Jeep Avenger Electric review

Jeep Avenger. Not exactly a friendly name, is it? Perhaps it's because the Avenger Electric has been sent to avenge the unfavourable star ratings we’ve given most Jeeps over the past few years.

Joking aside, this small electric SUV is a very different proposition to what we're used to seeing from the US brand. For starters, it’s the first fully electric car in Jeep’s 80-odd year history. Plus, it's not available with four-wheel drive (although the petrol Jeep Avenger is).

Jeep Avenger video review

So, the Avenger Electric is very much a road – rather than off-road – focused SUV. It shares underpinnings with the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica, Peugeot e-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka Electric, in addition to rivalling them. Other competitors include the Ford Puma Gen-E and Renault 4. How well does the Avenger bring the fight to those cars? Read on to find out...

The Avenger is solely available with a 154bhp, front-wheel-drive electric motor and a 50.8kWh (usable capacity) battery. You’ll find the same setup in the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica, Peugeot e-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka Electric.

The full 154bhp is only accessible in the Avenger’s Sport mode. In Normal mode (which is the default setting) the motor produces 108bhp, while Eco mode limits power to 81bhp to help maximise range. 

In Sport mode, the Avenger managed a 0-60mph time of 8.7sec when we tested it. That’s fairly modest by electric SUV standards – the Ford Puma Gen-E and Renault 4 are both quicker. Mind you, the Avenger isn’t exactly crying out for more performance either. It feels nippy enough, especially around town. 

The Avenger Electric's official range is 245 to 249 miles depending on the trim level you pick, which is (perhaps unsurprisingly) very similar to what its mechanical cousins can manage. The Gen-E has an official range of up to 234 miles and the Renault 4 245 miles. 

In the real world, you can expect to get between 180 and 220 miles with a full charge in an Avenger Electric. You’ll see less range at motorway speeds and more around town. Fortunately, the Avenger is best attuned to the latter anyway, where its small dimensions, light steering and relatively tight turning circle make it a doddle to drive.

The ride finds a good balance between soft and firm, cushioning you over bumps without feeling too floaty or uncontrolled. The only time it starts to become a little less settled is when you get up to motorway speeds, although it still feels respectably planted and comfortable, even if the rival Renault 4 is better. 

The Avenger Electric handles well enough, with decent body control and grip. However, it’s not especially sharp or entertaining – the Puma Gen-E is more fun to drive – and the overly light steering robs you of some confidence on fast, twisty roads. 

Off-road, the Avenger Electric is incapable of living up to Jeep’s rough-and-ready reputation – the one best represented by the Jeep Wrangler 4x4. Like we mentioned, there’s no four-wheel-drive version of the Avenger Electric. 

On the other hand, it’s worth noting that it has more ground clearance than most rivals (200mm) and shorter overhangs, which means you're less likely to grind the nose or tail on hills. There are various driving modes for tailoring the traction-control system for different terrain, including mud, sand and snow. 

But back to the Avenger Electric on the beaten track: at motorway speeds, there’s some tyre roar and wind buffeting around the windscreen to note. However, there’s not an annoying amount of noise and around town you only have a slight whirr from the electric motor to put up with.

“I know of better-driving electric cars but I think most people will find the Jeep Avenger Electric’s ride and handling balance acceptable. It certainly feels nippy around town.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

The Jeep Avenger Electric’s interior looks modern and features more colour as you move up the trim range. It’s just a shame that the entry-level version has so much dark plastic, and even the top trim  features a lot of cheap-feeling, scratchy plastic.

The Renault 4 feels more premium inside, and so does the Ford Puma Gen-E (to a lesser extent). They feature more soft-touch materials and lighter colour palettes. 

Visibility is mostly impressive, thanks to the Avenger Electric's relatively tall side windows and slim front pillars. The view over your shoulder isn’t quite as impressive due to the wide rear window pillars, but standard rear parking sensors help to make parking easy. For even more assistance, range-topping Summit trim adds sensors on the front and sides, and a rear-view camera. Summit cars also get blind-spot monitoring.

You’ll find it easy to get comfortable behind the wheel, thanks to lots of adjustment in the seat and steering wheel. The only slight disappointment is that there’s no adjustable lumbar support in the driver's seat of any version of the Avenger Electric and you can’t have electric adjustment. Both are standard on the Puma Gen-E and Renault 4. 

Chances are, you’ll find it easy to see the digital driver's display – something that a good percentage of drivers struggle to do in the Peugeot e-2008.

The entry-level Avenger Electric comes with a 7in driver’s display, while Altitude and Summit trims get a 10.25in one. The larger version is configurable so you can flick between functions for the navigation, media and driving information.

All trim levels come with a 10.25in infotainment touchscreen positioned high up on the dashboard so it’s fairly easy to see while driving. It’s easy to use, with an intuitive operating system and quick responses to prods.

You have to pay extra for built-in sat-nav on the cheaper trim levels, but we wouldn’t bother because all Avenger Electrics come with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. That means you can sync up your phone and run navigation apps through the screen instead.

Thankfully, the Avenger Electric has a row of physical buttons for the climate controls, which makes it easy to adjust functions (such as the air-con temperature) while driving. The touchscreen-based system in the Puma Gen-E is more distracting to use.

“I can understand if the cheap-feeling interior doesn’t faze you. It's somewhat in keeping with Jeep’s utilitarian style.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

The Jeep Avenger Electric is really dinky by electric SUV standards. In fact, it’s not much longer than a VW Polo so, as you can imagine, practicality is limited. 

Still, space in the front is impressive and there’s lots of head and leg room, so two six-footers will easily get comfortable. There’s plenty of storage space in the front, including a big cubby (with a magnetic lid) at the bottom of the dashboard, a couple of cupholders and a cubby beneath the centre armrest.

Rear leg room is where the compromises have been made. It's pretty tight in the back. Your 6ft friends will fit, but their knees will be wedged against the seats in front of them. On the other hand, there’s plenty of head room.

The Avenger Electric's 355 litres of boot space is less than you get in the Ford Puma Gen-E and Renault 4. We managed to fit five carry-on suitcases in the Avenger’s boot, compared with six in the Renault 4 and nine in the Puma Gen-E. 

Even so, on the whole, there should be enough space for a weekend trip away. The broad, square boot opening makes it easy to load chunkier items in, and in its highest setting, the height-adjustable boot floor means there’s hardly any lip at the entrance.

There’s a small amount of storage under the main boot floor (enough for the charging cables), which is handy because the Avenger Electric doesn't have a front boot as some electric cars, like the Puma Gen-E, do. 

The rear-seatbacks fold in a 60/40 split, just like the Gen-E and Renault 4. The seats don’t do anything clever, like slide or recline – few rivals have that feature, but the Hyundai Inster and Smart #1 do. 

“Considering the Jeep Avenger Electric’s size, I don’t think it’s wildly impractical. For your average small family, I think it offers enough space.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

The Jeep Avenger Electric’s pricing starts above the Renault 4’s, but it lines up well with the Ford Puma Gen-E’s. What’s more, among its mechanical cousins, it undercuts the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica, Peugeot e-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka Electric. 

Entry-level Longitude trim comes with keyless entry, rear parking sensors, 16in alloy wheels and climate control. There are plenty of option packs so you can add one or two more luxuries without stepping up to the next trim level.

Still, we recommend upgrading to mid-rung Altitude. It’ll get you a slightly smarter interior, a faux-leather steering wheel, bigger (17in) alloys, adaptive cruise control and a powered tailgate.

Range-topping Summit adds 18in wheels, heated front seats, a wireless phone-charging pad, some extra assisted driving technology and visibility aids.

All Avenger Electrics come with an EV heat pump for more efficient warming of the interior. The model's maximum charging speed is up to 100kW, for a 10-80% top-up in around 25 minutes – that’s similar to the Puma Gen-E (24 minutes) and faster than the Renault 4 (33 minutes). If you’re plugging into a 7kW home wall box, expect to wait just over eight hours for a 0-100% charge.

Neither Jeep nor the Avenger Electric feature in the latest What Car? Reliability Survey but Jeep came bottom out of 32 brands in the last survey it appeared in (2022).

The Avenger Electric comes with safety aids including automatic emergency braking (AEB) with cyclist and pedestrian detection, but did relatively poorly when it was tested by Euro NCAP. The model was given three stars out of five, and scored just 53% in the Safety Assist section and 59% for protecting vulnerable road users. The Hyundai Kona Electric scored four stars but most modern cars hold a five-star safety rating.

“The Jeep Avenger Electric is temptingly priced, but some rivals are starting to undercut it. I’d strongly suggest considering the Renault 4.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

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