Jeep Renegade PHEV 2020: specs and on-sale date

We’ll be able to buy the first plug-in hybrid versions of the Jeep Renegade early in 2020, the company has confirmed. Preparations for building it are already under way at the factory in Italy, where the smallest Jeep is built alongside the Fiat 500X. 

However, as yet there are no further details on what we can expect from the new model – no suggestion of what the powertrain will include, what electric range it'll have, or how long it’ll take to charge up.

We should get a better idea when we see pre-production models in 2019. However, for now, our best guess is that the Renegade PHEV will have a petrol engine driving the front wheels, while an electric motor will power the rear wheels.

The introduction of the Renegade PHEV comes as Jeep confirms that it'll completely remove diesel engines from its range of vehicles over the next five years, with a range of hybrid and electric vehicles taking their place.

In all, the company is going to invest almost £8 billion in electric and hybrid vehicles in that period, and the Renegade PHEV should arrive at about the same time as a plug-in hybrid version of the larger Wrangler.

The electrification programme will continue in the subsequent years, with FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Jeep’s parent company) saying it'll have 30 models with an electrified powertrain by 2022.