Checking the chassis
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Much like Land Rover, the Jeep brand has real credibility when it comes to building off-road vehicles, and even more road-biased models like the Renegade, which launched in 2014, have that authenticity built in. It won’t take you as far off road as a Wrangler, but if you have what car brands like to call an ‘active lifestyle’, the Renegade’s abilities may suit you better than those of rival brands.
The Renegade also has a sense of fun which makes it an appealing family car, even if you never go near a muddy lane or grassy field. Throw in reasonable pricing even when new - which means even bigger bargains to be found in the used market - and you have a small SUV that makes for a compelling used buy.
The Jeep Avenger has recently taken over as the brand’s smallest model, but since 2014 that mantle has been held by the Renegade. And while that smaller car is currently getting all the attention, the Renegade still makes for interesting and characterful family transportation, with a bit of a sense of humour in its styling and more recently, a range of frugal hybrid drivetrains.
Styling first, as it’s likely what draws you to the Renegade in the first place. It’s quite boxy and upright, but with an unusually friendly face for an SUV, courtesy of the round headlights. Bright colours help too, as do lots of neat details, such as the cross motif in the tail lights, designed to look like the old metal jerry cans you’d see on vintage Jeeps. In a market full of angry-faced amorphous shapes, the Renegade stands out.
The shape works wonders for headroom too, and while the rear passenger legroom isn’t as grand as you’d hope for, the tradeoff is a decent-sized boot. Interior materials are nothing special but seem hard-wearing, and the Renegade’s infotainment system is more than decent enough.
It’s no old-school off-roader to drive, but also isn’t the most sophisticated car in this class - you could say it drives how you’d expect from the chunky looks. There’s some off-road ability, depending on the model you go for, and while it’s not designed to cross jungles and deserts like some other Jeeps, you’d take it further than you would most rivals - a broad range of competitors that includes the likes of the Nissan Juke and Qashqai, Renault Captur, Mini Countryman, and Ford Puma.
We’ve concentrated on more recent versions of the Renegade here after the range went hybrid-only, but some of the earlier cars are still worth a look if your budget doesn’t stretch to a nearly-new car. Surprisingly, the 1-litre model really isn’t bad, especially if you’re mainly using the car for daily family duties. Among later cars, we’d look for one of the 1.3-litre plug-in hybrids, which have brisk acceleration and impressive economy, especially if you have somewhere to plug it in.
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As for trim levels, you shouldn’t need to look past Limited and Upland models, unless you’re drawn in by the styling or extra off-road ability of the Trailhawk. Even then, you’ll need to make sure that the Trailhawk is still wearing proper mud and snow tyres.
Jeep has kept the Renegade range fairly simple, with a lineup of three models and an increasing emphasis on off-road ability as you step up the range. That puts the Trailhawk at the top, though as its biggest contribution to off-road ability is a set of appropriate tyres, it’s worth checking the used model you’re looking at still has equivalent rubber on there - if the previous owner has put regular cheap road tyres on, it’ll be no more capable off-road than any other Renegade.
The Jeep Renegade’s dimensions are:
The Jeep Renegade’s boot space is:
As the entire current Renegade range is hybrid-powered, all models get a small discount compared to regular petrol and diesel cars when it comes to annual VED. A £10 saving isn’t a lot, but it means a bill of £180 per year rather than £190. Older models, before the range went hybrid-only, will face the regular £190 annual bill (for the 2024/2025 tax year).
At its cheapest, Renegade insurance starts from group 13, which applies to a 1.5-litre e-Hybrid in Limited trim. At the other end of the scale is the Trailhawk with the 240PS engine, which sits in group 25. These groups are pretty typical for cars in this class - the entry-level e-Hybrid is similar to something like a Nissan Juke, which starts in group 12.
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How many Jeep Renegade cars are available for sale?
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