Long Term Review
Living with a... Renault Captur (Month 1)
We’ve got six months to find out if Renault’s smallest SUV is more than just a pumped-up Clio


Words by: Catherine King
Published on 28 January 2025 | 0 min read
The Renault Captur has been around for a while now. Initially it was a Clio with a slightly higher ride height but following its latest update it now feels like a grown-up small SUV in its own right. Is the Captur a worthy rival to the Ford Puma – the UKs best-selling car – and how does it shape up against other rivals such as the Vauxhall Mokka and Volkswagen T-Cross? We’re living with one for six months to find out.
Skip to: Month 1 – A little more action please
Skip to: Month 1 – A little more action please
What is it?
- Model: Renault Captur
- Version: E-Tech full hybrid 145 Auto
- Spec level: Esprit Alpine
- Options fitted: Iron blue with diamond black roof metallic paint £700
- Price as tested: £28,695

Who's testing it?
I’m a 31-year-old living in the suburbs with my fiancé (Ed). We don’t have any pets or children, but I am “car mum” to a Mazda MX-5 and we recently bought a pre-loved electric Renault Megane E-Tech. We know Renault well – Ed previously owned a diesel Megane, and I used to have a Zoe. I rarely use the car for commuting but still rack up a hefty number of miles with long-distance work trips and visiting family at the opposite end of the country.
We like
- Looks good inside and out
- Built-in Google
- Easy to park
We don't like
- Inconsistent power delivery
- No blind spot monitoring
- The design of the key
Month 1 – A little more action please

Catherine says: “There’s nothing more disconcerting than accelerating to join a busy motorway only for your speed to plateau just when you need some extra power”
How much has it cost you?
Nothing so far. The Captur claims it can do nearly 500 miles on a single tank and I haven’t had to refill it yet.Where have you been?
The Captur arrived just before Christmas and although we were out and about visiting family over the holiday, we were keen to try out the electric range of our Megane E-Tech. As a result I’ve not had much chance to venture very far in the Captur, but living with a full EV and a self-charging hybrid provides an interesting comparison. I have mainly used the Captur on local trips into town and the occasional commute, plus there was a longer trip over to Warrington which was not the straightforward drive I expected.What have you been carrying?
Some friends were going Christmas carolling, so we went to join in. Ed brought his trombone along and the case filled the width of the boot entirely, but it did just about fit. The boot’s a decent size and the flexibility to change the height of the floor or the position of the rear seats is useful, although a large box recently had to go on the back seats as it didn't quite fit in.Delights?
First impressions, then, and the Captur is a good-looking car. Renault is on a roll at the moment and all its latest models look fab! They are much more stylish and interesting than the previous generations. The Captur is bigger than the long-term Suzuki Swift I’ve just given back. I don’t strictly need the space, but I am sure it will come in useful and the Captur is still compact enough to be easy to park. It's a good runabout with its electric motor doing most of the work around town and I particularly like ‘B-mode’ which means you don’t need to use the brake as much because the car slows itself down to a crawl when you take your foot off the accelerator.Frustrations?
I was going to write a long spiel about how much I dislike Renault car keys, but I will save it for another time. Instead, I’ll tell you about my first drive in the Captur. There’s nothing more disconcerting than accelerating to join a busy motorway only for your speed to plateau just when you need some extra power. This is exactly what happened as I braced myself to do battle with the M60. I put my foot down as I joined the slip road only to be met with a lack of action and a burning clutch smell – I initially gave the accelerator a gentle squeeze, but had to resort to flooring it. I did eventually manage to slot into a gap in traffic, but it left me feeling rather unnerved. For the rest of the journey, I only pulled out when the space was twice the length I needed. Weirdly, on some occasions the Captur smoothly glided up to the speed limit, but at other times it made lots of noise and barely seemed capable of going over 50mph. I wondered whether this was to do with the state of charge in the hybrid system but looking at the energy flow diagram left me drawing a blank. On my return journey, the Captur behaved itself a little bit better, but was still inconsistent. Most of my trips involve several motorways, so I am hoping this was just a blip and I’ll get better at anticipating its power delivery (or lack thereof) as time goes on.This month in a nutshell
I’m a bit baffled by the Captur so far. It looks great, works well around town and it’s reasonably well equipped, but the lack of acceleration when I needed it on the motorway has spooked me.
