Renault Kangoo van review 2023

• Car-like to drive
• Each diesel only offered with one gearbox apiece
• Light and easy around town

Step behind the wheel of the Kangoo and you’ll find a very low, car-like driving position – much more akin to the latest Volkswagen Caddy Cargo than the taller Citroen Berlingo van.

We’ve driven both of the new Kangoo’s 1.5-litre ‘Blue dCi’ diesel engines, with both 95hp and 115hp power outputs. The former is paired to a slightly stiff six-speed manual gearbox and it’s a perfectly acceptable combination. It’s a very refined engine, if a little breathless.

The more powerful engine removes this element of breathlessness but without going too far towards being overpowered. It also greatly benefits from being available with a smooth seven-speed gearbox. It’s unusual that there is no option to spec the more powerful engine with the manual gearbox, but it is not as if there is a huge price differential between the two – no more than you could pay to step up the engine range ordinarily.

The Kangoo’s steering is light and accurate and visibility good. The leading edge of the bonnet is tricky to see, just as it is in anything else in the class, but rear visibility is enhanced by the rear-view camera on the Advance trim, which comes with a clear view that makes positioning the van backwards easy.

Having tried the diesel with a full bulkhead it is much more relaxed and refined than the equivalent versions we tried with grated dividers. There is still a degree of wind and road noise, as is normal for any small van, but it is greatly reduced with a solid barrier between the cab and the loading bay.

• Smart and modern cabin
• No major clever features
• Identical to electric version

The Renault Kangoo’s cabin has gone the way that every small van has of late, by taking big influence from the passenger car world. Granted it is more in line with the sort of budget models that appear on smaller superminis than the high-end larger equivalents.

There is a decent level of adjustment for drivers, with a seat that moves enough for anyone up to six-foot to be able to get into a decent seating position, although those much taller might find it doesn’t go back as far as they would like.

The rest of the layout is ergonomically sound, too. The high-set gear lever is easily reached and keeps space free lower down, while there are several welcome physical buttons dotted around the central console to control the major functions such as heating and the driving mode. Being able to twirl the former of these is particularly welcome if you are wearing gloves. There is no volume dial, but you can control such things via a dedicated console behind the steering wheel.

Storage up front

Storage is ok rather than great in the cabin, with an open space above the centre of the dash and a lidded one above the steering wheel – the latter welcome as it prevents things from reflecting into your line of sight.

The storage on the whole is relatively modest, with a decent-sized pair of door bins and the aforementioned dash-top spaces. There is also a small overhead space and a little slot down below the gear lever.

There’s also a small spot above the lever, which is about the right size for a phone. This means you can plug it in and not have wires trailing across the cabin, although you can also pop it out of sight in the box above the steering wheel.

• Cheap entry price
• Only three years warranty as standard
• Fuel economy competitive but not class leading

Renault is bucking a bit of a trend by still offering a basic version that doesn’t have anywhere near as many frills but offers a lower entry price. The Start model does without a lot of the features that are standard on some rivals but manages to bring the cheapest Kangoo down to a starting price of less than £19,000. This is notably lower than all the major rivals in its class.

That said, it is similarly priced when you compare like for like, as this lower price point is due partly to the lower level of kit and also in part to the fact that the Kangoo is one of the few vans to come with a petrol engine.

Renault Kangoo mpg

Fuel economy for the diesel engines in the Kangoo range are very similar, with the more powerful version only a couple of mpg behind the 95hp model. The 95hp is the most efficient version in the range, with an official combined economy of 53.3mpg, while the 115hp is not far behind with an official figure of 50.4mpg.

The petrol is less economical on paper, with an official rating of 41.5mpg.

Renault Kangoo servicing

Servicing is well spaced for all three versions, with intervals set at 24,000 miles or every two years regardless of whether you go for a petrol or a diesel. Renault will sell you a service plan when you buy the Kangoo brand new, which covers you for the first five years or 66,000 miles. As a guide to how much more servicing a petrol or a diesel will cost you versus electric, this is about 50% more expensive on an engined Kangoo versus an EV model.

Renault Kangoo warranty

Renault’s standard warranties are comparatively poor compared to the rest of the industry, with only three years and 100,000-miles of cover included.

You can opt for the extended warranty cover, but this only takes you up to five years and doesn’t add any more miles to the allowance. This is still some way short of the maximum 10 years’ cover you get from Toyota on the Proace City.

Renault Kangoo standard equipment

There are just the two trims in the Renault Kangoo range. The more basic looking Start and the more generously fitted out Advance. Equipment highlights are below.

Start includes:

• DAB digital radio and Bluetooth, USB and AUX inputs with monochrome display
• Auto lights and wipers
• Single passenger seat
• Manual air conditioning
• Electric front windows
• Full bulkhead
• 10 lashing points in the rear
• 16-inch steel wheels
• Heated and powered door mirrors
• Twin sliding side doors
• Unglazed side-hinged rear doors
• Roof bar fixings
• Cruise control and speed limiter

Advance equipment includes (in addition to Start):

• Eight-inch colour touchscreen with Apple Carplay and Android Auto
• Electronic parking brake
• Passenger bench seat
• LED lighting in the loading bay
• Chrome details on gear lever and dash
• Rear parking sensors
• 16-inch wheel trims
• Wide view mirror

This is a brand-new van, which makes it tricky to fully assess how reliable it will be. Renault has always enjoyed a middling result as a manufacturer in the FN50 reliability ratings, but previous Kangoo was never much of a feature in the top 20 scorers.

• Not yet tested as a van
• Car version scores four stars
• Basic standard safety kit

The Renault Kangoo takes a sadly all-too-familiar approach to safety equipment, with only a fairly basic offering as standard. Every van gets the following as standard:

• Driver’s airbag
• Emergency call system
• Driver and passenger seatbelt reminder
• Hill start assist
• Deadlocking

Advance then adds an alarm but nothing much else. If you want more then you need to head to the options list and choose one of the two packs on offer there. The Advanced Driver Assist Pack 1 costs £1,250 before VAT and includes Active Emergency Braking, traffic sign recognition and over speed prevention, blind spot warning, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control and driver attention alert.

The Advanced Driver Assist gets the same but minus the adaptive cruise and attention alert systems and costs £750 not including VAT.

You can add all these elements individually, while you are also able to include extra airbags – either a full set or just a passenger ‘bag. As we say so often, though, it is a shame that the latter is not included as standard on even the top trim.