Renault Captur Review

The Renault Captur has long been one of the default choices in the small-SUV class, and that is not down to image alone. It has always been about giving buyers a lot of flexibility and a lot of car for the money, rather than dazzling them with outright performance or premium-badge appeal.

The 2024 facelift has helped keep it competitive. Renault gave the Captur a much more assertive front-end redesign, bringing it closer in style to newer models such as the Scenic, Rafale and Symbioz. That matters, because the small-SUV class is now full of rivals that look fresher and more expensive than small crossovers once did.

The interior improvements are just as important. The Google-based infotainment is a real upgrade over the older systems, and the cabin still majors on everyday usability with physical climate controls, useful storage and the sliding rear bench that remains one of the Captur’s biggest selling points.

The current UK range is also more straightforward than the older engine history suggests. Today, the choice is between the TCe 115 and the full hybrid E-Tech 160. That makes the buying decision fairly simple, because the two versions have very clear personalities.

The petrol car is the cheaper route in, but the hybrid is the one that best suits the Captur’s character. It is more powerful, more efficient and generally the more convincing all-rounder.

For most buyers, the best Renault Captur is the full hybrid E-Tech 160 in techno trim. It combines the more useful and more powerful drivetrain with the trim level that brings the most meaningful technology and convenience upgrades without straying too far up the price list.

The TCe 115 still has a place if keeping the monthly cost down matters most. It is not especially quick, but it is efficient enough and keeps the Captur’s starting price keen. The problem is that the hybrid simply feels much better suited to the car, because it gives you more effortless performance and stronger fuel economy in everyday use.

As for trim, evolution already covers the basics well, but techno is where the Captur starts to feel properly complete. It adds Google built-in infotainment, front and side parking sensors, the larger digital display and a few other extras that make daily life easier. esprit Alpine is the design-led flagship and gets the most visual drama, but it is also the least value-focused choice.

In simple terms, evolution is the budget pick, techno is the sweet spot and esprit Alpine is the stylish one.

The Renault Captur currently starts at £22,495 for the TCe 115 evolution. The hybrid range begins at £25,195, while the range-topping esprit Alpine full hybrid E-Tech 160 rises to £29,395.

That means the Captur still looks competitively priced in this class, particularly when you factor in how much equipment comes as standard. It is not the very cheapest small SUV on the market, but it still feels like strong value.

Used values also help the Captur’s case. Earlier pre-facelift cars are already available at much more accessible prices, and that makes them worth considering if you can live with the older infotainment setup.

The Nissan Juke is one of the Captur’s clearest rivals if you want a small SUV with more visual attitude. It is still a popular choice and has a strong showroom appeal, though the Renault counters with a more versatile cabin and a slightly more family-friendly feel.

The Skoda Kamiq is the sensible alternative. It is roomy, easy to live with and very straightforward in the way many buyers will appreciate, even if it is less visually interesting than the Renault.

The Ford Puma is the driver-focused option. It is sharper to drive and remains one of the more enjoyable small SUVs on the market, though the Captur fights back with better ride comfort in some versions and a more flexible rear-seat and boot arrangement.

Beyond those three, the Toyota Yaris Cross, Peugeot 2008, Vauxhall Mokka and Hyundai Kona all deserve a look. The Renault Captur makes most sense if you want value, versatility and a strong all-round package rather than one headline strength.

The Captur’s party piece remains its sliding rear bench. It allows you to trade rear legroom for boot capacity, which gives the car more flexibility than many rivals.

With the rear bench pushed fully forward, the petrol Captur can offer up to 616 litres of luggage space, which is a huge number for a small SUV. But that headline figure needs context, because it comes with a real sacrifice in rear passenger room. In the real world, many buyers will keep the bench somewhere near the middle or further back.

With the rear bench back, the petrol Captur has 484 litres of boot space, while the hybrid drops to 348 litres because of the packaging changes underneath. That makes the hybrid less practical in pure luggage terms, even if it remains roomy enough for everyday family life.

Passenger space is otherwise good for a car of this size. Up front there is plenty of room, and in the back the Captur is genuinely usable for adults provided the rear bench is not shoved right forward. Three across the rear is never ideal, but the relatively flat floor helps.

The Renault Captur measures 4,239mm long, 1,797mm wide & 1,575mm high. That means it sits right in the sweet spot for a small SUV, being large enough to feel substantial but compact enough to remain easy to thread through town and park.

That footprint is a big part of the Captur’s appeal. It gives you the extra practicality and raised seating position buyers want from an SUV, without making the car feel oversized.

The 2024 update made a big difference here. Every current Captur now gets a 10.4-inch portrait touchscreen, and the latest Google-based system is a clear improvement over Renault’s older setups.

It is quicker to respond, easier to understand and benefits from Google Maps and Google Assistant in the better-specified models. That means the Captur no longer feels like it is trailing the class badly on infotainment.

The important caveat is on the used market. Older cars with the 7.0-inch or 9.3-inch systems feel much more dated, and the laggier 9.3-inch portrait screen in particular is not one of Renault’s better efforts. If technology matters to you, the facelifted car is the one to target.

The Renault Captur’s material quality is solid rather than standout, but it is competitive for the class. Soft-touch trim across the dashboard and front doors helps, and higher trims do a decent job of feeling a little richer than the base car.

No, it does not feel premium in the full sense, but it also does not feel obviously cheap. For the money, the overall cabin finish is convincing enough.

The entry point is the TCe 115, a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol with a six-speed manual gearbox and 115PS. Renault quotes 0-62mph in 13.0 seconds, which tells you everything you need to know about how brisk it feels. This is the Captur for buyers prioritising price over pace.

Much more convincing is the full hybrid E-Tech 160. This pairs a petrol engine with electric assistance for a combined 160PS and cuts the 0-62mph time to 8.9 seconds. That is not fast in a hot-hatch sense, but it is enough to make the Captur feel much more relaxed and responsive.

For most buyers, the hybrid is the one to choose. It suits the Captur’s character much better and makes the whole car feel more complete.

The Renault Captur is light, easy to drive and well suited to town use. The raised seating position helps visibility, and the controls are all simple enough that it feels very approachable from the outset.

The steering is light and the suspension is tuned more for comfort than sporty involvement. That means the Captur is not as sharp or as tied down in corners as a Ford Puma, but it does make a good fist of dealing with poorer surfaces.

The hybrid does carry extra weight, and you notice that more if you start pushing on. It still never feels unruly, but it is clearly more about easy everyday driving than outright fun.

Refinement is mixed. The petrol engine sounds coarse if worked hard, while the hybrid is quieter and smoother in many situations but can still feel awkward as it swaps between petrol and electric operation. Neither version is a class leader here, though the hybrid remains the more convincing of the two.

The Renault Captur earned a four-star Euro NCAP rating in 2024, which is respectable rather than class-leading.

Safety kit is strong for a small SUV, though. Lane-keeping aids, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot warning, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera all help make it feel well equipped in this area, while higher trims add more assistance technology.

It is also family-friendly in the details, with Isofix points on the outer rear seats and Renault’s E-Call emergency-response system included.

The full hybrid E-Tech 160 is the efficiency champion of the current range, with official economy of up to 60.1mpg.

The petrol TCe 115 is less impressive but still respectable, with up to 48.7mpg officially quoted. In the real world, though, the small petrol engine will need to work fairly hard, which means it is less likely to match the brochure figure than the hybrid.

That makes the hybrid the clear choice if low running costs matter most.

Renault covers the Captur with a three-year warranty up to 60,000 miles.

Servicing intervals are the more relevant detail for day-to-day ownership. Renault schedules the Captur for routine servicing every 12 months or 18,000 miles, which is a sensible enough balance for a small family SUV and should help keep maintenance straightforward for most owners.

Insurance groups for the current Renault Captur range from 11 to 16, which should keep premiums fairly reasonable for most buyers.

That means the Captur should remain accessible for younger drivers and families, especially in the lower-powered petrol versions.

The Renault Captur now costs £200 a year in VED after year one, which is the current standard annual rate for petrol and hybrid cars.

The Expensive Car Supplement applies only to petrol and hybrid cars with a list price above £40,000, and no current Captur comes close to that. So there is no extra premium-car charge to worry about here.