Jeep Avenger EV: test and review of new vehicle

Famous for selling some of the world’s most rugged offroaders, this brand has gone in a new direction.

Jeep has just launched its smallest model ever. It’s also the American 4x4 specialist’s first electric vehicle.

Before the brand even launched this model it cut prices by thousands of dollars, but it’s arguably still too expensive for the size of vehicle (it’s tiny, at just under 4.1 metres long), and it also has less EV driving range than many cheaper electric models. 



The pricing starts at $49,990 and ranges up to $60,990 (all prices plus on-roads), which is prohibitive considering you can get a whole lot of electric SUV from other brands for less. A Tesla Model Y RWD is $55,500 and it has more range, and it’s a bigger, faster and much more practical car.

Even a BYD Atto 3 (from $44,499) has more range for less cash.

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The 2025 Jeep Avenger is the American 4x4 specialist’s first electric vehicle. Picture: Supplied

2025 Jeep Avenger. Picture: Supplied

But the Avenger is a super smart city runaround for those with the cash to splash and who don’t need lots of EV range. The base model Longitude and mid-spec Limited have 396km of WLTP driving range, while the top-spec Summit has 390km, due to it having larger 18-inch wheels and lower-profile tyres.

The Summit is the pick in terms of standard gear, but still has a manual passenger seat, and while the front seats are heated, the driver gets a massage function. There is leather-accented trim and a sunroof, but it’s small by today’s standards.

The cabin is cleverly designed with heaps of loose item storage, including a centre bin big enough for a handbag, and it’s neat cabin with a decent 10.25-inch touchscreen featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There’s a wireless phone charger, but it was terribly slow for my phone.

The cabin boasts a decent 10.25-inch touchscreen featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Picture: Supplied

Back seat space is tight, and there are minimal amenities – no bottle or cup holders, and no directional air vents. And big-footers will find entry/exit difficult due to very big side sills.

The boot space is decent at 355 litres, with space below the floor for cables.

The Avenger’s 51kWh (net) nickel manganese cobalt battery isn’t positioned under the body of the car like many others. This little car shares its architecture with the Peugeot e-2008, and has batteries under front and rear of the car. But it’s also lighter than most other EVs, at around 1520kg.

The Avenger has batteries under the front and rear of the car but is still lighter than most other EVs. Picture: Supplied

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Choose the base model and the AC charging is throttled at 7kW, while the mid- and high-spec grades get 11kW AC charging – and if you have three-phase power, it’ll do a full fill in 5 hours and 34 mins. Rapid charging for all models is 100kW DC, quicker than some other cheap EVs, with a 20-80 per cent charging time of just 24 mins at the maximum rate.

The front-mounted electric motor has 115kW of power and 260Nm of torque – hardly breathtaking – and its 0-100km/h time is a sluggish 9.0 seconds. It feels slow from a standstill, but zippy when you’re on and off the go-button in traffic.

The front-mounted electric motor has 115kW of power and 260Nm of torque. Picture: Supplied

It is compact and manoeuvrable for parking duties, easy to drive around town, it has 200mm of ground clearance to jump for gutter jumping and speed hump hustling. The ride is great.

At pace the steering is harder to judge, and there’s heaps of road noise intrusion at highway speed too.

Avenger scored three stars in Euro NCAP testing in 2024. Not great.

But it has autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assistance, and adaptive cruise control standard.

Avenger scored three stars in Euro NCAP testing in 2024. Picture: Supplied

The base model comes with reverse sensors and camera while the upper grades have front and side parking sensors and a 180-degree camera. Picture: Supplied

The base model has reversing sensors and camera, while the upper grades have front and side parking sensors, 180-degree camera, and a more advanced cruise control system with active lane keeping and traffic sign recognition.

Warranty cover is five years/100,000km for the vehicle and eight-years/160,000km for the battery. Capped-price servicing spans five years, at $250 per visit. It has short service intervals for an EV – every 12 months/12,500km.

There is roadside assistance for five years, too.

There is no doubt this is an impressive first effort for Jeep, but with a price tag that is uncompetitively high in the current EV environment, it’s hard to see it being a big sales success.