Renault Captur Review & Prices

Small SUVs are everywhere - just take a look at your local supermarket car park - but not all are created equal. The Renault Captur is one of the most stylish options going, while remaining sensible and practical.

Think of it as cafe-au-lait from a patisserie as opposed to a mug of instant Nescafe from a greasy spoon cafe; they both do the same job, but you feel fancier with a bit of foam on your coffee.

As with coffees, there are loads of alternatives to the Captur available when considering a small SUV. From the super-efficient Toyota Yaris Cross and Lexus LBX to the rugged Dacia Duster and equally chic Peugeot E-2008 EV, the small Renault is far from alone in the market.

A 2024 update gave the Captur a bold new design, with slim, angular headlights either side of a broad, blanked-off grille. Arrow-shaped LED running lights flank the front end, and while the rest of the car doesn’t have quite the same crisp styling, it’s still a handsome little thing.

The interior isn’t quite as stylish, but the straightforward dashboard with some coloured trim and fabric upholstery on its leading edge is easy on the eye. The portrait-oriented infotainment screen sits proudly in the middle, though it sticks up high above the dash top, slightly awkwardly.

It’s a great system though, standard on every trim bar the entry-level model. The Google-based software is very easy to use with in-built Google Maps, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. Just as easy to use is the row of toggle switches for the climate controls below the screen.

There’s plenty of space inside the Captur, and the highly-adjustable driver’s seat and steering wheel make it easy to get comfortable in. Rear headroom is a little tight, but there’s an enormous boot which ranges from 484 litres to a cavernous 616 litres; the rear bench slides to give you more storage space or leg room, depending on your needs.

You can choose from two engine options for the Captur: a 1.0-litre petrol engine equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox, or a more powerful 1.6-litre self-charging hybrid with an automatic transmission.

It’s worth the extra spend to get the hybrid, as it’s highly efficient and the additional power is handy too. The engine kicks in smoothly when it’s required, but the hybrid system does a good job of using EV power alone when just pottering about.

What’s not so smooth is the driving experience over bad roads, as the suspension is rather firm, bouncing you around over potholes and speed bumps. Light steering and good forward visibility mean the Captur is stress free to manoeuvre around town though - especially in the automatic hybrid model.

Motorways are more comfortable as the suspension seems to settle down, but the petrol model feels underpowered when getting up to speed and there’s noticeable road noise on trim levels with the larger wheels. Country lanes aren’t exciting in the Captur, but there’s minimal body roll and the steering feels precise; it never feels unsettled on a twisty road.

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Entry-level Capturs start at a hair over £22,000, but they don’t represent great value for money as they feel a bit…barren. Mid-range cars and above are much better value, coming equipped with the big, posh, portrait infotainment system as well as a 10.3-inch driver’s display, 360-degree parking sensors and electrically folding mirrors.

Petrol-powered Capturs undercut the equivalent Volkswagen T-Cross and Skoda Kamiq by a few thousand pounds, but there’s less difference between the E-Tech Captur hybrid and the hybrid Toyota Yaris Cross.

The Yaris Cross comes equipped with more kit than a mid-level Captur, so you’ll be paying more for the top-spec Esprit Alpine Captur to get as much equipment as on the Toyota.

The Captur is easy to drive around town and it’s decent on the motorway, however the firm suspension makes it unsettled over harsher bumps and you’ll want to avoid the weedy 1.0-litre engine

In town

Piloting the Captur around town is a doddle thanks to its compact dimensions and light controls. Your view forward is great and the door mirrors are a decent size, but there is a blind spot over your shoulder thanks to the chunky rear pillars. All cars come with a reversing camera and rear parking sensors as standard which go some way to mitigate this, but it’s a shame that there’s no option of a 360-degree camera like you can have on the Toyota Yaris Cross.

If you can spare the extra few thousand pounds then the E-Tech hybrid model is the one to go for. It can waft around town in electric-only mode at low speeds, and it does a great job of keeping engine use to a minimum to save fuel. There’s an E-Save button which will maintain the battery at 40% for you to use around town. The hybrid is also the only model which gets an automatic gearbox.

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 feels a bit jiggly around town, something which is made worse by the 19-inch wheels you get on the range-topping Esprit Alpine model. However, to be fair, it's only really noticeable on poorer road surfaces with lots of potholes.

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 just feels 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

Venture out onto a country road and 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.

You get a massive boot and decent passenger space in the Captur, although fitting three people in the back is a squeeze.

Getting comfortable behind the wheel of the Captur is easy. 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 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 feels 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.

An update to the Captur in 2024 brought in a streamlined range of engines. There are now just two to choose from - a 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol with 90hp or or 145hp E-Tech hybrid. Company car drivers will be disappointed to learn that the plug-in hybrid model is no more, so you may want to look towards a Toyota C-HR if you want a plug-in hybrid car with lower Benefit in Kind rates, or you could get an all-electric MG4 for similar money which will sit in the lowest BIK tax bracket.

The 1.0-litre petrol model is only available with a six-speed manual gearbox, and it’ll return up to 48mpg if you’re careful. The issue with this engine is that it’s a bit underpowered when you venture out onto faster moving roads.

There are no such issues with the E-Tech hybrid, and this will be the engine of choice for most buyers. It can drive on electric power alone when you’re bumbling around town, and the engine cuts in and out smoothly when it needs to. It can be a bit hesitant when you want a sudden burst of acceleration, but other than that it’s pretty unobtrusive and a week spent with the car in various driving conditions saw us return 59mpg on average. Very impressive when the claimed figure is 61mpg.

The Renault Captur underwent Euro NCAP testing 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.

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 came a lowly 28th out of 32 manufacturers entered into the 2024 Driver Power reliability survey, which is hardly a confidence-inspiring result, though there haven’t been any horror stories of notable issues with the Captur.

Renault offers an above average five-year/100,000-mile warranty though, with hybrid variants getting an additional eight-year/100,000-mile warranty on their hybrid components. Servicing costs are reasonable, with a three-year/30,000-mile plan available as a one-off cost or payable in monthly instalments.