New Jeep Renegade wants the Dacia Duster's tough 'n' cheap family SUV action

The all-new, second-generation Jeep Renegade is set to arrive within the next two years, and Auto Express has the inside track on the off-road-obsessed brand’s rival to the beloved Dacia Duster.

There’s only been one iteration of the Renegade so far, launched back in 2014, and it’s still clinging to its place in showrooms but now feels very dated. Its role as the entry-point to the Jeep’s line-up was also stolen by the even smaller (and generally much better) Jeep Avenger that launched in 2022 and has since led to a tripling of the brand's sales in the UK.

So a Mk2 Renegade is long overdue. Thankfully, last summer, Antonio Filosa, Jeep’s CEO at the time – who’s now head of the whole Stellantis group – announced that work on the next-generation model was underway. 

He revealed it would finally arrive by 2027, and confirmed there will be an electric version priced from $25,000 (roughly £19,000) in the US. However Filosa didn’t share anything else about the car, including if that proposed price for the zero-emissions version included the $7,500 tax credit offered at the time by the US government for new EV buyers, which President Trump has since put an end to.

Now, we’ve sat down with Jeep’s head of product planning in Europe, Marco Montepeloso, for an exclusive interview to find out more about everything the brand has in the pipeline.

Montepeloso hinted that the next-generation Renegade will be roughly the same size as the current model: “Personally, I really think there is space in the market between the Avenger and the new Compass, so we think that there is an opportunity.”

For context, the Avenger measures 4.08 metres long, while the new Compass is 4.55 metres tip to tail. If the new Renegade does bridge the gap between the two, it will measure about 4.3 metres – about the same as the latest Duster, which you can lease from just £230 per month through our Buy A Car service. The new Vauxhall Frontera and even the MINI Countryman are about the same size, too. 

When asked if this could cause the Renegade to cannibalise its baby brother’s sales, or vice versa, Montepeloso quickly fired back: “This is not something new. We have sold Avenger and Renegade together over the last three years, and the great performance of Avenger has been with the Renegade there side-by-side.

“Looking at the customer analysis, there is a clear difference between a four-metre-long car that is mainly addressing the needs of compactness of some of our European customers, and a bigger 4.25 to 4.3-metre-long vehicle that addresses more the needs of young family that maybe start having some kids or have a very active lifestyle. These are the sort of people who need to bring more stuff, so they need more space in the second row, more boot space,” he said.

“So I don't see a risk of cannibalisation. There are, to me, clear differences in customers and this is the reason why there is a big opportunity between Avenger and Compass for [Renegade] in the future.”

Is the new Jeep Renegade only going to be electric?

Montepeloso also emphasised the importance of Jeep’s new philosophy of “Freedom of Choice”. Like many other brands, Jeep wants to offer customers a wide selection of powertrains, so they can choose the one that suits them best.

“It's absolutely a pillar of our strategy in Europe,” the product boss told us. “If you want to be relevant in all markets, you need to have a wide offering of powertrains to adapt to the different needs of the market.

“We need to stick with this philosophy,” he continued, “We need to give our customers this freedom, it’s key for sales. And I also think we need to stay flexible at this stage towards any potential evolution of the regulations in Europe.”

We know for sure there will be a pure-electric version of the next Renegade, but we’re confident there will be a variety of hybrid options available, too. The majority will be front-wheel drive, but at least one four-wheel-drive version is likely, with 4x4s still proving a fundamental part of the Jeep brand.

Underneath, the next Renegade will use the new STLA Small platform that will serve as the replacement for the CMP/e-CMP architecture the Avenger sits on. It will be introduced in 2026 by the next Vauxhall Corsa and Peugeot 208; we know this platform can accommodate both hybrid and electric powertrains, with EVs able to offer more than 300 miles of range.

What will the new Jeep Renegade look like?

We’ve not seen any prototypes or teaser images of the new Renegade yet, but our exclusive image shows what the new Renegade could look like. This being a Jeep, it will be a butch and boxy SUV with a seven-slot grille, squared-off wheelarches, very short overhangs and plenty of chunky cladding as you can see in our exclusive image. 

Like the current model, the new Renegade won’t be designed to go rock crawling through Utah’s Moab desert, but off-road ability is still important for a Jeep. Short overhangs not only help to maximise interior space, but give SUVs better approach and departure angles when tackling rugged terrain. Similarly, higher-than-average ground clearance will help deliver a lofty driving position, but also benefit wading depth and the car’s ability to tackle any obstacles.

In recent years, Jeep has made some big leaps forward when it comes to interior design, quality and technology, and we expect to see this trend continue with the next-generation Renegade. We suspect it will have a similar interior to the latest Compass, meaning it’ll include big clear dual displays, lots of chunky physical controls and materials picked for their durability. The new Renegade won’t be the most luxurious of small SUVs, but should suit the brand’s rugged image.

We expect the new Jeep Renegade will split the difference between the Avenger and Compass when it comes to pricing, too, so it should start at around £30,000. 

Can't wait for the new Renegade? You can buy the current Jeep Renegade for just over £27,000 through our Buy a Car service.