Renault Captur

Renault Captur at a glance

Concept and origins

Renault previewed the car with the Captur Concept at the Geneva Motor Show in 2011. The production car appeared at the same show in March 2013 and reached French dealers in April. German sales began in June 2013. In the Renault range it took over from the Modus, a small MPV sold from 2004 to 2012. Instead of a tall van body, the Captur had the raised stance of a crossover. In 2013 it already ranked third among Europe's small crossovers, behind the Nissan Juke and the Dacia Duster. Renault's wider story is in our history of Renault.

First generation (2013–2019): a Clio on stilts

The first Captur, code J87, was based on the fourth-generation Clio and its B platform. It was front-wheel drive only. Special trims such as Signature (December 2013) and S-Edition (2018) followed.

A facelift in summer 2017 added C-shaped LED daytime running lights and new tail-light graphics. German Wikipedia also notes better interior materials and build quality, while the engines stayed the same.

The EDC dual-clutch automatic was available with the dCi 90, TCe 120 and TCe 150. Euro NCAP awarded five stars in 2013, with 88 % for adult occupants, 79 % for children, 61 % for pedestrians and 81 % for safety assistance. The car was named Voiture de l'Année 2013 in France and What Car?'s Best Small SUV under £16,000 in 2014.

Captur variants for other markets

South Korea sold the first generation as the Renault Samsung QM3 from December 2013. Built in Valladolid, Spain, with the dCi 90 diesel and a dual-clutch gearbox, it sold out its first 1,000 cars in seven minutes. In 2015 it was South Korea's best-selling imported car, with 24,560 registrations.

A different car with the same name went on sale in Brazil and India in 2017. It rode on a stretched version of the Duster's B0 platform, with more ground clearance. That Duster-based model is covered in our separate Renault Kaptur article.

Second generation (since 2019): CMF-B and more space

Renault presented the second Captur on 3 July 2019, and the public saw it at the IAA in Frankfurt in September. Sales started on 11 January 2020. It moved to the CMF-B platform shared with the fifth Clio, the second Nissan Juke and the Arkana. The body grew by about 110 mm and the wheelbase by 20 mm.

At launch the range included 1.0 and 1.3-litre turbo petrol engines with 74 to 114 kW. Diesel customers could choose the 1.5 dCi with 70 kW (95 PS) or 85 kW (115 PS), and the base petrol engine was also offered for LPG. Top trims had a 9.3-inch vertical touchscreen and a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster. European buyers could combine 11 body colours, 4 roof colours and 3 packs into 90 versions.

The diesel was dropped in Germany in summer 2020. Euro NCAP tested the 1.0 TCe in 2019 and gave 96 % for adult occupants, 83 % for children, 75 % for vulnerable road users and 74 % for safety assistance. The R.S. Line trim followed in February 2021.

E-Tech hybrid and plug-in hybrid

The E-Tech plug-in hybrid arrived in 2020 with about 45 km of electric range in mixed use. A full hybrid without a charging socket followed in summer 2022. Both use a 1.6-litre petrol engine with two electric motors and a clutchless multi-mode gearbox. German Wikipedia describes the gearbox as simulating eight gears.

The full hybrid is listed as the E-Tech Full Hybrid 145, with 107 kW (145 PS) and 205 Nm. In Germany it became popular: more than 35 per cent of Captur buyers chose it, according to automobile.at in 2024. The plug-in hybrid did not appear in the German facelift price list of April 2024.

The 2024 facelift: new face and Esprit Alpine

Renault revealed the facelift on 4 April 2024, and it reached the market in June. It brought a new front end, revised tail lights, a larger touchscreen and a bigger instrument display. Esprit Alpine replaced R.S. Line as the top trim.

The facelifted car measures 4,239 × 1,797 × 1,575 mm. Its rear bench slides by 16 cm, which gives 616 litres of boot space with the seats forward and 1,596 litres with them folded. The OpenR Link touchscreen measures 10.4 inches, and the driver's display up to 10.25 inches.

Sales

European sales reached 222,540 in 2019, the changeover year between the generations. In Germany the Captur overtook the Clio in 2017 as the most-registered Renault, with 23,700 cars. German registrations from launch to December 2024 total 205,144.

Related models

Since March 2023 Mitsubishi has sold the second Captur as the ASX in Europe. The larger Renault Symbioz, launched in 2024, is a sister model. Small crossovers from other brands, such as the Opel Crossland X, can be compared with the car comparison tool. The full model list is in the Renault catalogue.

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