Jeep Renegade review

Sometimes, it’s good to be spoilt for choice – and with its range of small SUVs, Jeep certainly offers that. The Jeep Renegade is one of three models in the class sold by the US brand.

So where does the Renegade fit in? Well, it's slightly larger than the Jeep Avenger but a little more compact than the Jeep Compass. It’s also closely related to the now-discontinued Fiat 500X – in fact, the two cars shared the same factory in Melfi, Italy because of Jeep and Fiat's shared Stellantis ownership.

You’d probably never guess that from looking at the two cars because the Renegade has more ground clearance, Jeep's trademark grille and chunky off-road looks.

But can it grab the attention of buyers? Well, that’s tricky, seeing as competition is both plentiful and fierce. The class leader at the moment is the Lexus LBX but there's also the Ford Puma, the Skoda Kamiq and plenty more.

Read on as we put the Jeep Renegade to the test against the best small SUVs...

The entry-level engine in the Jeep Renegade is a 1.5-litre petrol with mild-hybrid assistance. It's called the e-Hybrid and it's our pick of the range.

The e-Hybrid produces 128bhp and is good for a 0-62mph time of 10 seconds, although its reluctance to rev makes it feel (and sound) like it’s struggling to haul the Renegade’s weight.

The mild-hybrid system is able to propel the Renegade under electric power when creeping in traffic or during parking manoeuvres, but little more. It spends the rest of its time assisting the petrol engine. 

If you want to be able to drive on electric power for longer, there’s the 4xe plug-in hybrid (PHEV). A 1.3-litre petrol engine drives the front wheels, while a 59bhp electric motor drives the rear wheels, giving the 4xe four-wheel drive. 

The 4xe's 11.4kWh battery provides enough power for an official electric-only range of 26 miles. That’s a lot less than the 38-mile official range of a Kia Niro PHEV or the 40 miles you get from a Toyota C-HR PHEV.

The 4xe’s total power output of 237bhp and 0-62mph time of 7.1 seconds appears sprightly, but in reality it doesn’t feel that quick.

On battery power alone, the electric motor is perfectly capable of driving around town and keeping up with traffic. However, the petrol engine frequently lends a hand above 30mph and it’s working very hard in order to produce a useful amount of mid-range shove.

That's not helped by the lethargic automatic gearbox, which takes too long to change down a gear and give you access to full power when you need a burst of acceleration.  

You won't want to be going fast if the road is a winding one either. The Renegade leans over far more in corners than the Ford Puma and Jeep Avenger. Meanwhile, the steering is very light and imprecise, which can make you doubt whether you've turned the wheel enough to get you round a bend.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Renegade is also relatively lax in the ride department, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing – it’s more forgiving over bumps than the firmer Puma. Still, sharp abrasions trip it up and it never feels especially well planted or controlled. The Skoda Kamiq is a more comfortable, better-riding car. 

We have more complaints in the refinement department: at motorway speeds, there’s ever-present wind noise from the upright windscreen and large door mirrors, and the engine drones during acceleration.

“I was expecting a bit more from the Renegade 4xe’s performance. It’s a shame the gearbox lags behind in its responses.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Most people should be able to find a decent driving position in the front of the Jeep Renegade, although the seats are not particularly supportive, and struggle to hold you in place when cornering.

The driver sits high up so they get a good view over the bonnet but the view out of the back is limited because of the wide pillars. At least a rear-view camera is standard on all trim levels, while higher spec Summit trim includes front and rear parking sensors.

All versions come with a 10.1in infotainment touchscreen, which is starting to look and feel dated, and could respond more quickly to inputs. There's a handy row of shortcut buttons at the bottom to get you directly to the function you want, but the sub menus aren’t that easy to find.

Fortunately the Renegade comes with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring so you can use your phone apps on the touchscreen.

The lay-out of the dashboard is mostly easy to get to grips with. We like the chunky buttons and rotary dials for the climate control and stereo, while the steering wheel buttons are also big and easy to use.

It’s a shame that some of the driving controls (such as the drive modes and hybrid settings) are located quite far down, making it difficult to find at a glance. While the 10.3in digital driver’s display offers a range of lay-outs for the driver, the tiny font and fuzzy graphics mean it’s not that easy to read.

The Renegade's interior quality is several rungs below what you'll find in most rivals, including the Lexus LBX and the far less expensive Skoda Kamiq.

The chunky rotary controls and dash-mounted passenger grab handle lend it a purposeful look, but fail to distract you from the masses of hard scratchy plastic on the dashboard and door cards. The Jeep Avenger has even more scratchy plastic but does a better job of disguising it than the Renegade.

“I think it’s a pretty, er, renegade decision to charge such a high price by small SUV standards for something with such a cheap-feeling interior.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Six-footers will be well sorted for head, shoulder and leg room in the front of the Jeep Renegade. In the rear, while there is more head and leg room than you get in a Jeep Avenger, the narrow bench means the Renegade is better suited to two adults than three (the Skoda Kamiq is roomier). 

There’s plenty of storage cubbies on the lower centre console, including a tray for a phone and a couple of cupholders, as well as a lidded cubby that acts as an armrest, but the door bins are quite small.

As with most small SUVs, it has a 60/40 split rear seat fitted as standard. A more practical 40/20/40 split is available as an optional extra on the Summit trim. 

Even without a spare wheel and with the boot floor in its lowest position, the Renegade’s boot capacity isn't a patch on that of the Ford Puma or Seat Arona. The e-Hybrid has the most space, at 351 litres (with the seats up), while the 4xe PHEV has a slightly smaller 330-litre capacity. 

“The interior felt airy to me, thanks to its tall windows and the car’s boxy design.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Even in the cheapest trim, the Jeep Renegade costs more than top-spec versions of its rivals, plus it’s predicted to lose value more quickly than most. The Jeep Avenger, Peugeot 2008 and Skoda Kamiq are likely to depreciate more slowly. 

Fuel economy and emissions for our preferred e-Hybrid engine are on a par with many small SUVs. Having a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) option – the 4xe – is pretty rare in the class, but on the other hand, its BIK tax (for company car users) is higher than for most PHEVs because of the uncompetitive electric-only range. 

The Renegade e-Hybrid is available in two trim levels: North Star and Summit. North Star gets 17in alloy wheels, a sunroof, privacy glass and a reversing camera, but we'd pay the small premium for Summit, which adds heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, keyless entry and blind-spot detection.

It’s worth noting that the 4xe is only available in North Star trim. 

You get lots of safety aids as standard, including lane-departure warning, traffic-sign recognition and automatic emergency braking (AEB). However, when it was tested by safety experts Euro NCAP in 2019, the Renegade didn’t have those features across the range so its score was capped at three stars out of five.

In our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey, Jeep was absent from the brands section and the Renegade from the small SUV one. In our 2022 survey Jeep finished last out of 32 manufacturers.

Every Renegade comes with a three-year, unlimited mileage warranty, while the PHEV has an eight-year, 100,000-mile policy for the battery pack.

“Once you add even one optional package to entry-level North Star trim you’re basically at Summit pricing, so unless you want the plug-in hybrid version, I’d opt for the top trim straightaway.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here