Used Renault Austral 2023-present review

You could say the Renault Austral has one of the most distinctive names of any family SUV. It derives from the word “Australis”, which is Latin for “southern”, to illustrate warmth, space and openness, as well as being a name that’s easy to pronounce (it’s “oss-trahl”, by the way).

Having said that, Renault is no stranger to giving its SUVs funky names. Just take the Renault Kadjar, the Austral’s predecessor, and the smaller Renault Captur and Renault Symbioz as prime examples.

Launched in Europe in 2022 and in the UK in 2023 as a hybrid-only family SUV, the Austral has been around for a few years now, so there are plenty available on the used market. To see how it fares as a new car, you can read our Renault Austral review.

Engines and performance: The Austral is only available with an ‘E-Tech’ hybrid system that combines a 1.2-litre petrol engine, an electric motor and a 1.7kWh (usable capacity) battery. The petrol engine and electric motor combine to deliver a total output of 197bhp, allowing for an official 0-62mph time of 8.4 seconds (we managed 0-60mph in 8.8 seconds at our test track).

The Austral’s hybrid system always favours its 67bhp electric motor, which isn’t particularly muscular. The petrol engine will wake up to lend a hand, but it’s not particularly quick at doing so, which limits responsiveness.

Refinement is good, especially when driving in town. The 1.7kWh is bigger than most hybrid family SUVs’, allowing the car to spend as much time as possible running on electric power.

Ride and handling: When the Austral was launched, top-spec Iconic Esprit Alpine models featured a rear-wheel steering system called 4Control. We’d avoid this because it has a bespoke rear suspension setup that jostles its occupants almost constantly.

The standard suspension is more settled, though the Austral still falls well short of the Kia Sportage and Skoda Karoq in suppleness, with occupants subjected to more jostling in their seats over bumps and potholes.

Likewise, when it comes to handling, the 4Control system makes the car feel nervous and hard to place on the road. Without the system, the Austral is a lot more reassuring to drive, although it still leans more than a Seat Ateca when you're driving spiritedly. We’d also recommend keeping the steering in its Medium or High weight setting, because Low is so light and vague that it can be difficult to place the car on a twisty road when driving at speed.

Interior and practicality: It’s easy to get comfortable behind the wheel of the Austral, with plenty of adjustment in the seat and steering wheel. And while you don’t sit up quite as high as you do in the Sportage and Tucson, the forward view is still great, thanks to a low dashboard and windscreen pillars. Rear visibility isn’t quite as good because of the small rear window, but all versions come with all-round parking sensors and a camera to make up for this.

The dashboard is dominated by two large screens: a 12.3in digital driver's display and a driver-focused 12.0in touchscreen infotainment system. The infotainment software itself is responsive and easy to navigate, while the physical climate controls are more intuitive than the touch-sensitive setup in the Sportage.

Material quality, for the most part, is very good. There’s lots of soft-touch finishes on the dashboard and doors, but there are some cheaper plastics lower down. The interior looks smart overall, but the Sportage and Tucson feel more robust.

Up front, the Renault Austral has enough head, leg and shoulder room to keep six-footers happy. Plus, there are lots of useful storage cubbies. In the back, you can slide the seats back and forth to allow you to choose between boot space and rear leg room. In fact, there’s more knee room than in the Sportage when the seats are slid all the way back, but head and shoulder room are not as generous.

As for the boot, the Austral has 487 litres of space back there, which is less than the Sportage and Tucson. With the Austral's rear seats pushed all the way back (so adults can fit in them), there's only room for six carry-on suitcases (the Sportage and Tucson can take eight). The seats also only fold in a 60/40 split, which is less versatile than the 40/20/40 split in the Sportage and Tucson.

Trims and equipment: There are three trim levels to choose from with the Austral. The entry-level option is Techno, which comes with keyless entry and start, automatic climate control, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera and a six-speaker Arkamys stereo.

Mid-range Techno Esprit Alpine adds heated and massaging front seats, a heated steering wheel, a powered tailgate and adaptive cruise control, while range-topping Iconic Esprit Alpine gives you a panoramic glass sunroof, a 12-speaker Harman Kardon sound system and a 360-degree reversing camera.

Facelift: The Austral was given a facelift in 2025, which added a new, more aggressive grille with diamond detailing, restyled bumpers and updated LED lights front and rear. Elsewhere, there was a focus on improving comfort, with revised front seats and extra sound insulation. The suspension was also revised with softer damping for a more comfortable ride.

"The Austral has three stalks on the right-hand side of the steering wheel: the gear selector, the wiper stalk and the media controls. There’s a lot going on there, and I don’t find it very intuitive." – Mark Pearson, Used Cars Editor

If you're interested in buying a used Renault Austral 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 Renault Austral start from around £18,000, which gets you a 2023 or 2024 car with reasonable mileage, in either Techno or Techno Esprit Alpine trim. If you want a top-spec Iconic Esprit Alpine, have a budget of at least £21,000. Look to spend around the same for a pre-facelift 2025 car in a lower spec, but if you want a 2025 facelift model, have a budget of at least £28,000.

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MPG

The official average fuel economy of 58.9mpg is very competitive with rivals, beating those of the Honda ZR-V and Nissan Qashqai e-Power. On our fuel-efficiency test route, we saw a figure of 49.4mpg, which is some way down on the official figure given by Renault but still better than the 45.2mpg we got from the ZR-V and the 43.8mpg from the Kia Sportage.

Road Tax

All versions of the Austral are subject to the current road tax flat rate fee of £195. When fully specced up with options, some range-topping versions cost more than £40,000 when new, making them subject to the £425 luxury car tax surcharge.

Servicing

Servicing costs for the Austral are very competitive. We were quoted £199 for a minor service from Renault, which includes cabin filter changes and a full vehicle check. A major service costs £299, but it’s more comprehensive, including oil and filter changes. You can have a minor and major service combined for £399.

As for rivals, Hyundai will charge you the same for a minor and major service for a Tucson, but Nissan will charge £279.99 for a minor and £379.99 for a major service for a Qashqai. Kia charges £609 for three services over three years as part of its service plan for the Sportage.

Warranty

From new, every Austral 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 entry-level and mid-spec versions of the Austral sit in insurance group 23, while the top-spec version is in group 24. The hybrid version of the Sportage is in a similar group, meaning insurance costs will be about the same, but the Tucson is in a lower group, meaning it will be cheaper to insure.

Safety

The Austral was awarded a full five-star rating by Euro NCAP in 2022, with it closely behind the Qashqai when you look more closely at the scores. All versions come with lane-keeping assistance, automatic emergency braking (AEB) and traffic-sign recognition.

Reliability

The Austral scored poorly in the latest What Car? Reliability Survey, finishing near the bottom of the family SUV rankings and behind many of its key rivals. Renault didn’t fare much better overall as a brand either, landing in the lower half of the manufacturer standings.

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

Engine

Choosing the right engine for the Austral is easy, because there’s only one: the 1.2-litre E-Tech hybrid.

Specification

The entry-level Techno is the Austral at its best, combining the lowest used prices with plenty of standard equipment and the most comfortable ride, thanks to its standard suspension and 19in alloys. The similarly priced Esprit Alpine Techno adds little extra kit and rides worse on its larger 20in wheels, while the range-topping Iconic Esprit Alpine is simply too expensive to recommend.

Our favourite Renault Austral: 1.2 E-Tech Techno

The Hyundai Tucson is one of our favourite used family SUVs. It’s very spacious in the back seats and boot, making it a very practical choice. It’s also really well equipped and excellent value on the used market, coming in less than its closest rivals. A range of petrol, hybrid and plug-in hybrid engine options adds further appeal, as does its five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty.

A close relative of the Tucson is the Kia Sportage. It’s a touch more expensive, but it feels more polished, with superior ride comfort and a slightly smarter interior. It’s available with the same range of engines, too, while a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty should keep running costs down.

The Volvo XC40 is a premium option, but because it’s been around for a few years now, it’s great value. For the money, you get a high-quality interior, plenty of space, lots of safety kit and a comfortable ride. It’s a fantastic all-rounder.

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If you're interested in buying a used Renault Austral 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.