Jeep corral electric horses for the new Renegade 4xe - a plug-in hybrid Jeep

Jeep Renegade 4xe PHEV

The Jeep Renegade 4xe arrives as a plug-in hybrid take on Jeep’s able little Renegade, delivering up to 237bhp, a 26-mile EV range and prices from £32,600.

The car world is full of compact SUVs, but almost all are effectively high-riding hatches. But the Jeep Renegade is different, offering instead a distilled and down-sized take on Jeep’s formidable full-size SUVs.

The downside to that is a bit of a lack of refinement and something of a ‘cheap’ feel if you dig too deep, but for anyone wanting a compact SUV that can actually do proper rufty-tufty stuff – and look individual too – then the Renegade is a good shout.

Now, to add to the current ICE options, Jeep has decided it’s time to give the compact Renegade some 21st century help, so we get the Jeep Renegade 4xe complete with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

That means the 1.3 litre four-pot petrol driving the front wheels (with either 128bhp or 178bhp) and an electric motor with 59bhp and 184lb/ft of torque taking care of things at the back, with Jeep claiming a 0-62mph of 7.5 seconds and an EV range of 26 miles.

There’s the usual modes for choosing what mix of power and battery replenishment you want, with regenerative braking also adding help to charge the 11.4kWh battery (which nicks a bit of space from the boot).

Three versions of the Renegade 4xe are on offer, with the Longitude and Limited models (£32,600 and £34,500 respectively) using the lower-powered petrol engine, and the off-road eager Trailhawk (£36,500) getting the bigger ICE and a total of 237bhp to play with, a six-speed auto ‘box and updated Selec-Terrain.

The new Renegade 4xe PHEV will be in Jeep’s Uk showrooms in September.