Used Renault Arkana 2021-2025 review

The coupé SUV might sound like an unusual concept, but it’s a style of car that’s been around for quite some time now. The Renault Arkana was one of the later additions to the coupé SUV class, having launched in the UK in 2021.

It arrived as one of the more affordable offerings, with the class typically dominated by larger, more luxurious cars, like the BMW X6 and Mercedes GLE Coupé. The Arkana, Cupra Formentor and VW Taigo joined the ranks more recently to make the niche more mainstream.

Engines and performance: The entry-level engine in the Arkana is a 138bhp 1.3-litre four-cylinder mild hybrid petrol, badged TCe 140. It’s not especially quick, with 0-62mph taking 9.8sec. The 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre petrol engines in the Taigo and Formentor feel more punchy by comparison. They can also be had with a manual gearbox, whereas the Arkana is available only with an automatic transmission.

Alternatively, there’s the full hybrid version. Badged E-Tech Full Hybrid 145, it combines a 1.6-litre petrol engine with a small battery and an electric motor.

Total power is 143bhp, and because the electric motor works instantly at low speeds, it's fine for pottering around town. Once outside the city limits, where the Arkana's non-turbocharged petrol engine takes over, acceleration is noticeably less sprightly, leading to a 0-62mph time of 10.8 seconds. That's slower than many cheaper alternatives, such as the Citroën C4.

There’s little wind and road noise as you drive along but refinement is let down by the engine in both versions, which sounds rather thrashy getting up to motorway speeds. The hybrid is quiet when driving around town, though, thanks to the electric motor.

Ride and handling: The Arkana’s ride is firm compared with most rivals – including the Toyota C-HR – and if you drive over a deep pothole or razor-edged expansion joint, you’re greeted with a hefty thud. The firmness controls body movements well over bumps so you and your passengers don't get bounced around, as they might in the softly sprung C4.

The Arkana handles pretty well. It’s not as agile as a Formentor, but it has decent grip, not too much body lean and precise steering that’s pleasingly weighted. We wouldn’t say it’s fun to drive, but its sure-footedness gives you confidence on B-roads.

Interior and practicality: Finding a comfy driving position in the Renault Arkana is easy, with lots of seat and steering wheel adjustment. The seats themselves are comfortable and have plenty of bolstering to keep you supported through corners.

Behind the steering wheel sits an easy-to-read digital driver's display in one of two sizes. The entry-level Evolution trim includes a 7in one, while Techno and above increases that to 10in.

The dashboard is easy to use, with physical controls for all the important functions, including the climate controls. By contrast, the Formentor has some annoying touch-sensitive controls that are fiddlier to operate and more distracting on the move.

You sit higher up from the ground in the Arkana than in the Formentor, although visibility out of the front of the Arkana is slightly worse due to its chunkier windscreen pillars. It's not awful but you can’t see as much at junctions without manoeuvring your head around the side pillars.

As with most coupé-styled SUVs, the sloping roofline means visibility out of the back isn’t great. To make parking easier, every Arkana comes with rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera, with front parking sensors added with mid-spec Techno trim.

You get an infotainment touchscreen on all versions, starting with a 7in landscape one on Evolution trim. That's slightly smaller than the one in the Taigo and much smaller than the 12.9in display in the Formentor. Still, the screen is clear and the system responds quickly to your prods.

Stepping up to Techno or above swaps that for a portrait 9.3in infotainment screen. Like the smaller one, it has high resolution and responsive software, but it's still not quite as intuitive as the iDrive system in the BMW X2. All versions of the Arkana come with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring and built-in sat-nav.

Interior quality feels like a step up from the C-HR (which has more hard plastics), especially in its rear-seat area. The Arkana has more soft-touch materials, the switches feel as well damped as they do in the C-HR, and it feels just as well screwed together. The Formentor feels plusher still.

The front seats in the Renault Arkana go back far enough to accommodate long legs and there’s plenty of width, so you won’t be rubbing elbows with your passenger. Head room isn’t particularly good, though, with taller adults liable to find their heads closer to the roof than in a Formentor.

You’ll find a six-footer will have more leg room in the back of the Arkana than in a C-HR. As you might expect, the stylish roofline eats into rear head room but not by as much as you think, making it possible for your tall friends to sit back there without too much hassle. That said, the Formentor still offers more head room.

There’s room for three adults to sit side-by-side in the rear, with a decent amount of shoulder room on offer. Better still, they won’t have to straddle a bulky central tunnel, meaning that they have a good amount of foot space. Indeed, our only demerit is that the middle seat is slightly higher, so they’ll have to slouch to stay clear of the roof.

In the boot, there’s 480 litres of space to play with, which is more than enough for several carry-on suitcases or a set of golf clubs. It’s also bigger than the boots in the C4, the Formentor and the C-HR.

A two-level boot floor is standard with the Arkana, allowing you to minimise the loading lip and ensure there’s no step in the floor when you fold down the rear seats. They don’t do anything particularly impressive though, splitting 60/40 rather than the more flexible 40/20/40 arrangement that you’ll find in an Audi Q3 Sportback or X2.

Trims and equipment: In earlier cars, the Arkana’s trim levels consisted of Iconic, Techno and R.S. Line, but these were later replaced by Evolution, Techno and Esprit Alpine. The Arkana's entry-level Evolution trim is relatively well-equipped, with 17in alloy wheels, adaptive cruise control, automatic headlights, automatic climate control and keyless entry. Mid-spec Techno gives you a few more goodies, including a bigger infotainment screen, a leather steering wheel, 18in wheels, wireless phone-charging and extra safety kit.

Esprit Alpine trim is a sportier trim level, adding lots of styling tweaks, 19in alloy wheels, heated seats, a heated steering wheel and electric front seats.

Facelift: Renault updated the Arkana in 2024, with a light facelift that included a new grille design, new Renault badging and smoked rear taillights. The 1.3-litre mild hybrid engine was also dropped from the line-up.

"While the Renault Arkana’s firm suspension helps to make it quite controlled as you drive along over undulations, I found that it thudded lots over imperfections in town." – Mark Pearson, Used Cars Editor

If you're interested in buying a used Renault Arkana or any of the cars we've mentioned, head over to our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at a great price.

Prices for a used Arkana start from around £10,000. This will get you into a TCe or hybrid car with around 100,000 miles on the clock. There’s a variety of trim levels available at that price point.

If you up your budget to around £13,000, you’ll find an example with much lower mileage. Later 2024 and 2025 cars cost upwards of £17,000.

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MPG

Both versions of the Arkana should be affordable to run. The full hybrid version is the most fuel efficient, averaging 58.9mpg, according to official WLTP tests. The TCe petrol isn’t far behind, averaging 48.7mpg under the same conditions. That’s on par with petrol versions of the Formentor and Taigo, but the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the former will be better still, granted you charge it up regularly.

Road Tax

All versions of the Arkana are subject to the current road tax flat rate fee of £195. No version cost more than £40,000 when new, so it won’t be subject to the luxury car tax surcharge.

Servicing

Servicing costs for both hybrid and petrol versions are on par with rivals from Cupra and Volkswagen. We were quoted £180 for a minor service from Renault, which includes cabin filter changes and a full vehicle check. A major service costs £269, but it’s more comprehensive, including oil and filter changes. You can have a minor and major service combined for £365.

Warranty

From new, every Arkana comes with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty. That’s not as good as Kia’s seven-year, 100,000-mile offering or Hyundai’s five-year, unlimited mileage cover. Toyota betters them all, giving you up to 10 years or 100,000 miles if you regularly service your car with an authorised Toyota dealer.

Insurance

The Arkana spans insurance groups 15 to 17. That’s similar to the Taigo, which means insurance costs should be similar. An entry-level Formentor sits in group 19, so it will cost more to insure.

Safety

The Arkana scored the full five stars in its Euro NCAP crash test in 2019. It performed well for protecting adult occupants up front and children in the rear. All versions get automatic emergency braking (AEB) and lane-keep assist, while Techno cars get blind-spot monitoring and a rear cross-traffic warning system.

Reliability

Real-world owner reviews from our latest What Car? Reliability Survey paint a mixed picture of the Renault Arkana’s dependability.

Some drivers reported electrical issues, including unexplained warning lights and faulty sensors that required repeated visits to dealerships. A few also faced delays fixing infotainment glitches. Frustrations grew when repairs were slowed by poor communication and long waits for replacement parts.

That said, not all experiences were negative – some owners found their local dealers responsive and helpful with minor fixes.

To find out more about used Renault Arkana reliability, visit our dedicated reliability page.

Engine

The 1.6-litre hybrid is our pick. It’s quieter and more efficient than the 1.3-litre petrol, yet used prices are similar. There’s not much of a difference with performance, either.

Specification

We’d recommend going for a top-spec R.S. Line car. You can pick one up for a similar price to entry-level Iconic, yet it gives you useful extra kit, such as a bigger infotainment screen and heated front seats. It was also a popular trim choice when new, so there are loads of them available on the used market.

Our favourite Renault Arkana: 1.6 E-Tech R.S. Line

The Volkswagen Taigo is one of the smaller coupé SUVs, but it doesn’t feel it inside. It’s very spacious in the front and back, plus it has a smart-looking interior. To drive, it’s really comfortable, with a supple ride and tidy handling. It’s good value on the used market, too.

The Cupra Formantor is a sleek coupé SUV that’s really quite practical. It’s sharp to drive, with neat handling and a comfortable ride. It’s let down by a mixed reliability record, though.

The Citroën C4 has that typically soft Citroën suspension, making it a great motorway cruiser. It’s also very well priced on the used market, with a choice of petrol, mild hybrid or fully electric options to choose from. It’s not the most practical option, though.

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If you're interested in buying a used Renault Arkana or any of the cars we've mentioned, head over to our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at a great price.