Jeep Avenger Electric review

Jeep Avenger. Not exactly a friendly name, is it? Perhaps it's because this electric SUV has been sent to avenge the unfavourable star ratings we’ve given most of Jeep’s model line-up over the past few years.

But joking aside, the Avenger Electric is a very different proposition to what we're used to seeing from the famous US brand. For starters, it’s the first fully electric car in Jeep’s 80-odd year history. It’s also pretty small, and doesn’t have four-wheel drive.

This is very much a road (rather than off-road) focused small SUV built to rival the likes of the Hyundai Kona Electric, the Kia Niro EV, the Peugeot e-2008 and the Smart #1. This Avenger Electric is joined by a petrol version – to read about that see our regular Jeep Avenger review.

Here we’ll be finding out whether this rip-up-the-rulebook approach from Jeep has produced a car with broader appeal (i.e. an electric SUV tailored for those who plan to drive on the road rather than tackling the Rubicon trail).

Read on to find out what the Jeep Avenger Electric is like to drive, how practical it is, how much it will cost to buy and run, and more...

The Jeep Avenger Electric is based on the same underpinnings as a Peugeot e-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka Electric but it's not just the same car with different bodywork.

For starters, the Avenger has a more powerful 154bhp electric motor, which makes acceleration a little more spritely and, in our tests, it managed to sprint from 0-60mph in 8.7 seconds.

Mind you, that's only in Sport mode, when the full 154bhp is unleashed. In Normal mode (which is the default setting) the motor produces 108bhp, while Eco mode limits power to 81bhp to help maximise range.

Okay, so performance is fairly modest by electric car standards (the Hyundai Kona Electric, the Kia Niro EV and the Smart #1 build speed noticeably quicker). However, in Normal and Sport modes, you’ll have no problem keeping pace at motorway speeds.

The Avenger's battery has a usable capacity of 50.8kWh and its official range is 245 to 249 miles, depending on the trim level you pick.

For some context, a Mokka Electric has an official range of 209 miles and the Kona Electric 48kWh 234 miles. That said, the 65kWh Kona promises 319 miles, while the Smart #1 Pro+ can manage 260 miles officially (the Premium version can manage 276 miles).

In the real world, you can expect to get between 180 and 220 miles from a full charge in the Avenger, depending on the weather and how quickly you’re driving.

It feels most at home in urban environments, where its small dimensions, light steering and relatively tight turning circle make it a doddle to drive. It responds smoothly and predictably to accelerator inputs, and has a more feelsome brake pedal than many rivals. That makes it easy to slow your progress smoothly.

Like many electric cars, the Avenger can slow itself through regenerative braking. However, even if you select B mode, which increases the effect, it’s far lighter than rivals including the Smart #1 and you’ll often still need to use the brake pedal to slow down enough.

Handling is quite impressive, especially at slower speeds. In fact, it’s generally well-damped and supple, doing a good job of keeping occupants comfortable while tackling undulations. The only time it starts to become a little less settled is when you get up to motorway speeds, although it’s still perfectly comfortable. 

The taut suspension set-up results in neat body control, but the light steering means you don't feel all that involved in the driving experience. The Avenger is designed for comfort and low-speed manoeuvrability, rather than entertainment.

At low speeds and around town, it's very quiet, but at high speeds (such as on A-roads and motorways) there's some tyre roar and wind buffeting around the windscreen.

We haven’t tried the Avenger off-road, but with no four-wheel-drive version yet, it’s clearly no Jeep Wrangler in the rough stuff.

Still, it has more ground clearance than most rivals (200mm) and shorter overhangs, which mean you're less likely to grind the nose or tail on hills. There are various driving modes that allow you to tailor the traction control system for different terrain, including mud, sand and snow.

Cheery. That’s probably the best way to describe the Jeep Avenger Electric’s interior. The unpretentious design is packed with clever touches and there’s enough colour to make the interiors of rivals – such as the MG ZS EV and the Vauxhall Mokka Electric – seem positively dour.

Indeed, despite the interior being dominated by hard and scratchy plastics, the optional coloured bar on the dashboard helps make it a perfectly pleasant and inoffensive place to sit. That said, it’s nowhere near as plush as the BYD Atto 3 or the stunning and leather-filled interior of the Smart #1.

Visibility is mostly impressive, thanks to the relatively tall side windows and thin front window pillars. The view over your shoulder isn’t quite as impressive, due to wide rear window pillars, but standard rear parking sensors help to make parking a doddle.

For even more assistance, range-topping Summit adds sensors on the front and sides, and a rear-view camera. Summit trim also adds blind-spot monitoring, helping to further negate the thick pillars.

You’ll find it easy to get comfortable behind the wheel, thanks to lots of adjustment in the seat and steering wheel. The only slight disappointment is that there’s no adjustable lumbar support in the driver's seat of any version of the Avenger and you can’t have electric adjustment (both are standard on the similarly priced Smart #1). 

Chances are, you’ll find it easy to see the digital instrument panel behind the steering wheel – something that a good percentage of driver’s struggle to do in the closely related Peugeot e-2008.

The entry-level Avenger Electric comes with a 7.0in driver’s display as standard, while Altitude and Summit trims get a 10.25in display. The 10.25in version is configurable, so you can flick between functions for the navigation, media and driving information.

All trim levels come with a 10.25in infotainment touchscreen, which is positioned high on the dashboard so it’s fairly easy to see while driving. It’s easy to use, with an intuitive operating system and quick responses to prods.

You have to pay extra for built-in sat-nav on the cheaper trim levels, but we wouldn’t bother because all Avenger Electrics come with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. That means you can sync up your phone and run navigation apps through the screen instead.

Thankfully, the Avenger Electric has a row of physical buttons for the climate controls, which makes it easy to adjust functions (such as the air con and temperature) while driving. The touchscreen-based systems in the BYD Atto 3 and the Smart #1 are more distracting to use on the move.

The Jeep Avenger Electric is really dinky by electric SUV standards (not much longer than the VW Polo in fact), so it's not the most practical SUV in the world. Still, space in the front is impressive and there’s lots of head and leg room, so a pair of six-footers will easily get comfortable. 

There’s plenty of storage space in the front – 31 litres in total, including a big cubby (with a magnetic lid) at the bottom of the dashboard, a couple of cupholders and a cubby beneath the centre armrest.

Rear leg room is where the compromises have been made, and it's pretty tight in the back. Your 6ft friends will fit, but their knees will be wedged against the seats in front of them.

You don’t get a flat floor in the rear seats as you do in the BYD Atto 3 and the Smart #1. Even so, shorter adults and children will be fine in the back, and there’s plenty of head room for all concerned.

The Avenger Electric's 355 litres of boot space is less than you get in the Kia Niro EV and MG ZS EV but more than in the Smart #1. We managed to fit five carry-on suitcases in the Avenger’s boot, compared with three in the #1 (four with its rear bench slid forwards), six in the Atto 3 and seven in the Niro EV.

On the whole, it should have enough space for a weekend trip away. The broad, square opening makes it easy to load chunkier items in, and in its highest setting, the height-adjustable boot floor means there’s barely any lip at the entrance. 

There’s a small amount of storage under the main boot floor (enough for the charging cables), which is handy because the Avenger Electric doesn't have a front boot as some electric cars do.

You can fold down the rear seatbacks in a 60/40 split when you don’t need to put people in the back. The rear seats don’t do anything else clever, such as slide or recline, as they do in the #1.

The Jeep Avenger Electric’s pricing is closely matched with the Smart #1. It's not a bargain-basement option like the MG ZS EV but it’s still cheaper than the BYD Atto 3, the Kia Niro EV and the Peugeot e-2008.

Entry-level Longitude trim comes with keyless entry, rear parking sensors, 16in alloy wheels and climate control, and there are plenty of option packs so you can add one or two more luxuries without stepping up to the next trim level.

Upgrading to mid-rung Altitude will get you a slightly smarter interior, a faux-leather steering wheel, bigger (17in) alloys, adaptive cruise control and a powered tailgate.

Range-topping Summit adds 18in wheels, heated front seats, a wireless phone-charging pad, some extra assisted driving technology and visibility aids.

All electric Avengers come with a battery heat pump for more efficient warming of the interior. Its maximum charging speed is up to 100kW, for a 10-80% top-up in around 25 minutes.

That’s faster than you can charge the Niro EV and MG ZS. If you’re plugging into a 7kW home wall box, expect to wait just over eight hours for a 0-100% charge.

Neither Jeep nor the Avenger Electric feature in the 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey but Jeep came last out of 32 brands in the 2022 survey.

The Avenger Electric comes with safety aids including automatic emergency braking (AEB) with cyclist and pedestrian detection, but did relatively poorly when it was tested by Euro NCAP.

The model was given three stars out of five, and scored just 53% in the Safety Assist section and 59% for protecting vulnerable road users. The Hyundai Kona Electric scored four stars but most modern cars hold a five-star safety rating.

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