The 2021 Jeep Renegade is a subcompact SUV that has a rugged, stylish appearance and solid handling. Is the 2021 Jeep Renegade a good vehicle? Consumer Reports doesn’t give it a great road test score and its safety ratings are mixed. Perhaps most tellingly, the owner satisfaction rating is especially low, and few current Jeep Renegade owners would buy their SUV again. So what are the problems with the 2021 Jeep Renegade, and should you cross this one off your list?

Is the 2021 Jeep Renegade a good vehicle?

The Jeep Renegade feels like it should be a good vehicle. Consumer Reports says that “handling proves cumbersome, the ride is choppy, front seats are uncomfortable, and the view out is restricted.” This isn’t exactly a strong selling point for the Jeep Renegade. 

The 2021 Jeep Renegade gets a 56/100 for its road test score. Its performance ratings are mediocre. The Renegade gets a 3/5 for acceleration, transmission, and routine and emergency handling. Braking is a little better, at a 4/5.

Comfort is also just so-so. The Renegade gets a 3/5 for noise, driving position, and front seat comfort. The ride only gets a 2/5. 

The Jeep Renegade isn’t winning any safety awards, either. The IIHS gives it an acceptable rating for its small overlap, passenger seat, though good ratings for everything else. The NHTSA is less generous. The Renegade gets 4/5 for all of its overall crash categories as well as the overall side-crash and side-crash, driver side. The side-crash, passenger side only gets 3/5. 

Do Jeep Renegades have a lot of problems?

The 2021 Jeep Renegade has a low reliability score. Consumer Reports uses surveys to assess how vehicles are holding up as well as their own mechanical and technical knowledge. The predicted reliability for the 2021 Jeep Renegade is just a 1/5. Although the 2019 and 2020 Renegades don’t have reliability ratings, the 2018 Jeep Renegade also has a 1/5. The worst categories for the 2018 Renegade include the Engine Minor, Climate System, and Paint/Trim. Each of these get a 1/5. 

Owner satisfaction for the Renegade is very low

The owner satisfaction rating for the 2021 Jeep Renegade is also very low, at a 1/5. Similarly to the reliability rating, the owner satisfaction rating the driving experience is just a 27/100. Comfort is even worse, at an 18/100. The value isn’t great either, at a 27/100. Styling is the Jeep Renegade’s best-performing category, at a 59/100.

Sometimes even though a vehicle gets a low owner satisfaction rating, the number of people who would buy their car again is surprisingly high. This is not the case with the 2021 Jeep Renegade. In the subcompact SUV category, the fewest number of people would buy the 2021 Jeep Renegade again. Only 22% of Renegade owners would definitely buy their vehicle again. 

If you’re in the market for a subcompact SUV, there are almost certainly better options out there than the 2021 Jeep Renegade. 80% of Volvo XC40 owners would buy their SUVs again, and 77% of Subaru Crosstrek owners would. Perhaps Jeep will realize that the Renegade isn’t exactly a hit with its owners, and they’ll fix some of the problems that are causing people to be unhappy.