Jeep Compass review

From £35,7206

New generation of compact SUV offers petrol, hybrid and EV power

The recent European growth of Jeep has been fuelled by cars big on 4x4 attitude but fairly small in stature. In 2026, the brand is aiming just a little higher, with a new model blitz that will lead to six distinct showroom offerings by 2030. This new Jeep Compass is the second installment in that plan, after the Avenger.

It's not a new name for the brand. The first Compass (2006) was built in North America on DaimlerChrysler platform technology and was related to the Dodge Caliber (shudder). The second (2016) moved to be built in Italy on old Fiat mechanicals, under the FCA Group. The third now adopts Stellantis's latest STLA Medium platform, which will eventually deliver hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric versions.

But the car walks a thin line, because brand values can be cruel. If you’re going to try to honour them, you had better do it faultlessly, lest the enthusiasts pour scorn over your latest product. A Mercedes that isn’t built like a nuclear bunker? Blasphemy! A Ferrari that isn’t the sharpest drive in its class? Humbug!

Yet selling the idea of those values while becoming more 'flexible' on the actual execution, can work out remarkably well. A neatly styled miniature electric crossover with a single driven axle won Jeep a Car of the Year trophy for the Avenger.

So has Jeep repeated the same trick so cleverly here in the big-selling Nissan Qashqai class?

New Jeep Compass cars in stock

 Jeep Compass 1.2 Hybrid 1.2 E-Hybrid Summit DCT Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr opens in a new tab
£38,135
 Jeep Compass 1.2 Hybrid 1.2 E-Hybrid Summit DCT Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr opens in a new tab
£36,635
 Jeep Compass 1.2 Hybrid 1.2 E-Hybrid Summit DCT Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr opens in a new tab
£38,135
 Jeep Compass 1.2 E-Hybrid First Edition DCT Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr opens in a new tab
£36,635
 Jeep Compass 1.3 GSE T4 11.4kWh Trailhawk Auto 4xe Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr opens in a new tab
£27,495
 Jeep Compass 1.2 Hybrid 1.2 E-Hybrid Summit DCT Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr opens in a new tab
£38,730
 Jeep Compass 1.2 E-Hybrid First Edition DCT Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr opens in a new tab
£35,835
 Jeep Compass 1.2 E-Hybrid Summit DCT Euro 6 (s/s) 5dr opens in a new tab
£38,135
 Jeep Compass 74kWh First Edition Auto 5dr (11kW Charger) opens in a new tab
£40,100
View all 61 cars

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DESIGN & STYLING

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So this is something of a blossoming for the Compass. The new car measures more than a foot longer than the one it replaces and is longer also than many of its key rivals (Qashqai, Kia Sportage), the stretched wheelbase making room for the all-important underfloor battery packs of the electric versions.

There will be three of those, in addition to two hybrid models. Available right away are the Standard Range EV (74kWh, 210bhp, single-motor) and the e-Hybrid (1.2-litre 48V hybrid, 144bhp). A Long Range EV (97kWh, 228bhp, single-motor) and a plug-in hybrid (1.6-litre turbo, 17.9kWh battery, 223bhp) complete the mainstrean line-up. 

That rear end looks an awful lot like a Land Rover Discovery Sport's.
Illya Verpraet
Road Tester

The only Compass to offer four-wheel drive is the 4xe dual-motor EV, complete with raised ride height, high-clearance bumpers and a few other rugged-themed revisions. You can read about that model here.

So there are plenty of Compasses to choose from. Twenty years ago, the Compass caused controversy because it was explicitly intended for road driving and only occasional light rough-stuff-running. Now we’re more used to that idea, so the majority of Compass derivatives can be front-wheel-drive, roll on efficiency-biased road tyres and have certain off-road angles and ground clearance stats exceeded by competitors (Subaru Crosstrek, Dacia Bigster, KGM Torres).

Those who buy it might imagine having adventurous weekends filled with outdoorsy pursuits and wide open spaces, Jeep hints, but probably won’t actually end up having them.

From the outside, the hybrid, PHEV and EV look all but identical. The typical Jeep seven-slot grille is vestigial in that it doesn't actually admit any air, but the hybrids have a small real grille underneath. At the back, you have to duck down and look under the bumper to see the exhaust. The keen observer will then spot another difference: while the EV has a multi-link rear axle, the hybrids makes do with a torsion beam.

Of course, despite the Compass's mechanical similarities to its siblings, Jeep’s engineers will tell you that plenty of calibration work goes on behind the big-ticket hardware. Then again, Stellantis stuff has a habit of feeling quite samey.

INTERIOR

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The Compass's interior majors on functionality and ease of use, with lots of useful storage areas across the front row; chunky physical controls for the ‘Selec-Terrain’ drive mode controller and drive selector; and plenty of physical switches to help you navigate the infotainment, control the heater and turn down the stereo easily.

Material quality is fairly good, although not at sister brand Peugeot’s level - but there’s a reassuring simplicity and a sense of the conventional about the layout. As we noted with the Citroën C5 Aircross, for these bigger Stellantis cars there seems to be more variation in switchgear than in the smaller ones. The steering wheel buttons are unique to the Compass, as is the drive mode selector.

The seats are upholstered in something called scuba vinyl, which feels like a sort of wetsuit material. My test car also had rubber floor mats, suggesting a hose-out interior. But I don’t think I’d want to get water on those screens.
Illya Verpraet
Road Tester

Seat comfort up front is fine, although some avenues of adjustment are missing. In the back, passenger space is only average by class standards: the seat cushions are a bit short and flat and the optional sunroof robs head room and will annoy taller adults.

Boot space is much better: there’s a false floor that can be removed to make room for really bulky things and 550 litres of volume in all is generous.

The touchscreen infotainment system is supported by a selection of buttons and, unlike in some other Stellantis cars, it actually responds reasonably quickly. Because it’s so wide, you can put plenty of functions on the home screen. But it still doesn't have the logical structure you find in a Kia/Hyundai or even a Volkswagen Group product.

On the plus side, the various ADAS functions can be quickly disabled using a handy physical shortcut button.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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You wouldn’t choose the Compass for how it drives. It has next to no distinguishing features in that respect.

The single-motor EV’s 0-62mph time is an unremarkable 8.5sec, because 210bhp stops being a lot when faced with 2.2 tonnes of weight. But it still feels more potent than the hybrid, as well as smoother, quieter and more assured. If price and charging aren't issues, the EV has the powertrain to have.

It has steering-wheel paddles as well as a button to toggle one-pedal driving, so no complaints there.

Most UK Compass buyers are likely to go for the hybrid, and they will find it fairly refined, adequately powerful for day-to-day driving and respectably economical (think a mixed-route 45mpg).

There’s no doubt that the hybrid provides the inferior performance, though. While 144bhp for 1667kg doesn’t make for a horrendous power-to-weight ratio, 10.0sec to 62mph is a little slow by modern standards.

Moreover, there can be some momentary delay when you ask for power and there's certainly some inconsistency in the response and feel of both accelerator and brake pedals, which can seem to have rather too much to do when blending electric motor and combustion, managing regeneration and shifting gears.

With just 0.9kWh of battery capacity and 28bhp of motor muscle, this powertrain’s capacity for electric running is very limited in a heavy car.

Let the engine rev out and it makes quite an appealing three-cylinder thrum - but it’s the necessity to do that quite so often, which undermines the powertrain's sense of authority a bit.

It just doesn't feel quite potent enough for a car with pretentions of strength, toughness and versatility.

The PHEV boosts combined output to 222bhp, courtesy of a 148bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine (also seen in the 3008, 5008, C5 Aircross and so on) and a 123bhp electric motor.

It claims a decent 58 miles of electric-only running but never feels as potent as its combined output and claimed 0-62mph of 8.0sec would suggest.

And when you're in a hurry, mustering the efforts of both elements of the drivetrain, the turbocharged four-pot emits a tedious drone as you cajole it towards the redline.

Moreover, the integration between the two motive forces leaves a little to be desired. The switch between petrol and electric power is smooth enough but in EV mode there's a surprising amount of transmission noise and motor whine.

In addition, the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox can be sluggish in its responses (particularly when you use the paddles) and, in our test car, consistently served up a noticeable jerk when shifting from second to third. 

RIDE & HANDLING

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With quite lightly weighted and numb steering and only modest grip from its Michelin e-Primacy efficiency-biased road tyres, you’re disinclined to chuck the Compass into a corner with any enthusiasm - whether you're driving the hybrid, PHEV or EV, but for slightly different reasons in each case.

The hybrid has a ride that's a bit stiff-legged and wooden-feeling. Here, the Compass’s higher-speed body control is effective but the suspension clunks and fusses over smaller, sharper inputs and can jiggle the body around restlessly on country roads. It feels slightly over-firm and needlessly grabby with its damping.

The EV, a little strangely, has the opposite problem. Some half-a-tonne heavier, it struggles much more for steady body control and chassis composure on winding roads, although it has a better-isolated secondary ride (quite possibly thanks to independent rear suspension). 

On all versions the steering is light and lifeless but reasonably paced, making placing the Compass a doddle, and in everyday situations it's a competent and composed companion. Yet there's no sense that any particular time and effort has been expended on creating an engaging driving experience.

Push the Compass beyond its modest limits and it will respond with gentle push-on understeer and general sense that it would rather you just calm down and drive with more decorum.

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MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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The entry-level hybrid is fairly reasonably priced but quite a long way from a value proposition, with UK prices starting at just under £35k.

Hybrid options from rivals are typically more expensive, but then the 'light touch' technical make-up of the Stellantis 48V system tends to produce unspectacular fuel economy.

The EVs have a different problem, in that they haven't yet qualified for the UK government's Electric Car Grant, which leaves them looking a little bit expensive, if only compared with some opponents.

The EV starts at £37k; you can get into a long-range MG S5 from £32k, Skoda Elroq from £34k, Renault Scenic from £36k and even a technically identical Vauxhall Grandland from £36k.

Real-world efficiency from the EV is typically betwee 3.2- 3.5mpkWh, which means the 74kWh battery should be good for 230-260 miles. Pretty average stuff for the class and price.

The trip computer on my hybrid test car claimed it was using no fuel whatsoever. While that was obviously a glitch, we know from experience that this powertrain can be reasonably efficient without setting new standards.

For the PHEV, Jeep claims a competitive 58 miles of electric running from the 17.9kWh battery. 

At the end of our hard-driven test route, during which the engine frequently fired into life, its trip computer showed 46.0mpg. 

VERDICT

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At just under £35k, you can make a case for the entry-level Compass hybrid as a functional, slightly roguish compact SUV, but the EV doesn’t have either the dynamic qualities or the range to back up its high price.

That may change when the Long Range EV comes along, while the genuine off-road ability of the 4xe version gives Jeep-brand authenticity and makes it the most appealing option of the lot.

Jeep’s UK TV advert campaign for the Compass is a dig at the car’s ‘great pretender’ SUV rivals. I’d ask what the view is like from their glass house, except it’s probably covered in fake mud splatter.
Matt Saunders
Road test editor

If we were handing out wooden spoons, the PHEV would take it. Costlier and likely no more efficient in the real world than the hybrid, it's let down by a powertrain that feels as if it was developed by separate teams who were never allowed to meet.

Overall, while the Compass is like a more respectable, credible compact SUV than its predecessors were and would meet the demands of everyday family life well enough, it also seems like a car ill-prepared to press any one single selling point home.

Illya Verpraet

Illya Verpraet Road Tester Autocar
Title: Road Tester

As a road tester, Illya drives everything from superminis to supercars, and writes reviews and comparison tests, while also managing the magazine’s Drives section. Much of his time is spent wrangling the data logger and wielding the tape measure to gather the data for Autocar’s in-depth instrumented road tests.

He loves cars that are fun and usable on the road – whether piston-powered or electric – or just cars that are very fit for purpose. When not in test cars, he drives an R53-generation Mini Cooper S or a 1990 BMW 325i Touring.

James Disdale

James Disdale
Title: Special correspondent

James is a special correspondent for Autocar, which means he turns his hand to pretty much anything, including delivering first drive verdicts, gathering together group tests, formulating features and keeping Autocar.co.uk topped-up with the latest news and reviews. He also co-hosts the odd podcast and occasional video with Autocar’s esteemed Editor-at-large, Matt Prior.

For more than a decade and a half James has been writing about cars, in which time he has driven pretty much everything from humble hatchbacks to the highest of high performance machines. Having started his automotive career on, ahem, another weekly automotive magazine, he rose through the ranks and spent many years running that title’s road test desk. This was followed by a stint doing the same job for monthly title, evo, before starting a freelance career in 2019. The less said about his wilderness, post-university years selling mobile phones and insurance, the better.

Matt Saunders

Matt Saunders Autocar
Title: Road test editor

As Autocar’s chief car tester and reviewer, it’s Matt’s job to ensure the quality, objectivity, relevance and rigour of the entirety of Autocar’s reviews output, as well contributing a great many detailed road tests, group tests and drive reviews himself.

Matt has been an Autocar staffer since the autumn of 2003, and has been lucky enough to work alongside some of the magazine’s best-known writers and contributors over that time. He served as staff writer, features editor, assistant editor and digital editor, before joining the road test desk in 2011.

Since then he’s driven, measured, lap-timed, figured, and reported on cars as varied as the Bugatti Veyron, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Tesla Roadster, Ariel Hipercar, Tata Nano, McLaren Senna, Renault Twizy and Toyota Mirai. Among his wider personal highlights of the job have been covering Sebastien Loeb’s record-breaking run at Pikes Peak in 2013; doing 190mph on derestricted German autobahn in a Brabus Rocket; and driving McLaren’s legendary ‘XP5’ F1 prototype. His own car is a trusty Mazda CX-5.