Renault Captur Review & Prices

There are loads of small SUVs to choose from these days, so a car needs to have a little something different, a little je ne sais quoi, to stand out. Step forward the Renault Captur.

It looks a bit more stylish than conventional alternatives such as the Skoda Kamiq or Volkswagen T-Cross. It’s like comparing a macaron with a digestive – they’re both taken with a cuppa, but the French snack looks more attractive and tastes better.

Compared with the first Captur, the current model now has C-shaped LED running lights, LED headlights as standard, a wider grille, redesigned bumpers and larger alloy wheel options. It’s still a Captur, but it looks like it’s been doing some serious training.

Inside, the Captur has also moved on, getting a new infotainment system, slicker design and upgraded materials. And, because it’s now taller, wider and longer than before, and has more distance between the front and rear wheels, there’s more space for people inside, particularly in the back.

Entry (Evolution) and mid-level (Techno) Capturs get a 7.0-inch portrait-orientated infotainment system with built-in sat nav as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you can also get navigation through your smartphone. DAB radio and Bluetooth are standard, too. All other trims get a larger 9.3-inch portrait touchscreen.

Whichever one you choose, the native menus and response times don’t match the better systems in rivals like the Volkswagen T-Cross and Skoda Kamiq, and Renault’s digital dials don’t look as good and are less configurable than in other small SUVs, too.

The quality of the materials inside is high – although maybe the Peugeot 2008 just shades it in this respect. But the Captur’s space is great. You won’t have any complaints in the front – drivers of all sizes will be able to get comfy and see out easily. In the back, the Captur is similarly impressive. A pair of adults will fit in comfortably, although getting a third in might prove tight.

The Captur has a party trick in the back – its rear bench can slide forwards and backwards as one, trading rear legroom for boot space. That means the Captur’s boot, at 536 litres with the seats pushed forwards, is the largest of any small SUV. With the seats all the way back to maximise rear legroom, the boot shrinks to 422 litres, which is still competitive with most other alternatives.

Worth noting is that the hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions have smaller boots than the petrols due to the addition of the battery packs. 

There’s plenty of choice when it comes to the Captur’s engines and gearboxes, with two petrols (one with mild hybrid assistance) as well as self-charging and plug-in hybrid petrol options. A six-speed manual is standard on the regular and mild hybrid, while a six-speed auto is fitted to the hybrids.

If you drive mainly in town, the 91hp TCe 90 petrol model may just about do the job, but the 140hp mild hybrid costs a bit more and offers significantly better performance, especially on the motorway. 

If you will run your Captur through work and have reliable access to charging then the plug-in hybrid may well prove to be extremely cheap to run, but remember it will cost more to buy.

The Captur is no thriller to drive, but small SUVs aren’t designed to be. More importantly, it steers precisely and feels grippy and stable through turns. A VW T-Cross is quieter and more comfortable both driving around town and on the motorway, though.

So overall, the Captur wows you with its initial style but doesn’t quite match up with the best small SUVs when you scratch beneath the surface. Still, it does look great, feels high-quality and offers lots of interior space.

If this sounds like your next small SUV, then head over to our Renault deals pages for the very best Captur deals. If you're interested in buying a used Renault Captur then head over to our used deals page, and you can also look at other deals for new Renault models. If you want to change your car altogether, you can sell your car through carwow, where our trusted dealers will bed on your car to get you the best price.

The Renault Captur offers decent value if you pick the right trim. You’ll want to avoid the weedy base 91hp engine. The perky 140hp version is just £1,500 more and offers better fuel economy and performance. The Seat Arona and Peugeot 2008 still undercut the Captur on certain trim levels, while the Volkswagen T-Cross tends to be slightly pricier across the range.

The Captur is easy to drive around town, and copes well on the motorway. The ride quality isn’t great over rougher road surfaces, and we’d avoid the underpowered entry-level engine

In town

Thanks to its small dimensions and light controls, the Renault Captur is a doddle to pilot around town. Visibility is good, although the base Evolution trim only gets rear parking sensors as standard. All other models get front parking sensors as well as a reversing camera. Emergency brake assist and traffic sign recognition are standard fitment on all Capture trims.

One area where the Captur doesn’t fare so well is in ride comfort over potholes and bumps; 17-inch wheels are only available on the base trim, and the larger 18-inch wheels fitted to the rest of the range don’t help matters. The Citroen C3 and VW T-Cross both feel more composed around town.

The plug-in hybrid is the priciest of the lot, but offers the smoothest driving experience, mostly because it can go up to 30 miles on purely electric power. The self-charging version can manage only a few miles on its battery pack, but it’s much cheaper so may still save you money in the long run.

On the motorway

Once you get up to motorway speeds, the ride settles down and aside from some wind noise, the Captur feels planted and capable. Lane departure warning and lane keep assist are standard, as is cruise control.

Avoid the 91hp base petrol engine if you plan to do longer journeys, rather opt for the 140hp mild hybrid which feels far more willing with a full load and during overtaking manoeuvres. The Captur is comfortable enough for rear seat passengers, although the rear window pillar is right next to the outer two occupants’ heads, which can make them feel a little claustrophobic during a long drive.

On a twisty road

Few people buy a small SUV for its dynamic prowess, and the Captur has clearly not been designed to carve up a winding back road at speed.

That said, it grips the road well and feels agile and responsive in corners, just as long as you don’t push it too hard. A Seat Arona or Ford Puma will be a bit more fun down a twisty road, but that’s not really what these cars are all about.

There’s a decent amount of space for passengers and their luggage in the Captur. Fitting three adults in the rear can be a bit tight, though

The latest generation Captur is larger in every direction than its predecessor. This translates into plenty of space in the cabin. The front seats offer enough adjustment to accommodate most shapes and sizes, and the steering wheel can be adjusted for rake and reach, too.

Storage space is decent, with a big, lidded cubby and a pair of cup holders between the seats. The floating centre console (on automatics) has a space underneath it for smaller items and a shelf by the base of the dashboard has a handy phone storage spot, offering wireless charging on higher trims.

Large door bins will accommodate big water bottles or handbags, and the large glovebox has a cool pull-out type design, which is quite useful unless someone is sitting in the front passenger seat…

Space in the back seats

The Captur’s enlarged dimensions really pay dividends for passengers in the rear. Even taller adults won’t have a problem with knee or headroom, and the rear bench can be moved backwards for even more space.

Fitting three adults abreast will be a squeeze – just like in any other small SUV. A pair of door bins and seatback pockets are provided for storage, and the centre backrest folds down to reveal a set of cupholders.

Boot space

The Renault Captur has one of the biggest boots in the business – as long as you keep those rear seats in their forwardmost setting. In that configuration you get an impressive 536 litres in the petrol version. This shrinks to 440 litres for the hybrid and 379 litres for the plug-in hybrid models. Push the rear bench all the way back and you get 422 litres in the petrol, 326 litres for the hybrid and 265 litres in the plug-in hybrid.

As a comparison the Volkswagen T-Cross manages between 385 and 455 litres with its sliding rear seats. The Citroen C3 Aircross also offers sliding seats (as an option), giving it 380-520 litres of boot space. That makes the standard petrol-powered Renault Captur the most spacious here, with its 422-536 litres of boot space. Just remember that you’ll struggle to fit passengers in the rear of any of these small SUVs if you push the seats all the way forward.

Fold the rear seats flat and you get a flat load bay with no boot lip and a useful divider to separate your luggage. Total space is 1,275 litres for the petrol models, which is on par with the VW T-Cross but falls short of the Peugeot 2008’s 1,467 litres.

The new Renault Captur has a high-rent interior, with much-improved materials. The infotainment system and digital driver display aren't the slickest, though

The Captur’s cabin is finished in good quality materials and offers a dash of style to elevate it above the more mundane offerings in this class. A Peugeot 2008 may look funkier still, but the Renault’s regular size steering wheel provides a clear view of the digital driver display at all times. Something not always guaranteed with the 2008’s small diameter steering wheel. There are a pair of USB ports and a 12-volt socket ahead of the gear lever, and another set of USB ports in-between the front seats for rear passengers.

The Evolution and Techno trims come with a 7.0-inch touchscreen which includes Bluetooth, DAB radio, sat nav and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. A wireless phone charger is optional in the base trim and standard for the rest of the range. Higher trims get a 9.3-inch portrait touchscreen with the same features.

The system’s responsiveness isn’t quite as quick as we’d like, and the small icons make it difficult to hit the right options while on the move. The standard smartphone connectivity helps matters, and you’ll probably bypass Renault’s apps in most cases.

The driver gets a 4.2-inch digital dash display on the Evolution trim, this increases to 7.0 inches on the mid-spec Techno. Rive Gauche models. R.S. Line and e-Tech Engineered trims (only available with hybrid engines) get a 10.0-inch display as standard. The graphics on all versions are good enough, with the larger units providing more detailed information. Alternative displays tend to be sharper and more configurable, though.

You are spoiled for choice when it comes to the engines. The offerings kick off with the 91hp TCe 90 petrol, which is paired solely with a manual transmission and wheezes from 0-62mph in 14 seconds. The 47.9mpg combined consumption figure is decent, but it’s still the least efficient option here. Entry-level engines in all the alternatives to the Captur are both quicker and more fuel efficient.

It’s best then to move on to the Mild Hybrid 140 engine. This turbocharged petrol engine produces 140hp and does the 0-62mph sprint in a far more enthusiastic 10.3-seconds, the mild hybrid assistance helps it deliver up to 48.7mpg in mixed driving. This compares well with most alternatives, but is manual-only, which might be a pain if you spend a lot of your time in slow-moving traffic.

The E-Tech Hybrid 145 is a self-charging hybrid petrol engine and comes with a six-speed automatic transmission. It produces 142hp and offers similar performance to the mild hybrid engine, but has better fuel economy. It can travel for short spurts on electric power but relies on the petrol engine most of the time. It offers a good cost/efficiency compromise and works well in town as well as on the motorway.

The range-topper is the E-Tech Plug-in Hybrid 160 Auto. This model produces a combined 160hp and can travel up to 28 miles on electric alone thanks to a 9.8kWh battery pack. This gives it an official 217.3mpg, and if your daily commutes are short, you may not need to call on the petrol engine at all.

Charging on a 7kW wall box at home will have you from empty to full in three hours. It has a maximum charging rate of just 3.7kW per hour so plugging into a fast charger won’t speed up your charging time. It is the priciest to buy, but attracts the least company car Benefit In Kind Tax; currently 12% as opposed to the 26-32% of the other models.

The Renault Captur underwent Euro NCAP testing in 2019 and received a full five-star rating. The 96% adult occupancy safety score is among the highest in the small SUV class, and the 83% child occupant rating is impressive as well.

Standard passive and active safety kit comprises auto headlights (auto high beams on all but the lowest trim), hill start assist, lane departure warning, lane keep assist and cruise control. Rear parking sensors are standard, with additional front sensors and a rearview camera standard on higher trims. Active emergency braking is included on the three higher trim levels as standard.

The Renault Captur has received generally positive reviews from owners, and just one recall so far for an incorrectly fastened seatbelt buckle.

The Captur comes with an above average five-year/100,000-mile warranty, 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 monthly.