Renault Captur

E-TECH Plug-in Hybrid

Renault’s first foray into plug-in hybrids has arrived with the Captur. Jonathan Musk drives.

Renault Captur E-TECH Plug-in Hybrid

Renault’s first foray into plug-in hybrids has arrived with the Captur. Jonathan Musk drives.

SECTOR B SUV PRICE £30,495 RANGE 30 miles FUEL 188.3mpg CO2 30g/km

Since April, plug-in hybrids should be selling like hot cakes in the fleet world, thanks to low Benefit-in-Kind rates typically ranging from 10-12% for newly registered cars. It stands to reasons then that manufacturers want to have their slice of pie and consequently they’re coming to market thick and fast.

Renault is the latest brand to offer plug-in hybrids, introducing its new system to both the Captur and Megane models, while the Clio gets a similar system only with a smaller battery and no plug.

The Captur – Renault’s best-selling model in the UK – is based on the CMF-B platform, which is shared by both the Clio and Nissan Juke, so it’s fair to expect a plug-in or at least hybrid Juke in time too.

Powered by a 1.6-litre petrol engine and two electric motors, the Captur’s plug-in hybrid system employs a 9.8kWh battery to offer a 30-mile electric range and a total system output of 160hp. It’s also worth noting that the only system difference between the Captur PHEV and the Clio Hybrid is the size of battery and the loss of a plug.

Thanks to its electric motors, there’s ample torque to make the car feel sprightly on the move, with 144Nm from the petrol engine and 205Nm from the electric motor. Renault has developed an all-new gearbox (using Lego, we’re told!) a decade ago, now resulting in a system it claims is more efficient and comfortable to drive than a DCT or CVT.

The important bit for fleets is that this motor combination equates to a lowly 30g/km CO2 and therefore attracts just 10% Benefit-in-Kind. VED is £0 and the RRP starts from £30,495 on-the-road. What you end up with is a car that can cost 20% tax-payers just £610 per year (2020/21 tax year). That said, for a similar asking price/monthly payments, full-electric cars can be had like the Kia e-Niro, which make the Captur appear a little pricey.

Nonetheless, if an EV doesn’t suit you there’s still a case to be made in its favour, with official combined fuel consumption as high as 188.3mpg for the standard S Edition model (176.6mpg for the Launch Edition).

An important caveat to add – you have to plug it in to get anywhere near this kind of figure. During our first drive, we still observed decent 60mpg economy once the electric range had run out, largely attributed to the vehicle continuing to operate in a hybrid mode.

The PHEV builds on the already class-leading Captur interior with the addition of a new 10-inch driver’s information display, ‘flying console’ with e-shifter, a pair of charging cables and a new EV button that activates electric-only driving. Launch Edition models get fancy 18-inch alloys and a few designer details inside and out.

The Captur is well composed on UK roads and the hybrid setup pulls smoothly, with the special new gearbox really coming into its own between transitions from electric to petrol power. It isn’t fast, but it’s nippy enough to remain fun to drive.