Renault Captur Review 2024

Renault Captur At A Glance

3/5
Honest John Overall Rating
The Renault Captur makes a good choice if you want a small, comfortable and economical SUV with space that a family can grow into.

+Practical interior. Refined petrol engine. Excellent value for money.

-Doesn’t do anything spectacularly well.

New prices start from £27,595, brokers can source from £17,778
Insurance Groups are between 7–21
On average it achieves 0% of the official MPG figure

Renault’s small SUV is like a bungalow with a loft conversion. Taking its Clio small car as a base, Renault has knocked a few walls down, raised the floor and extended the roof to give you more interior space than you get in a Clio, but without the pay-off of massive exterior dimensions and the inflated running costs that come with them. Read on for our Renault Captur review.

Sharing a platform with the new Clio and also the Nissan Juke, the Renault Captur has dimensions that sit at 4227mm long, 1797mm wide and 1576mm tall. That makes it an alternative to the Skoda Kamiq, the big-selling Ford Puma and another French challenger, the Peugeot 2008.

It takes a lot to stand out in this crowded small SUV segment, but the Captur offers cheerful looks and a feelgood interior that mean it’s one of the better options.

Practicality has been a focus for the Captur’s designers, and the current model is slightly longer, wider and taller than its predecessor, giving it more interior space.

Front-seat passengers won’t feel cramped at all, and in the rear a sliding bench allows you to prioritise boot or passenger space. It’s a handy feature that means you’ll have no issues getting tall adults in the back, but equally can slide the rear seats forward to increase boot capacity when needed.

Renault has also been generous with storage space, with a large bin between the front seats and decent-sized pockets in all four doors.

Interior quality is great, with soft-touch plastics up front and neat touches such as knurled stalk caps. Naturally, the further up the range you go, the nicer it gets – R. S. Line models feature Alcantara-look upholstery and splashes of aluminium trim. 

The infotainment is also pretty impressive. All models get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – so you can mirror your phone’s display and use its apps on the car’s big screen – while top-of-the-range cars swap the standard seven-inch display for a portrait-style 9.3-inch effort.

Admittedly, it looks like someone has erected a tombstone on your dashboard top, but it’s easy to use.

Link your phone to the infotainment screen, get on the move and you’ll find there’s very little to whinge about. The Renault’s upright driving position and light controls make it easy to drive, but the weighty steering means it doesn’t feel flighty at speed. It’s not as direct as a Ford Puma, but it’s more comfortable.

There’s an engine for all requirements, too. You can choose from petrol and plug-in hybrid petrol models, but the 140PS TCe petrol does everything you need – it’s plenty quick, has enough grunt for shifting the car when it’s loaded and will return more than 40mpg all day long.

We’d stick with the standard six-speed manual gearbox, which has a smooth action that makes the seven-speed dual-clutch seem surplus to requirements. 

The Captur scores highly in the value-for-money stakes. Even entry-level models get full LED headlights and cruise control, auto lights and wipers, climate control, keyless entry and wireless phone charging. Prices range from £22,000 for a 90PS TCe Evolution model to nearly £33,000 for an R S Line 160PS PHEV. 

Looking for a second opinion? Why not read heycar’s Renault Captur review.

Ask Honest John

Can you recommend a car that'll fit a baby seat?

"I need to change my Mazda CX-3 for something larger to accommodate an Isofix baby seat in the back, plus have decent legroom for a 6ft passenger in the back. It also needs a roomy boot, big enough to take the baby’s pushchair and accessories. I was thinking of a Mazda CX-5, Peugeot 3008 or BMW 2 Series Active Tourer. Would a smaller SUV like a Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008 or Citroen C3 be big enough? My budget is approx £17,000. Thanks."
The Mazda CX5 is the best car in your list. It was recently rated as one of the UK's best SUVs in our latest Satisfaction Index: https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/honest-john-satisfaction-index-2020/top-10-highest-rated-suvs-and-crossovers
Answered by Dan Powell
More Questions

What does a Renault Captur cost?

Buy new from £17,778(list price from £21,495)