors replace the short-door Sport body used in 1981–1985.4

  3. 1991 (CN1); 1994

    CN1 adopts rectangular headlights; 1994 adds wraparound plastic bumpers and slim lamps with outer indicators.47

  4. 1999–2004

    Half-oval grille creates 'Iliescu's smile'; the CN2/CN3 rectangular reflectors remain beneath the new hood and grille.237

Don’t confuse it with

  • Photo of a Dacia 1300
    1300
    Photo of a Renault 12
    Renault 12

    Renault 12

    On original 1300s, check the Dacia badges and lettering: the body otherwise matches the Renault 12.14

Against its rivals

  • 1300 vs FSO 1300

    UK base price lower is better

    13003,190 £
    FSO 13002,599 £
    8

  • 1300 vs Morris Ital 1.3 SL

    UK list price lower is better

    13004,295 £
    Morris Ital 1.3 SL3,998 £
    8

Prices

Value today $3.3K–$6.6K28

Price when newAuction saleValue today
$0$2K$4K$6K$8K 1990200020102020 Value today: $3,300–$6,600 1983 · $4,849 · UK Denem base; approx $1.52/£1983 · $6,528 · UK Denem GLX; approx $1.52/£2004 · $5,084 · Romania Berlina; approx $1.24/€2004 · $5,270 · Romania Break; approx $1.24/€ 1983 · £3,190 · UK Denem base, 1983; approx $1.52/£ 2022 · $6,000 · 1983 1310, 40k km shown, BaT2025 · $2,600 · 1978 1300; €2,500, approx $1.04/€, Bidders Highway $6.0K BaT, 2022
482627
Show the numbers
YearPriceAmountDetail
1983Launch price$4,849UK Denem base, 1983; approx $1.52/£
1983Price when new$4,849UK Denem base; approx $1.52/£
1983Price when new$6,528UK Denem GLX; approx $1.52/£
2004Price when new$5,084Romania Berlina; approx $1.24/€
2004Price when new$5,270Romania Break; approx $1.24/€
2022Auction sale$6,0001983 1310, 40k km shown, BaT
2025Auction sale$2,6001978 1300; €2,500, approx $1.04/€, Bidders Highway
2026Value today$3,300–$6,600

The rest of the story is in the app

The full file tells why each version matters, the legend behind the car and what to check before buying one.

  • Versions

    • Why each of the 11 versions matters

  • Legend

    • 14 stories from its legend
    • “Group A homologation number 5496”
    • “25th at the Acropolis, then a 30-year return”

  • Generations

    • The story of each of the 6 generations

  • Market

    • 6 things to check before buying one
    • Where prices are heading, and why
Read the full file in SPOT

SPOT is free on iPhone. Full car files come with SPOT Plus.

Sources

Every fact on this page links to the source it rests on.

See all 28 sources
  1. Dacia 1300: the car that brought automotives to Romania renaultgroup.com
  2. Dacia 1300 - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  3. „Zâmbetul lui Iliescu“. De unde se trage porecla Daciei 1310, ultimul model din seria produsă la Mioveni | adevarul.ro adevarul.ro
  4. Dacia 1310 - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  5. Istoria mărcii Dacia a Grupului Renault - Dacia Romania dacia.ro
  6. Istoric – Dacia Clasic daciaclasic.ro
  7. Against all Odds (Part One) – Driven to Write driventowrite.com
  8. Always Acceptable - The Dacia Denem | Lancaster Insurance lancasterinsurance.co.uk
  9. Dacia Sport, cel mai exotic model din istoria automobilismului românesc. „Configuraţia din proiect se rezolva manual, prin lovirea tablei“ | adevarul.ro adevarul.ro
  10. Renault 12 - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  11. Dacia 1300 – ocena testowa z „Motoru” z 1973 roku - Magazyn auto magazynauto.pl
  12. Francia kapcsolat - Dacia 1300 (1975) veterán teszt - ORIGO origo.hu
  13. Automobile Romanesti - Dacia - Dacia 1310 automobileromanesti.ro
  14. Prețurile la modele Dacia clasice automotorsisport.ro
  15. Itthon kell keresni - Dacia 1300 - ORIGO origo.hu
  16. Povestea incredibilei Dacii Maxibreak, un model realizat în doar 12 exemplare. „Opt persoane convieţuiau suficient de agreabil în acest spaţiu“ | adevarul.ro adevarul.ro
  17. Dacia MD87 – Povestea incredibilă a Daciei cu motor central - Auto motor si sport automotorsisport.ro
  18. Dacia 1100 - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  19. FIA Historic Database historicdb.fia.com
  20. Ștefan Vasile, start pe Acropole...după 30 de ani cu Dacia 1310. motorclasic.ro
  21. Cum au ajuns echipajele de raliu IATSA, producătorul Daciei Sport, să domine aproape un deceniu campionatul intern. Rivalitatea cu Uzina Dacia | adevarul.ro adevarul.ro
  22. The real life inspiration for all that PUBG equipment - Thumbsticks thumbsticks.com
  23. Filmform – Dacia 1300 - Min generation by Stefan Constantinescu filmform.com
  24. Przegląd rynku klasycznych aut z bloku wschodniego – poradnik kupującego [cz.2] autokult.pl
  25. Afaceri de la Zero. Tudor Oprea, un tânăr pasionat de maşini, a readus la viaţă 50... zf.ro
  26. No Reserve: 1983 Dacia 1310 for sale on BaT Auctions - sold for $6,000 on September 7, 2022 (Lot #83,781) | Bring a Trailer bringatrailer.com
  27. The CEO has the floor - January biddershighway.com
  28. Dacia 1300 Buying Guide | Inspection Checklist | Finds finds.ro
  • renaultgroup.com
  • en.wikipedia.org
  • adevarul.ro
  • dacia.ro
  • daciaclasic.ro
  • driventowrite.com
  • lancasterinsurance.co.uk
  • magazynauto.pl
  • origo.hu
  • automobileromanesti.ro
  • automotorsisport.ro
  • historicdb.fia.com
  • motorclasic.ro
  • thumbsticks.com

Photo credits

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