Renault Captur Review & Prices

The Renault Captur is a small SUV that’s stylish, practical, cheap to run and sensibly priced. It has a clever interior, excellent infotainment and a very efficient hybrid engine option, though it’s not the most comfortable car for rough roads or long distances.

The Captur is a bit like a stylish weekender bag. It looks smart enough that you’d happily show it off in polite company, but its real talent is swallowing far more stuff than its compact dimensions suggest.

The Captur has no shortage of alternatives, especially these days. The Toyota Yaris Cross is another excellent - and even more efficient - hybrid option, while the Dacia Duster shares the Captur’s engines but looks more rugged and costs less. The Peugeot 2008 has a great interior, the Skoda Kamiq is the most practical alternative, and the Chery Tiggo 4 by far the cheapest if value is your main priority.

The current generation of Captur was launched in 2019 but underwent a substantial facelift in 2024 that made it look a lot fresher. It has slim, sharp headlights with upright daytime running lights and a stylish grille which gives it a more modern ‘face’ similar to the current Clio. The back end isn’t as dramatic, but it’s nicely proportioned and the whole package is one of the smarter-looking small SUVs.

Practicality is a real selling point. The petrol model has a massive boot, expandable to an even bigger one if you slide the back seat all the way forwards. The ability to choose between passenger and luggage space is still really useful.

There’s plenty of room for passengers too. The front seats have enough adjustment for most drivers to get comfortable and the sliding rear bench means you can prioritise rear legroom when carrying adults. With it pushed backwards there’s enough room for six-foot passengers, although three adults across the rear bench will still be a squeeze.

The Captur’s interior is smart without trying too hard to look futuristic. The 10.4-inch touchscreen is portrait-oriented and on all but the entry-level trim runs a slick Google operating system, so it’s as easy to use as your smartphone. There are some pleasantly soft materials where you’re most likely to touch them, and fabric trim across the fascia helps lift proceedings. It’s definitely a leg up on the Duster, Yaris Cross or Tiggo 4, though the Peugeot 2008 feels even posher still.

There are two engines. The basic 115hp 1.2-litre petrol comes with a six-speed manual gearbox and is fine if keeping the purchase price down matters most. The better choice is the 160hp 1.8-litre E-Tech full hybrid, which is considerably quicker, uses less fuel and can spend a surprising amount of time running on electric power around town without needing to be plugged in.

The hybrid system is generally smooth, but its complicated automatic gearbox can occasionally hesitate or shuffle awkwardly between its different operating modes, particularly if you lift off and quickly ask for power again. It can also get quite noisy when you accelerate hard, whereas Toyota’s hybrid system feels a little more polished.

Comfort remains the Captur’s most obvious weakness. It feels firm over potholes and broken urban roads, and the largest wheels on Esprit Alpine models exaggerate the problem. Things settle down considerably on the motorway, where the Captur feels stable and relaxed, but the stiff setup doesn’t translate into much extra entertainment on a country road. The steering is light and accurate enough, but gives you little incentive to drive quickly.

Verdict

The Renault Captur is a really convincing small SUV because it combines smart looks, an unusually flexible interior and some of the best infotainment tech in the class. The 160hp hybrid is easily the engine to have, providing strong performance and excellent economy, although its smaller boot is worth bearing in mind. A Skoda Kamiq is more comfortable and a Toyota Yaris Cross has a smoother hybrid system, but the Captur is a stylish and practical all-rounder that’s 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 starts at £22,495 in petrol form, which looks pretty competitive next to most small SUVs. A Skoda Kamiq starts at around £24,000 and a Peugeot 2008 at roughly £26,000, although the Dacia Duster is cheaper at about £19,000. The Chery Tiggo 4 is much cheaper at £19,995 with a standard hybrid engine - the hybrid Captur costs over £25,000.

There are three trim levels. Evolution is hardly bare-bones, getting 17-inch alloy wheels, a 10.4-inch touchscreen, automatic climate control, LED headlights and a reversing camera.

Techno is the version we’d choose. It upgrades to 18-inch wheels, a 10.25-inch digital driver display, front, rear and side parking sensors and, most importantly, adds Google Maps, Google Assistant and other Google services to the infotainment system.

Esprit Alpine brings sportier styling, big 19-inch wheels, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, as well as adaptive cruise control. It certainly looks the part, but those larger wheels do the already-firm suspension no favours, so Techno remains the sweet spot unless you particularly like the Alpine-inspired styling.

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 16/6/2025). 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.

Renault put in a strong performance in the 2026 Driver Power manufacturer survey, finishing ninth out of 30 brands. The Captur itself fared much worse, though, coming 47th out of 50 cars. Owners were particularly critical of its handling, comfort and steering response, as well as the usability of some controls, although hybrid owners were much happier with running costs than those driving petrol versions.

There have also been a couple of recent recalls worth knowing about. Capturs built between September 2022 and July 2025 have been included in a campaign requiring an update to the injection computer software. A much smaller 2025 recall covered certain cars built between April 2024 and May 2025 because an actuator in the transmission could fail to engage the parking lock correctly. Both issues are repairable under warranty.

New Renaults now come with a three-year/60,000-mile manufacturer warranty. The Toyota Yaris Cross is the gold standard here with up to ten years of cover (if you service at an approved dealer) though the Chery Tiggo 4 gets a regular seven-year/100,000 mile warranty too.