Renault Captur (2013-2020) Review

A practical small crossover with low running costs, the Renault Captur is best value as a used car

Strengths & weaknesses

  • Cheap to run
  • Comfortable ride
  • Spacious and practical
  • Quality lags rivals
  • Expensive when new
  • Leans in faster corners
Renault Captur prices from £5,689.
Finance from £144.06 / month.

Used Renault Captur prices from £5,689   Finance from £144.06 per month

If you'd like a car with the small dimensions of a Renault Clio, but a loftier view and larger boot then the Renault Captur fits the bill. This is the previous-generation model, if you're looking for something with styling and up-to-date, the latest Captur will probably be your preference.

It's a small crossover, combining the size and fuel economy of a small car with the extra height of an off-road car. In the case of the Captur, it results in a vastly more practical car, with large door pockets, a big storage box on top of the dashboard and a bit of extra legroom in the rear seats.

Boot space is even more impressive because you can slide the rear seats forwards and backwards. Pushing them fully forwards might reduce legroom but it leaves an enormous 455 litres of space - 155 litres larger than the Clio’s. It’s more than you’ll find in bigger cars, such as the Volkswagen Golf and Nissan Qashqai, and means that you can fit a weekly shop with space to spare.

Of its rivals only the Vauxhall Crossland X, which is fitted with its own sliding seat system, offers more space, although newer rivals such as the Volkswagen T-Roc and Seat Arona come close.

It's a useful family workhorse, but one that offers some fun personalisation options if you're buying from new. Contrasting roof and door mirror colours are standard on higher-specification cars, while various colour interior highlights start at £100.

From the driving seat, visibility ahead is excellent but thick pillars either side of the back window make it tricky to see behind. All but the cheapest models come with an easy-to-use touchscreen display which includes sat-nav. Higher-specification models come with Android Auto for simple control of your apps through the screen, unfortunately Apple CarPlay is not an option if you're an avid iPhone user.

The interior of this older Captur does feel its age, with an unsophisticated feel and a rather out-dated media system - an update in 2017 did help to address some of those shortfalls, but there is still plenty left to be desired. It also gained a tougher look on the outside, with chunkier panels at the front and back making it look a bit more rugged like the Nissan Juke or Ford Ecosport, which aren't as spacious or as good to drive.

Despite their height and design, none of these cars are designed to go off-road. Some versions of the Captur do come with a special system called grip Xtend that can reduce the risk of getting stuck in mud or snow, but no Captur has four-wheel drive, so it’s more at home in the urban jungle than the real one. It's not really got the power to plough through mud either, with an engine range that prioritises fuel economy over performance.

 

Key facts

Warranty Three years / 60,000 miles
Boot size 455 litres
Width 1,778mm
Length 4,122mm
Height 1,566mm
Tax £125 to £165 in first year, £140 thereafter / Pre-April 2017 cars: £0 to £110

Best Renault Captur for...

Best for Economy – Renault Captur 1.5 dCi 90 Expression+

The less powerful of the two 1.5-litre diesel engines offered in the Captur is the most efficient. Official fuel economy is almost 80mpg (but 55mpg in normal driving). Choosing entry-level Expression+ trim keeps the purchase price fairly low, too.

Best for Families – Renault Captur 1.5 dCi 90 Dynamique Nav

Picking Dynamique Nav trim is worthwhile, as this gets you a seven-inch touchscreen with sat nav (making family day trips and holidays less of a headache) and hands-free calling (for safer driving).

Best for Performance – Renault Captur 1.2 TCE Dynamique Nav

Unlike the Clio supermini, there’s no high-performance version of the Captur. The quickest engine on paper is the 1.2-litre petrol which, with the manual gearbox, gets the car from 0-62mph in a reasonably rapid 9.9 seconds.

One to Avoid – Renault Captur 1.2 TCE Signature S Nav Auto

No version of the Captur represents fantastic value for money and the high-spec Signature S Nav version is expensive. It's around £23,000 from new and loses value fast, making finance costly. It makes more sense as a much cheaper used car, but there are better and less costly options.

History

  • May 2013 Renault Captur SUV goes on sale
  • October 2013 EDC (Efficient Dual Clutch) automatic gearbox arrives
  • October 2014 Signature Nav trim level added to range
  • March 2015 More powerful dCi 110 diesel joins engine line-up
  • April 2015 Recall of 31,000 Jan ’13 to March ’15 Capturs for potential brake problem
  • November 2015 Spec upgrade adds DAB radio on all except entry-level model
  • November 2015 Limited-edition Iconic Nav spec introduced above Signature Nav
  • July 2016 The 1.2 TCe 120 engine with a six-speed manual gearbox is introduced on Dynamique Nav trim upwards.
  • July 2016 Iconic Nav special edition includes white pearlescent paint, blue roof, part-leather seats, heated front seats, Grip Xtend system and reversing camera.
  • April 2017 Android Auto added to Capturs with R-Link 2 dashboard screen
  • July 2017 First deliveries of updated Captur with chunky inserts at the front and back, plus improved interior quality.
  • February 2018 Renault reduces its new car warranty from four years or 100,000 miles to three years or 60,000 miles. 
  • 2020 All new Renault Captur goes on sale with a complete redisgn and a vastly improved interior.

Understanding Renault Captur names

Engine 1.5 dCi 110

The Renault Captur is available with one of two petrol engines (called TCe) or one of two diesels (called dCi). The more powerful of the two petrols is only available with an automatic gearbox.

Trim Signature Nav

Five trim levels, with differing amounts of standard equipment, make up the Captur range: Expression+, Dynamique Nav, Dynamique S Nav, Signature X Nav, Signature S Nav

Renault Captur Engines

Petrol: 0.9 TCe 90, 1.2 TCe 120 Diesel: 1.5 dCi 90, 1.5 dCi 110

There are two petrol and two diesel engines to choose from but not all are avalable with an automatic gearbox.

The entry-level 0.9 TCe 90 petrol engine offers reasonable performance and fuel economy, but doesn’t truly shine in either category. It’s only available with a manual gearbox, while the more powerful 1.2-litre TCe 120 is offered with an automatic or manual gearbox.

With 120 horsepower(hp) the more powerful petrol engine offers respectable - but far from sensational performance. Fuel economy isn't going to impress either. Forget the official figures of more than 50mpg, based on laboratory testing: you're more likely to see 35mpg in real-world driving, according to the Equa Index, which measures fuel economy on public roads.

Higher-mileage drivers are likely to be better off in one of the diesel Capturs, which can return more than 50mpg in real-world driving (still a long way off the official figures, which indicate 80mpg or more).

The less powerful 1.5-litre dCi is the best all-rounder in the Captur range. and available with either a manual or automatic geabox. Although it has almost identical performance figures to the 0.9-litre petrol, it feels faster in everyday driving because it doesn't need much revving to deliver a burst of power.

The most powerful 110hp diesel is only a little less efficient than the 90hp engine, but it’s not available in the entry-level Expression+ version of the Captur.

If you do buy a diesel Captur, watch out for the earlier versions, which don't comply with the latest emissions standards, known as Euro 6. These older cars only meet less stringent Euro 5 regulations, which means that they will face charges to drive in any forthcoming clean air zone, which targets the most polluting cars. Owners of Euro 5 cars will also be liable for London's £12.50 ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) daily charge, which begins next year.

  Fuel Official fuel economy Power Acceleration (0-62mph) Top speed
0.9 TCe 90 Petrol 55.4mpg 90hp 13.2sec 106mph
1.2 TCe 120 Petrol 51.4mpg 120hp 9.9sec 113mph
1.5 dCi 90 Diesel 78.5mpg 90hp 13.1sec 106mph
1.5 dCi 110 Diesel 76.4mpg 10hp 11.4sec 113mph

Renault Captur Trims

Expression+, Dynamique Nav, Dynamique S Nav, Signature Nav, Signature S Nav

The Renault Captur is a fairly well equipped car, no matter which version you choose. The entry-level Expression+ has 16-inch alloy wheels, air-conditioning, cruise control, power-adjustable door mirrors, hill-start assistance, electric windows all round and USB/MP3 player sockets, as standard.

Dynamique Nav is notable for the addition of a leather steering wheel, storage nets, washable and removeable seat covers, climate control and the ‘MediaNav’ system. The latter is the main reason to upgrade to this trim, as it gives you sat nav, DAB digital radio, four speakers and Bluetooth phone connectivity. Dynamique Nav also has bigger 17-inch alloy wheels, plus the roof and door mirrors are finished in a contrasting colour.

Moving up to Dynamique S Nav adds heavily tinted rear windows, power-folding door mirrors, contrasting exterior colour schemes and rear parking sensors. The more expensive Signature X Nav gains part-leather seats, unique 17-inch alloy wheels, a seven-inch touchscreen display with a TomTom Live sat-nav system and Android Auto, plus a reversing camera. Alternatively, Signature S Nav also builds on Dynamique S Nav trim with extra luxury touches.

Renault Captur Reliability and warranty

Renault’s reliability record has taken a knock with the latest Driver Power 2018 new car owners satisfaction survey. Largely thanks to problems with the gearbox on their new Capturs, owners ranked the Captur 69 for reliability out of 75 new models. This result contributed to the model's position of 70 when it came to the best caars to own.

The fact that Renault has reduced the length of its new car warranty from four to three years on cars sold since February 2018 is unlikely to reassure buyers of the new Captur.

Used Renault Captur

The relatively high price of the Renault Captur when new leads to a large loss if value in the first year of ownership – and some decent discounts on new and nearly-new examples from dealers.

This makes recently-updated versions of the Captur - sold after July 2017 - available for about three-quarters of the price of a new one. Watch out for any over-the-top colour or design combination that excessively ‘creative’ owners may have specified, though – it’s probably better off to stick to more sober and smart colour combinations with one eye on the car’s future resale value. this can also help to keep the cost of finance low.

It's best to opt for a Renault that was sold before February 2018, as this should be covered by a four-year, 100,000 warranty (it's always worth doiuble-checking). After this date, cars only get three year cover that's limited to 60,000 miles.

Other Editions

Captur (2020)

Recent updates make the 2024 Renault Captur an even more appealing alternative to the Nissan Juke and Skoda Kamiq.