Renault Arkana Review 2024

Renault Arkana At A Glance

2/5
Honest John Overall Rating
The new Renault Arkana is a style-focused, spacious and efficient coupe-SUV. It's well-equipped, too, but the ride is unsettled, there are better handling rivals and the E-Tech hybrid version is very disappointing.

+Stylish alternative to Renault Kadjar. Good fuel economy on either engine. Long warranty. Plenty of kit.

-Ride is harsh in town and bouncy out of it. Hybrid is unrefined and slow. Rivals are generally nicer to drive.

New prices start from £30,890, brokers can source from £23,770
Insurance Groups are between 15–19
On average it achieves 0% of the official MPG figure

Creating a niche car type is always a gamble, but the growing coupe SUV sector seems to be gelling with buyers. Premium brands such as BMW, Audi and Mercedes embraced it first, but mainstream models are trickling in. In this review we'll see if Renault's Arkana can crack the successful formula against rivals such as the Toyota C-HR and Mazda CX-30.

The Renault Arkana's hybrid body of a coupe and an SUV is complemented by hybrid engines. You can have a mild-hybrid 1.3-litre turbo petrol engine or the E-Tech, which is a full (self-charging) hybrid. 

The latter is expected to be the biggest seller, but it probably isn't the one we'd choose. It combines a 1.6-litre petrol engine with a 1.2kWh battery and two electric motors (one for setting off under electric power, the other to provide a power boost during acceleration).

It's best suited to town use, where it'll bimble around frugally and does a good job of isolating the driver (and passengers) from the outside world. Pretty much as soon as the engine wakes up it starts to get noisy, however, as the strangely unresponsive gearbox makes it a frustrating performer. 

There's also a mild-hybrid petrol model. We've not tried this yet, but the 1.3 TCe engine is a strong yet smooth performer in other Renault models. There are no plans to offer a diesel engine in the Arkana. 

The Arkana handles tidily enough but it isn't as fun as rivals such as the CX-30 and Cupra Formentor. The ride is unsettled too, crashing into big bumps around town. Really, the way the Arkana hybrid drives is probably the worst thing about it. 

It's a shame, because if you like the looks there's some appealing positives as a family SUV. It's quite a bit roomier than you might expect - it's based on the smaller Captur but is actually longer than the Kadjar - and the interior is largely pleasant, with decent tech and reasonable quality. 

The Arkana is also well equipped for the money, looking respectable value if you avoid the higher-end trims which aren't that necessary. It'll prove cheap to run too thanks to those efficient engines, while Renault offers a very competitive five-year, 100,000 mile warranty.

If you're looking for an enjoyable driving experience, look elsewhere, but if design, space and value matters and you're just pootling around town the Arkana is worth a look. 

Looking for a second opinion? Read heycar's Renault Arkana review.

What does a Renault Arkana cost?

Buy new from £23,770(list price from £26,995)