What are the running costs

You can get a well specified Avenger for well under £30,000, with hybrid models only costing £1,000 more than pure petrol versions. We got almost 40mpg out the petrol driving pretty briskly, with the hybrid capable of nearer 45mpg in similar conditions.

The hybrid really pays off in town, with over 50mpg possible with careful driving. That’s not bad, although full hybrids like the Toyota Yaris Cross and Lexus LBX are capable of some truly staggering urban economy. Over 80mpg is possible.

If you’re looking one as a company car, the Avenger EV is obviously the cheapest option. The petrol sits in the 30% tax bracket with the hybrid dropping this to 27%.

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Servicing and warranty

The Avenger comes with a three-year/60,000-mile vehicle warranty as standard, although you can choose to extend this for an additional fee. This looks rather stingy compared to the seven-year package offered by the MG ZS, and ten years for the Yaris Cross.

Servicing plans are available to spread the cost, which is likely to be higher than the simpler electric models.

Reliability

• Widely used platform
• Proven over many year’s service
• EV likely to be more reliable.

The Avenger is based on Stellantis’s CMP architecture, which has been around since 2019. The platform is used to prop up almost every small car from the group, including the Peugeot 2008 and Vauxhall Mokka – and the components have proved themselves to be reliable thus far.

However, Stellantis has only relatively recently introduced the hybrid powertrain, while the 4xe is new. These are more complex than the regular petrols and feature a new gearbox. Time will tell how sturdy it is.