Renault Kiger Review: Absolute Blast Under ₹10 Lakh!

Renault Kiger is a misunderstood car. You see, with a budget of around 6 lakh, people who are into cars usually go for a used option. Not because there aren’t any new cars in their budget in India, but because there aren’t any fun, driving pleasure-oriented cars in that segment. In comes the Renault Kiger – a complete car that not only comes with everything you’d ask for in a sub-10 lakh car, it is also a super fun car to drive in this segment, at least with the 1.0L turbo petrol engine that we got for our review.

The Renault Kiger is powered by a 1-litre three cylinder turbocharged petrol engine which is good for 98.6 bhp of power and 152 Nm of torque. This is paired with either a 5-speed manual or a CVT automatic transmission that sends the power to the front wheel. We got the 5-speed manual for our review. In this review, I will tell you everything that I liked or disliked about the Renault Kiger and why this car is probably the most unique and fun car to own in this segment.

Renault Kiger: Price and Fast Facts

The Renault Kiger is priced well under the ₹10 lakh budget. Starting at a price of just ₹5.80 lakh (ex-showroom) in India, the Renault Kiger seems to offer outstanding value for money. Here are the prices for all variants:

Renault Kiger Design Review: Busy and Bulky

The shape and size of the Renault Kiger is that of a bulked-up hatchback, but it is categorised under the sub-4 meter compact SUV segment in India. While I don’t consider these SUVs by any definition, the Renault Kiger has the most amount of ground clearance as compared to the likes of the Tata Punch, Hyundai Exter, and the Maruti Suzuki Fronx. The design up front is bulky and slightly busy, but I like the details, especially in the front fascia that make it appear that this car has a big grille. 

The rear design is slightly cleaner. The tail lights are the most interesting part here, which also protrude slightly from the body of the Kiger. While it is a cool design detail, it also makes the car that bit more fragile since the tail lamps are the first point of contact from the rear end, but that would require your car being hit from a very specific angle so that’s not a big issue. 

So yes, in terms of the design, the Kiger doesn’t have anything too special going on for it, except the best-in-class ground clearance. It gets a slightly tall stance, thanks to that high ground clearance, and we’re getting updated styling that definitely makes the Kiger look more modern and more aggressive. I also like the slight details in the turbo variant, where we’re getting red brake callipers and a “turbo” badging on the front quarterpanel. Nice touch.

Renault Kiger Engine and Performance Review: The Punchy Petrol Turbo Is A Blast Around The City

Before we begin here, do note that here I am only talking about the 1.0L turbo petrol engine, which is the one we drove for our review, it is not to be confused with the driving pleasure of the 1.0L naturally aspirated petrol engine in the Renault Kiger.

The Kiger isn’t only the best in terms of the amount of features, it is also one of the most fun cars to drive in this lot. I have experienced the Maruti Suzuki Fronx Turbo, the Hyundai Exter, the Tata Punch, and even the Mahindra XUV 3XO in this segment and it is safe to say in terms of the driving pleasure, only the Mahidnra XUV 3XO comes close to the Renault Kiger, but still not more fun. The three-cylinder petrol engine is punchy and makes the Renault Kiger feel much quicker than the competition. This specific 3-cylinder unit produces 98.6 bhp of power and 152 Nm of torque. For a car this size weighing barely 1,000 kg, this is more than enough punch for quick overtakes around the city and if you push it hard, it will bring a smile to your face without the fear of losing control. Super fun! 

Even the steering wheel is right up there. It isn’t the most responsive steering, of course, but it has got good feedback and never feels too heavy or too light. This steering, however, rotates a little more than normal. Yes, I realised this early on, the steering wheel rotations are a bit more – I believe this has a 1,080 degree rotation as compared to the 900-degrees on most cars. The steering wheel is also slightly smaller in size, which I absolutely loved about this, since this makes maneuvering the car that much easier and I just like smaller sized steering wheels.

For a sub-₹10 lakh budget, go for this if you want power.

Now while in terms of the engine this car didn’t give me anything to complain about, the suspension isn’t as nice. While I understand that this is one of the affordable cars from Renault in the country, the suspension doesn’t absorb shocks as well as it should. In a couple of instances when the car got over bumps or potholes in some speed, the car made noise as if something broke. It was just the shockers contracting suddenly. The wheel also drops sometimes if you’re taking the car over a steep bump – could have been better.

And finally, the transmission. With the turbo variants of the Renault Kiger, we get a 5-speed manual transmission and a CVT automatic transmission. For our review, we got the 5-speed manual and while there isn’t anything wrong with the transmission, it isn’t as slick or smooth as the one on the Hyundai Exter or the Maruti Suzuki Fronx. You can’t shift as quickly as this, since the gears don’t slot in place as smoothly as on the cars mentioned above, but it’s not a deal breaker.

Talking about the transmission also reminds me of another issue that I don’t think is highlighted enough. It is the spacing between the pedals. Yes, the pedals are a bit too small and spaced too close to each other, especially for people with huge feet. For me this wasn’t a problem since I’m a modest size 7, but it did still bump with other pedals while operating the car.

So overall, the Renault Kiger is a fun car to drive. It is quick off the line, and it is very easy to handle and maneuver. However, the suspension tuning is something that will hold people back from having too much fun with it. But on smooth roads in the city, the Renault Kiger is one of the most fun cars in this segment.

Renault Kiger Features and Comfort Review: Offers More Than Competition

Interiors of the Renault Kiger are also well thought of and nicely put together. There is mostly hard plastic everywhere you look and touch, but it doesn’t look bad. In fact, the quality of the plastic is pretty decent and will stand the test of time. Even the selection of colours is pretty good from Renault – the cabin feels premium when you’re inside, despite all the hard plastic. Renault has given a dual-tone interior for the Tubro variant that we got for our review. We get this nice black and white colour combination, along with the silver textured plastic panel that runs across the top of the dashboard to cover the AC vents on either side of the dash. Even the steering wheel design adds to the whole premium look and feel of the cabin, with the neon green stitching, and the three dials for the climate control also look pretty sick the first time you enter the Renault Kiger’s cabin.

Furthermore, the leather seats with the same white and black dual tone colour scheme and the neon green Renault badging also looks pretty cool. To add to the comfort, Renault has given seat ventilation with the latest update of the Kiger, making it the only car in this segment to offer seat ventilation (segment that includes the likes of the Tata Punch ICE, Maruti Suzuki Fronx, Mahindra XUV 3XO, Hyundai Exter, and more). 

Given that the Renault Kiger has seat ventilation, you could already tell that it is a very well-equipped car for the price. Apart from seat ventilation, we’re also getting other features that you wouldn’t expect on a car like this – things like wireless charging, cruise control, a fully digital instrument cluster, automatic climate control, 360-degree cameras (almost), and drive modes. The biggest disappointment in the cabin, however, is the infotainment display. The Renault Kiger comes with an 8-inch infotainment display which supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay with a wire. Now this is not a nice display by any standard. Compared to the kind of infotainment displays we’re getting in competition like the Tata Punch or the Hyundai Exter, this feels very dated. The brightness isn’t great for using in bright sunlight, and even the UI isn’t very smooth. 

Coming to another weird thing about the equipment is the 360-degree camera implementation by Renault. While the Renault Kiger has all four cameras for a 360-degree view, the software doesn’t stitch the footage together to give you a full 360-degree view. In fact, it gives you individual feeds for each camera at a time. Apart from these couple of issues, there aren’t any issues with the cabin. It is, in fact, very ergonomically sound apart from the fact that the volume controls are touch-based for the passengers. I love the climate controls in the Renault Kiger – all analog and no touch. Very beautiful, very tactile.

The space inside the cabin is also ample. The Renault Kiger is good enough to seat five full-grown individuals comfortably. The rear seat also is surprisingly very spacious, despite the car’s rather small structure. I like how the floorboard for the rear passengers is almost flat – this adds to the sense of space quite a lot and makes the rear seat appear much more spacious. Even allows you to fit a few things in the footwell if the car is overstuffed.

In terms of the interiors, comfort, and features, the Renault Kiger has it all. In fact, among the cars that it competes with directly, the Kiger is one of the most well-equipped cars in the segment, apart from the dated infotainment display and the lazy 360-degree camera implementation from Renault.

Review Verdict: Should You Buy the Renault Kiger?

Smartprix Rating: ⭐7.5/10

• Design and Build: ⭐7/10
• Features and Tech: ⭐8/10
• Driving Pleasure: ⭐8/10
• Performance: ⭐8/10
• Comfort and Space: ⭐8/10

Now I would end this review with an apology to Renault. I didn’t take the Kiger as seriously since there is a serious lack of awareness about this car. But after driving it and living with it for a few days, I can safely say that I have been proven wrong and for people buying a car in this segment, the Renault Kiger offers a proper, fun, and reliable car in this budget. Sure, it isn’t the most tech-heavy car but it has got all the comfort features you’d need. 

Yes, there are issues. It could have done with a 6-speed manual transmission which would have only increased the fuel efficiency. There could have been a better infotainment display or better suspension tuning. But none of that takes away from the fact that this is a serious car and it should be on top of your priority list if you’re in the market for the likes of the Tata Punch, Maruti Suzuki Fronx, Hyundai Exter, and the likes.

Buy it if…

• You want a fun to drive car in a budget.
• You want a good-looking, comfortable cabin with space.
• You want to stand out among the crowd.

Skip it if…

• Suspension and ride quality is your priority.
• You need a good infotainment display.
• You want sunroof in your car.

First reviewed in April 2026