Renault Captur E-Tech PHEV Review

Practicality and Boot Space

The Captur may look like a small SUV, but it has also inherited some family friendly features from Renault’s people carrier MPVs such as the Scenic. As a result, the Captur has a sliding rear seat, which allows you to choose the best compromise between boot space and rear passenger room by moving the entire rear bench back and forth. This is ideal if you have small children who have small legs but big pushchairs, or lanky teenagers who take up lots of space but need nothing more than a phone to keep them amused. 

The boot is pretty huge too, at 379 litres with the seat all the way forward – that’s more than you’d find in many Golf-sized cars. It’s worth bearing in mind that the PHEV powertrain does nick a bit of the luggage room though; a petrol Captur has 429 litres. 

Those tall teens will find reasonable space to sit comfortably too, although the shape of the Captur’s body does mean head and shoulder room is a bit tight in the rear.  

Technology

We’ve no complaints about the level of tech included with the Captur. Both models have a 9.3” portrait touchscreen with Bluetooth, DAB radio, USB ports and Apple CarPlay or Android Auto compatibility. There’s also another smaller colour information display in front of the driver and a wireless phone charger in the centre console.

Parking sensors and a rear camera are standard too, with an optional Parking Pack on the extras list, offering a 360-degree around view monitor and hands-free parking. Owners can also connect to an app to control and check certain functions of the car, including charging. 

Safety

Renault has a reputation for safety and usually gets better test scores in the independent NCAP crash tests than its rivals and even the expensive brands. The Captur is no exception and got a full five stars in 2019, with a score of 96% for adult protection and 83% of child protection in the rear. As well as a strong bodyshell and airbags to protect you in an impact, the Captur also has a host of tech to prevent accidents in the first place, such as an automatic braking system that detects impending impacts, a gadget which stops you from wandering out of lanes on motorways and a warning if another car is in your blind spot. It will even read road signs and tell you if you are breaking the speed limit.