Nissan Juke vs Renault Captur: used car comparison

Published: 19 October 2023

If you’re looking for a compact SUV you may well be considering the Nissan Juke or the  Renault Captur. But which is best? Here, we’ll look at how these cars compare and which might be best for you.

We’re focusing on the latest examples of each car – the Nissan Juke sold new since 2019, and the Renault Captur that was introduced in the same year.

The Nissan Juke and the Renault Captur are very similar in size, with no more than a couple of centimetres separating the two in any direction. The Juke is slightly taller, at 160cm compared to 157cm for the Captur. However, the Captur is longer and wider at 423cm long and 200cm wide, including its door mirrors. The Juke is 421cm long and 198cm wide.

Rival compact SUVs are much the same size –  the Ford Puma and Peugeot 2008, for example, have differences of a few centimetres or less in terms of length, width or height.

One of the main attractions of the Nissan Juke is its quirky design – the latest Juke isn’t quite as out-there as the first-generation car sold new between 2010 and 2019 but it’s still very distinctive, with its large V-shaped front grille, big round headlights and coupe-like side-window profile.

The Captur has a more conventional look, but it’s still very contemporary in its design. Both cars have the plastic wheel-arch trim and higher ground clearance that’s common for modern SUVs, although neither is  actually intended for proper ‘off-roading’.

The Nissan Juke’s bold look continues inside, with rounded shapes everywhere. The interior quality is excellent, with a solid feel and materials that feel pleasant to the touch.

The infotainment system is a touchscreen mounted at the top of the dashboard for most models – the exception is entry-level Visia models, which have a small digital display instead. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included for use with your smartphone. Higher-spec models get extras that include a digital driver’s display in place of traditional dials as well as a reversing camera and an upgraded Bose sound system.

On higher-end models, the Renault Captur’s dashboard is dominated by a large, portrait-format infotainment screen. Lower-spec Capturs have a more traditional landscape-shaped screen. All models have support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Most have reversing sensors and the top-spec model adds a rear-view camera.

Both cars have physical dials and buttons to easily control the air con, which some people prefer since having it in the touchscreen system can make it harder to adjust the temperature when you’re driving.

There’s not much to separate the Nissan Juke and Renault Captur for outright space, but there are differences in how practical each car is.

Front seat space is good in both and each has enough headroom and legroom for two adults to be comfortable in the back seats. There’s decent space for two kids in child seats in each (along with Isofix mountings for the outer seats) but the Juke’s small back windows mean that your offspring might not get such a good view out.

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The Juke and Captur both have fairly large boots considering their compact dimensions – each boot has a 422-litre capacity up to the load cover, which is more than you get in hatchbacks such as the Ford Focus or the Volkswagen Golf.

If you need even more space for loads, the Captur lets you slide the back seats forward for extra room, which expands the boot to a generous 536 litres. That’s as much as you get in some mid-size SUVs, although you lose most of back-seat legroom, of course.

With both cars, the boot is much smaller if you go for a hybrid model because of where the additional battery pack is located. The Juke hybrid’s boot drops in size to 354 litres, while the Captur hybrid’s has 326 litres. If you opt for the plug-in hybrid Captur model, that space drops further to 265 litres. Both cars let you fold down the back seats in a 60/40 split for extra versatility.

The Juke and Captur are both good to drive, giving you a good balance between comfort and fun. The Captur feels nimble when you’re behind the wheel and it’s impressively quiet for this type of car, even at higher speeds. With a choice of power options, including petrol, diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid, you can have an efficient, low-powered engine if you mostly nip about town, or you can get something with more power that might be better for longer journeys.

The Juke is also fairly agile and comfortable, with light steering that makes it easy to nip around town. It also feels nice and solid at motorway speeds. Of the two, the Captur has a slightly smoother ride; Jukes with larger alloy wheels and the hybrid models can feel a bit jiggly on bumpy roads.

Generally, running costs will be very similar in the Nissan Juke and the Renault Captur. However, the Renault gives you more choice when it comes to engines and power, so you may be able to find an option that better suits your needs.

The Juke is available with a petrol engine or as a full hybrid. The petrol will give you up to 48.7mpg (or around 2mpg less with an automatic gearbox), while the automatic-only hybrid promises up to 56.5mpg, according to official figures.

By contrast, the Captur lets you choose between petrol, diesel, full hybrid and plug-in hybrid power. If you do a lot of longer journeys, the diesel could be the best bet, with official  fuel economy of up to 58mpg. The hybrid promises similar mpg, but emits slightly less carbon dioxide (CO2). Petrol models promise up to 48mpg, while the plug-in hybrid tops has an official figure of 217mpg.

As with all plug-in hybrids, real-world fuel economy will depend on how you use it. Keep the battery charged and do mostly short journeys and a tank of petrol will last a very long time –  the Captur, for example, can give you up to 30 miles of pure electric power. However, drive longer distances with an empty battery and your mpg is likely to be worse than with a petrol-powered car.

Nissan has a strong reputation for making cars that are generally robust and dependable, while Renault’s performance in independent reliability studies suggests it’s about average for the industry. From new, the Juke comes with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, which is basically the standard for its rivals, although Renault offers an impressive five-year, 100,000-mile warranty on the Captur. Not many brands can beat that, with only Kia, SsangYong and MG offering longer seven-year warranties.

Both cars were tested by the independent safety organisation EuroNCAP in 2019 and both scored the maximum five stars. They both come packed with the latest safety features, including automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist.

Nissan Juke

Length: 4,210mm

Width: 1,983mm (including door mirrors)

Height: 1,595mm

Boot space: 422 litres

Renault Captur

Length: 4,227mm

Width: 2,003mm

Height: 1,566mm

Boot space: 422 litres

There’s a lot to recommend about the Nissan Juke and the Renault Captur, and which one is best for you very much depends on your particular needs. If style and standing out is a priority, then the Juke is a clear winner. However, the Renault Captur has the win when it comes to overall practicality. It also has several  features that really stand out over the Juke: it comes with a longer warranty and offers a wider choice of power options, meaning it’s better suited to a wider group of customers. For us, that means the Captur is the winner in this contest, but the Juke is also an excellent small SUV that deserves your consideration.

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