Renault Austral - MPG, CO2 & running costs

The Renault Austral’s official fuel economy figure is 60.1mpg, which is a good deal more efficient on paper than its closest competition, the Nissan Qashqai. We managed to achieve 43mpg in an Ionic Esprit Alpine-spec Austral during our twin test against the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, while the Tucson returned 39.9mpg.

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Tax

Low fuel consumption means low emissions. A CO2 output figure of just 105g/km for the Techno trim means a company car driver will benefit from lower benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax than if they’d opted for our favourite family SUV, the Hyundai Tucson. Having said that, an all-electric alternative, such as the Skoda Enyaq, will have an even lower company car tax bill.

Contrary to a number of rivals, there isn’t a plug-in hybrid version of the Austral. The brand studied customers' usage patterns and found they didn’t plug their cars in enough to warrant producing a pricier version when the regular hybrid already has such strong fuel economy.

Insurance groups

The cheapest Austral in the range to insure will be the entry-level Techno in group 21, while (inevitably) the priciest Iconic Esprit Alpine will be the most expensive in group 23. That’s a decent showing in the family SUV class compared with the Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai, which both sit in higher groups. However, our preferred Hyundai Tucson in mid-range hybrid Premium trim is only in group 19.

Depreciation

The Renault Austral is predicted to maintain between 50 to 52 per cent of its value over three years or 36,000 miles, according to our expert data. The entry-level Techno is expected to hold its value the best, while the top-of-the-range Iconic Esprit Alpine will lose the most. That’s a little above the Hyundai Tucson (46 to 50 per cent), but behind the Kia Sportage (52 to 59 per cent).

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