Renault Captur review

The smallest member of a family often copies their bigger brothers or sisters – and the Renault Captur has done the same. You see, it now looks more like Renault's larger SUVs than ever.

Visually, the latest Captur echoes the Renault Rafale and the electric Renault Scenic rather than looking like a jacked-up Renault Clio (a criticism you might have levelled at previous versions of the Captur). 

It's been updated in other ways too, with the addition of a new Google-based infotainment system and interior materials Renault says are more sustainable. The upholstery in the new range-topping Esprit Alpine trim, for example, apparently contains 26% recycled and recyclable fabric.

Renault Captur video review

The 2024 updates were definitely needed to help the Captur stay competitive in the dog-eat-dog world of the best small SUVs – but are they enough?

Read on to find out how the Renault Captur stacks up against rivals ranging from the Ford Puma and Skoda Kamiq to the Toyota Yaris Cross and VW T-Cross...

The Renault Captur range kicks off with the TCe 90, a 90bhp turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol that comes with a six-speed manual gearbox. It's certainly up to the job but don't expect sparkling acceleration (0-62mph takes 14.3 seconds).

If you want more performance or an automatic gearbox there's the Captur E-Tech Hybrid 145 – a 141bhp 1.6-litre petrol regular hybrid that managed a 0-60mph time of 9.7 seconds in our tests. It's slightly quicker than a Nissan Juke Hybrid or a Toyota Yaris Cross but can't match the pace of the Ford Puma 1.0 Ecoboost 155 or VW T-Cross 1.5 TSI.

While the hybrid can travel on electric power for short distances, it’s a bit more leisurely when doing so than a Yaris Cross. When you need more oomph the petrol engine fires up to lend a hand, although there's sometimes a pause while the hybrid system figures out the best way to juggle the workload, resulting in a delay between you pressing the accelerator and the car picking up speed.

The Captur has relatively soft suspension and that helps make it one of the comfier small SUVs you can buy. Indeed, it's a more supple cruiser than a Ford Puma or Nissan Juke.

The Skoda Kamiq and VW T-Roc offer an even smoother and more controlled ride than the Captur, so they're well worth considering if comfort is a priority.

The Captur's steering is helpfully light around town but doesn't build weight reassuringly at higher speeds. That means you're never as confident on twisty roads as you would be in a Puma or T-Cross.

It doesn’t have the outright grip of those rivals either – although it is more agile than the super-soft Citroën C3 Aircross.

Granted, the Captur isn’t exactly supposed to be a sports car so you can forgive it for not being particularly dynamic, but we're not blown away by its manoeuvrability either. The turning circle is wider than in many small SUVs, making it harder to execute a quick U-turn.

For the most part, the Captur is calm and civilised, with less road and wind noise at motorway speeds than many rivals. It's not quite as hushed as the pricier VW T-Roc but it is a quieter cruiser than the Ford Puma and Toyota Yaris Cross and there's less wind noise than inside a Nissan Juke.

The E-Tech Hybrid is remarkably quiet when running in electric mode at low speeds, emitting only a faint hum to warn pedestrians of its presence (a sound apparently composed by Jean-Michel Jarre). When needed, the petrol engine chimes in, although the switch between power sources isn't as smooth as in some hybrid cars, including the Toyota Yaris Cross.

It's a pity the brakes in the hybrid aren't better-judged though. It's hard to be smooth when slowing down because of the regenerative braking system.

“I found the regular petrol engine in the TCe 90 fairly smooth, although the manual gearshift isn't the slickest and the clutch action is a bit vague.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

If the raised driving position promised by a small SUV is what you’re after, the Renault Captur will appeal. You sit higher up than you do in a Skoda Kamiq or Toyota Yaris Cross.

What’s more, the seat, steering wheel and pedals line up well so you're not sitting at an odd angle. Some drivers might wish the Captur’s steering wheel dropped down even lower, but the flip side is that there’s little risk of the wheel partially obscuring the top of the digital driver's display behind it. The display measures 7.0in if you go for entry-level Evolution trim and 10.25in higher up the range. 

The dashboard is laid out in a sensible way, with physical controls to adjust the air-con settings, making them easy to operate while you're driving. Our only real complaint is that – unlike in the Ford Puma and VW T-Cross – adjustable lumbar support isn't available to improve lower back support.

The Captur’s elevated driving position gives you a decent view forwards, helped by relatively slim windscreen pillars. The only slight demerit is that the rear-view mirror is mounted quite close to the driver and impedes your view out of the top section of the windscreen.

When you're looking back over your shoulder, you'll find that the window line rises steeply towards the rear of the car, creating a big blind-spot. Fortunately all versions come with rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera.

For great visibility at night, all versions of the Captur come with full LED headlights with high-beam assist, which automatically dips the lights if it detects oncoming vehicles.

The Captur has a 10.4in portrait-oriented infotainment touchscreen angled slightly towards the driver to make it easier to see and reach. It has really crisp graphics and responds quickly when you press the screen.

The operating system is easy to get to grips with, and Techno and Esprit Alpine models add Google Automotive Services, including the Google Maps navigation app and one of the best voice-control systems we've tried.

Whichever trim you choose, you'll get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring and a wireless charging pad. So, overall, the Captur has one of the best infotainment systems of any small SUV. The standard sound system could do with a bit more punch though.

The upper sections of the Captur's dashboard is squishy in places, making it feel far less budget inside than a Dacia Duster or Suzuki Vitara. Then again, it's hardly what you'd describe as "plush". The floating centre console, along with some other fixtures, feels a little wobbly and the hard plastics found elsewhere – especially on the doors – feel a bit low rent.

If you want a really smart interior in your small SUV take a look at the Nissan Juke or, if your budget allows, the Audi Q2. The VW T-Cross feels a little more solid inside too.

Some buyers will favour the Captur because of the use of recycled materials in its interior, and the fact that instead of chrome and leather you get materials said to be more sustainable.

“Touchscreen infotainment systems are a bit distracting but in my experience the Captur's is far better in this respect than the Ford Puma's.” – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

There's plenty of leg room in the front of the Renault Captur, and while the Ford Puma, Nissan Juke and Skoda Kamiq offer even more head room, a six-footer will fit yet fine. The Captur's relatively broad interior means you won’t be rubbing shoulders with your front passenger, either.

As for storage, there’s a total of 24.7 litres dotted around, including a hidden tray below the infotainment screen, a larger pocket in front of the gear lever and an enormous glovebox.

Even with its sliding rear seats pushed all the way back, space in the rear of the Captur is decent rather than amazing. A six-footer will find their head is rather close to the roof, and although there's more knee room than you’ll find in a Toyota Yaris Cross, there’s even more in the back of a Skoda Kamiq.

With three adults in the back of the Captur, things feel rather squished, although whoever is sitting in the middle will appreciate the amount of foot space created by the near-flat floor. It’s worth pointing out that the E-Tech Hybrid is just as roomy in the back as the regular TCe 90 petrol.

You can slide the back seats all the way forwards to maximise boot space but when you do so rear knee room becomes so tight that adults won't fit.

The ability to slide the rear seats back and forth to prioritise either boot space or rear leg room is useful – and a rare feature in the small SUV class (although the VW T-Cross has it too).

The seat bases slide as one piece but the rear seatbacks are split 60/40 so you can fold them all down to create a longer load bay, or just drop one section, leaving seating for one or two passengers.

Renault says the Captur has one of the biggest boots in the class but there’s a caveat: that’s if you choose the non-hybrid version (TCe 90) and slide the rear seat bench all the way forwards (which you won't realistically be able to do if you want to fit adults in the back).

With the rear seats slid all the way back to maximise rear leg room, boot space in the TCe 90 petrol versions drops from a maximum of 535 litres to 422 litres. That's still more luggage space than in most traditional family cars – including the VW Golf – but not quite as much as in a Ford Puma or Skoda Kamiq.

The E-Tech Hybrid sacrifices almost a quarter of its boot to make room for its drive battery, meaning there's 326 litres of storage space when the rear seats are as far back as they'll go. In that configuration we managed to squeeze five carry-on suitcases below the load cover, the same number as in a Nissan Juke Hybrid but two fewer than in a Toyota Yaris Cross. 

“I like height-adjustable boot floors because they're very handy, and you get one on all versions of the Captur except the entry-level Evolution.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

As a cash buy, the Renault Captur is one of the cheapest mainstream small SUVs, undercutting the Ford Puma, Skoda Kamiq and VW T-Cross. Whichever model you choose, you can check you're getting the best price by searching our New Car Deals pages.

In our real-world fuel economy test, the Captur E-Tech Hybrid was pipped by the Toyota Yaris Cross (56.7mpg versus 57.7mpg) but did much better than the equivalent Nissan Juke (46.5mpg). That might tempt you to stump up for the E-Tech version rather than the TCe 90, but the downside is that the hybrid costs considerably more to buy in the first place.

For that reason, private buyers should think carefully before stumping up the extra cash for the E-Tech – although it is the most cost-effective version if you run a company car and pay BIK tax on it.

This is an area where the Captur does well. Even the entry-level Evolution trim won’t leave you feeling short-changed, as it comes with 17in alloy wheels, cruise control, automatic lights and wipers, climate control and keyless entry.

Even so, we’d suggest jumping up to our favourite Techno trim because the price difference isn’t huge and you get bigger 18in wheels, ambient interior lighting, power-folding door mirrors, a height-adjustable boot floor and the Google-based infotainment system.

We'd avoid range-topping Esprit Alpine trim because it removes one of the Captur's most appealing strengths: it's low price. Mind you, it certainly comes with lots of kit, including adaptive cruise control, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, two-tone paint and 19in alloys.

In our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey the Captur finished mid-table in the small SUV class, above the Ford Puma and Skoda Kamiq but below the VW T-Cross and VW T-Roc. 

Renault did well though, claiming ninth place out of the 31 car makers included.

Every new Renault comes with a three-year warranty, with no mileage limit for the first two years but a 60,000-mile cap after that. That’s fairly par for the course, matching Ford and Skoda, but not Kia’s seven-year warranty. The E-Tech version gets a separate eight-year/100,000 miles warranty on its drive battery.

All Capturs have automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assistance, traffic-sign recognition and an emergency call (eCall) function. That's impressive, and we're pleased Renault hasn't skimped on safety kit with the cheaper trims.

Mind you, Euro NCAP awarded the Captur four stars out of five for overall safety in 2024 (most new cars hold five stars). Chest protection for the driver and neck protection for a 10-year-old child sitting the back were both rated as "weak".

“I wouldn't bother with the E-Tech version – you'll need to do tens of thousands of miles to earn back the extra cost in fuel savings.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

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