Renault Captur Review & Prices

The Renault Captur is a seriously appealing small SUV if you want something stylish, practical and good value. This is one of the busiest parts of the new car market, yet the Captur still manages to stand out. That said, if comfort is right at the top of your list, there are better alternatives to consider.

It’s like a designer tote - fashionable, eye-catching, but fundamentally very roomy and great for the detritus of everyday life.

And, just like the world of designer bags, the Captur has no shortage of alternatives. The Toyota Yaris Cross is a super-efficient hybrid option, while the Dacia Duster has a more rugged, outdoorsy feel. The Peugeot 2008 is another strong choice if style matters, the Skoda Kamiq is worth a look if you want as much practicality as possible, and the Chery Tiggo 4 is the value choice. You could also consider an electric car instead, such as Renault’s own Megane E-Tech or the Kia EV3.

This generation of Captur has been around for a few years now, but Renault gave it a facelift in 2024 and it looks much sharper as a result. The slim, angular headlights and blanked-off grille give it a more modern face, with the latest Renault badge sitting proudly in the middle. The rest of the car isn’t quite as striking, but it’s still handsome and neatly proportioned.

Practicality is one of the Captur’s biggest strengths. In petrol form, the boot measures a huge 484 litres, which is more than you get in a Toyota Yaris Cross or Peugeot 2008. Slide the rear seats forwards and that rises to a massive 616 litres, though the hybrid model - which is the version we’d go for - does lose a chunk of that capacity.

The interior is smart as well. The dashboard is dominated by a large central touchscreen, which sits proud of the dash but looks good rather than awkward. There are some pleasant soft-touch materials inside, including a neat fabric strip across the dashboard, along with enough chrome trim to stop things feeling too plain.

It is a little dark in the cabin, and some lighter upholstery options or a panoramic sunroof would make it feel airier. Still, it never feels cramped, because there’s loads of space inside. The front seats have plenty of adjustment and proved comfortable in our testing, while the sliding rear bench means you can choose between more boot space or enough rear legroom for six-foot adults.

Equipment levels are good, too, and every model apart from the entry-level car gets Renault’s excellent Google-based infotainment setup. It has Google Maps and Google Assistant built in, and it’s comfortably one of the best systems you’ll find in a small SUV. It’s quick, simple to use and so slick that you might not even bother plugging in your phone, though Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are still included.

There are two engines to choose from. The basic option is a 115hp petrol with a six-speed manual gearbox, while the more interesting choice is the 1.8-litre hybrid. The latter is easily the one to have, because it’s punchier, very efficient and generally pleasant to drive. The gearbox can occasionally get flustered if you lift off and get back on the throttle quickly, such as when approaching a roundabout, but most of the time it behaves well.

It’s a smooth enough setup overall, although the Captur’s hybrid system can be noisier than the ones you’ll find in a Toyota Yaris Cross or Peugeot 2008. Once you’re cruising, though, it settles down nicely.

The Captur’s suspension is on the firm side, so potholes and rougher roads can bounce you about more than you might like. It feels calmer on the motorway, but if comfort is a priority you’ll be better served by a Skoda Kamiq or Dacia Duster. It’s not as if the firm suspension makes the Captur especially exciting to drive, either. It feels stable in corners, but there isn’t much feedback through the steering.

Verdict

The Captur is one of the best small SUVs if you want style, space and value, especially with the excellent hybrid engine. Its firm suspension stops it feeling truly polished, and it’s not much fun, but the big boot, clever cabin and slick Google tech make it easy to recommend.

Check out Carwow’s new Renault Captur deals to get a stylish, easy to live with small SUV on your driveway, or look at Renault Captur lease deals to avoid paying a cash lump sum. You can find used Renault Captur deals through our network of trusted dealers, or other used Renault models to get a glimpse of the rest of the range. Carwow can even help you sell your car when you’re ready to make a change.

The Renault Captur range is easy to digest and starts from less than £22,500 for the entry-level Evolution model - great value for a car this practical, though it’s still beaten on price by the Dacia Duster. It’s a straightforward walk-up of £1,800 between each trim level.

If you want the hybrid engine, which we’d recommend, it’s £2,700 more than the petrol - meaning the range starts from just under £25,200. That’s a little cheaper than the Toyota Yaris Cross, but not by much.

The base-spec cars don’t feel too stingy as they get the same big touchscreen and climate controls as the upper trim levels, but we recommend opting up to at least the mid-spec Techno trim with the E-Tech hybrid engine as the best balance of price and equipment. Key to this is the Google software, as it turns the Captur’s infotainment system from one that’s decent into one that’s class-leading. If you’re really into the style, though, it’s not too hard to justify stepping up one further to the posh-looking Esprit Alpine car.

We tested a Captur hybrid in Esprit Alpine trim in December 2024, and found that the stylish looks combined with the (optional) Iron Blue paintwork got plenty of compliments. We loved the Google infotainment system, but the large alloy wheels made it even firmer over bumps than the other models.

The Renault Captur is easy to drive around town and its hybrid system is powerful for its size, but it’s unsettled over harsh bumps

In town

The Renault Captur has compact dimensions and light controls, so we found it a doddle to drive around town. The view forward is great and the door mirrors are a good size, though we found there was a bit of a blind spot over our shoulder due to the chunky rear pillars.

All cars come with a reversing camera and rear parking sensors, and thanks to the Captur’s compact dimensions we found it was easy to park - but there’s no option for a 360-degree camera system like you can get on the Toyota Yaris Cross, which makes it easier to get into really awkward spots, especially ones with high kerbs that can scuff your alloy wheels.

The entry-level petrol car is okay to drive around town, but the power delivery is quite lumpy rather than being smooth and linear. The E-Tech hybrid is much, much better. It can waft about at low speeds on electric power alone, and you can press the E-Save button while you’re driving to reserve 40% of your electric power for use in town. If you want a Captur with an automatic gearbox, the hybrid is your only option.

While the hybrid system is great, the suspension isn't quite as refined over bumps as alternatives such as the Volkswagen T-Cross. The Captur is a bit jiggly around town, something which is made worse by the 19-inch wheels you get on the range-topping Esprit Alpine model.

On the motorway

Things settle down on the motorway, although the body does roll around on especially undulating surfaces which could make your kids feel a bit travel sick. Wind noise is pretty hushed, with just a bit of rustling from the mirrors disturbing the peace.

Joining a faster moving road can be a slight issue in the hybrid model, especially if it's a short slip road because it can be hesitant to give you power when you put your foot down. It’s still better than the 1.0-litre petrol though, because that car is just a bit underpowered.

The road noise can be a bit intrusive if you have the Esprit Alpine model with its larger wheels, but this is also the only version which has adaptive cruise control, so you’ll have to weigh up which is more important to you.

On a twisty road

Venturing out onto country roads, we found that the Captur is best described as adequate. It’s not as much fun as a Ford Puma, but the steering is direct and there’s very little body roll. That lack of lean through the corners is thanks to the firm suspension, which does result in it being pretty uncomfortable on anything other than perfectly smooth roads. A Volkswagen T-Cross handles the bumps much better.

The Renault Captur has a big boot and a useful sliding rear seat, though you lose lots of luggage space in the hybrid model

We found it was really easy to get comfortable behind the wheel of the Captur. There’s plenty of adjustment in the seat and the steering wheel, and you get adjustable lumbar support as standard. The driving position is good as well, offering a commanding view of the road.

The range-topping Esprit Alpine model gets some lovely sports seats and, while they seem a bit out of place in a humble compact SUV, they provide great support on long journeys. The standard chairs are also nice and comfy.

Interior storage is pretty so-so. The fuse box impedes on the glovebox, but it’s really deep so there’s still a decent amount of space. You also get a couple of cup holders and some trays in the centre console for your phone and any other loose bits and bobs you empty out of your pockets. The door bins are a decent size as well, with enough space to fit a big bottle of water.

All cars get a wireless charging pad and two USB-C ports in the front to keep your phone charged up.

Space in the back seats

It’s a tale of two halves in the back of the Captur. Legroom is decent and headroom is okay as long as you’re not especially tall. Getting three across the back will be a struggle though because the middle seat is quite narrow, and it’s raised up so whoever sits there has little headroom. At least there's plenty of space for your feet.

Fitting a child seat is fiddly because you have to unzip the covers for the ISOFIX anchors and then poke about to find the mounting points. However, the door opens nice and wide to make things easier and you have mounting points on the front passenger seat in case you want to keep your baby close by.

It’s a shame that the rear passengers don’t get an armrest or any cup holders, they just have a pair of small door bins for a bottle and some nets on the front seat backs. Still, at least charging everyone’s devices is a breeze - there are two USB-C ports in the back and a 12-volt socket.

Boot space

The boot is where the Captur sets itself apart from other small SUVs, because it’s massive for a car this size. In the 1.0-litre petrol model you have 484 litres of space, 24 litres more than a Toyota Yaris Cross and it’s almost 30 litres bigger than a Volkswagen T-Cross.

And this is before you make use of the Captur’s party piece, because the rear seats can slide forward to expand the boot to a whopping 616 litres. Unfortunately the boot does shrink quite a lot if you go for the hybrid version. You lose around 136 litres because of the electrical gubbins under the boot floor.

This only affects the underfloor storage though, and the main boot area is a nice square shape with no load lip regardless which model you go for. The rear seats also fold completely flat with no step in the floor, so pushing heavy items to the front is a breeze.

It would be nice if there were some clever features in the boot. You get a couple of hooks and that’s your lot, no 12-volt sockets or tie-down point here. The Skoda Kamiq is slightly more versatile in this respect, and if you want maximum boot space for the money then the Citroen C5 Aircross is worth a look.

The Renault Captur has a well-made and high-quality interior with some great tech, although the digital driver’s display could be better

The fit and finish inside the Captur can easily match German alternatives like the Volkswagen T-Cross. Everything is really nicely screwed together, and all the materials you touch or look at are soft and yielding. A Peugeot 2008’s cabin may look funkier, but the Captur still has a smart interior design.

All versions come with a 10.4-inch touchscreen as standard, however you’ll want to go for the mid-spec version and up because then you get the brilliant Google-based software. The screen is bright and responsive and the graphics are great, and the layout looks pretty much the same as your phone’s so it’s really easy to use.

This system also has things like Google Maps built in, and you can get Spotify as well. You don’t even need to pair your phone all the time, although you do still have wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto across the range.

All but the entry-level car also have a 10.3-inch digital driver’s display, and it’s pretty good. All your vital driver information is clear and easy to read, and there are a few different views you can choose from to display things like your media or sat nav directions. The system you can get on a Volkswagen T-Cross is slightly more configurable, but there’s not much in it.

In 2025 the Captur’s engine range was updated to include two options. The base engine is a 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol with 115hp (it had just 90hp before 2025). It gets a six-speed manual gearbox and officially returns 48.7mpg (correct as of 2/12/2025). In the real world, expect around 40mpg, which is pretty much on par with the fuel economy we’ve achieved in similar petrol-powered alternatives like the Volkswagen T-Cross 1.0-litre TSI.

There’s also a 1.8-litre E-Tech hybrid engine with 160hp, upgraded from an older 1.6-litre 140hp unit. This is definitely the better engine to go for - Renault claims it’ll do 64.2mpg and in our experience this is more than possible with a light right foot. Even driven harder, we achieved close to 50mpg during our six months with a Captur hybrid - often heavily-laden and on fast motorway journeys. And that was the older, less efficient 1.6.

The E-Tech also has much lower CO2 emissions, making it a better choice for company car drivers and lower on first-year road tax - though a plug-in hybrid or fully electric alternative, such as a Kia EV3, will be far cheaper still.

Euro NCAP rating (2024): 4/5

Adult occupant: 76%
Child occupant: 80%
Vulnerable road users: 76%
Safety assist: 69%

The Renault Captur underwent Euro NCAP testing in 2024 and scored four stars - a downgrade from the pre-facelift car's five-star rating. This isn't a bad score, and it's worth noting some of the systems Euro NCAP deducts points for - such as the absence of a warning to avoid 'dooring' cyclists - aren't available on many of the Captur's alternatives, either.

You get a decent amount of safety kit as standard. All cars come with automatic lights, rear parking sensors, a reversing camera, automatic emergency braking and driver attention alert. You do get cruise control as well, but an adaptive system is reserved only for range-topping cars. A Toyota Yaris Cross gets this as standard.

*the basic three-year warranty is extended by a year with each approved service

Renault came a seriously impressive sixth out of 31 manufacturers in the 2025 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, a big improvement from its 28th-place finish in 2024’s results. The Captur itself has been out for several years with no major horror stories or notable issues, and though Renault’s hybrid system is fiendishly complex it’s proving pretty reliable.

Renault offers an above-average five-year, 100,000-mile warranty, which matches Toyota in mileage but not in timescale. Hybrid models get a separate eight-year/100,000-mile warranty on their batteries. Servicing costs are reasonable, with a three-year/30,000-mile plan available as a one-off cost or payable in monthly instalments.

Tom Wiltshire’s verdict

There’s a lot to like about the Renault Captur SUV. For a Google aficionado like me, the Android Automotive operating system is absolutely fantastic, and I think it looks really good too. It’s a shame that the hybrid version loses out on so much boot space, though - and I wish it was a bit comfier over bumps.

• A stylish, great-value small SUV: the Captur stands out with sharp styling and a smart, well-made cabin
• Spacious and practical interior: sliding rear seats and a huge boot make family life easy, but hybrid versions lose significant underfloor capacity
• Hybrid engine is the pick: strong efficiency, decent punch and smooth low-speed running, though the gearbox can hesitate
• Class-leading infotainment tech: mid-spec cars and above get brilliant Google-based software, delivering smartphone-like usability
• Firm suspension limits comfort: the Captur is quite stiff, which keeps body roll in check but feels jiggly in town and harsh on broken roads
• Strong everyday usability: light controls, compact dimensions and a standard reversing camera make town driving simple

Model tested: Renault Captur E-Tech Esprit Alpine, Iron Blue, December 2024.