In-depth reviews

Renault Arkana - MPG, CO2 and running costs

Efficient E-Tech hybrid powertrain offers low running costs, and insurance shouldn’t break the bank either

Overall Auto Express Rating

3.0 out of 5

MPG, CO2 and running costs Rating

3.5 out of 5

Price
£26,980 to £31,280
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With no more 1.3-litre mild-hybrid petrol, the Arkana range is available exclusively with Renault’s E-Tech full-hybrid running gear, but that’s no great shame on paper, since it offers the promise of lower emissions and company car tax, plus better fuel economy than the old mild-hybrid Arkana managed.

Renault claims the Arkana’s hybrid setup will return up to 60.1mpg (on the WLTP combined cycle), which is certainly appealing. During our own testing of the facelifted Arkana E-Tech that included a couple of hundred miles of motorway driving, we managed an average of 47.7mpg. That’s enough for a realistic range of well over 500 miles from the 50-litre petrol tank.

You don’t have to worry about charging the Arkana either, as it’s a traditional hybrid, not a plug-in one. This means you can only drive on electric power for a very short distance. Renault claims it can be 80 per cent of the time when you’re pottering around town, but we think this is ambitious unless you’re very careful with the throttle. Regardless, the engine and regenerative braking system work to recharge the battery, and there’s no way to charge from an external source.

Influencing both the car’s first-year road tax (VED) figure and its company car tax bracket is a CO2 range of 105-107g/km, depending on the exact specification. That means the Arkana attracts a first-year VED bill of £185, and it falls into the 26 per cent Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) tax bracket for business users (and 27 per cent from the 2025/2026 tax year onwards).

Insurance groups

The Arkana range starts with the Evolution model, which sits in insurance group 15. Move up to Techno, and the insurance group goes up by one to 16, while the Esprit Alpine tops the table, but is still only in group 17, in the 1-50 group range. In comparison, insurance ratings for the Mazda CX-30 range span groups 12 to 21.

You can get personalised car insurance quotes fast with our comparison tool powered by Quotezone...

Depreciation

The potential niche appeal of the Arkana may help Renault’s coupe-SUV hold onto its value a little better than other models in the French manufacturer’s line-up. Our latest expert data suggests that the Arkana should retain between 49-52 per cent of its list price over a typical three-year/36,000-mile ownership period. This a healthy figure, and slightly better than the 40-46 per cent the Peugeot 408 is projected to hold onto, but still a little short of rivals such as the Cupra Formentor which retrains as much as 57 per cent for its value.

To get an accurate valuation on a specific model check out our valuation tool...

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