TALL (BUT SMALL) POPPIES

They've all just been rejigged, but which of these small SUVs deserves prominence and which will get cut down to size? Let's find out

Renault is taking electrification very seriously right now. In our August issue, the brand's recently launched Scenic E-Tech electric family SUV beat two big rivals including a former What Car? Car of the Year - in a group test. What's more, the reborn Renault 5 hatchback is predicted to make a big noise in the small electric car market later this year.

In fact, every car that wears a Renault badge is now available in electrified form, including the Captur small SUV, which has recently been updated with more than a hint of the Scenic's influence. These tweaks are timely, though, because the Captur is far from alone among hybrid small SUVS - another being the most economical car we've ever tested.

That car is the Toyota Yaris Cross, which has just been treated to improved interior tech and the promise of being quieter than before. A more powerful hybrid engine has also been added to the line-up, but we've gone for the entry-level engine that proved so frugal in our tests, along with the mid-range Design trim level.

Completing our hybrid trio is the ever-popular Nissan Juke, which has also had a makeover and should be at the top of its game. It appears here in wellequipped Tekna trim.

We're fielding the Juke and Yaris Cross against the Captur in midlevel Techno trim. Let's see which of these fresh-faced small SUVs is the star of the moment.

DRIVING

Performance, ride, handling, refinement

The Juke and Captur employ 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engines in their hybrid systems, each of which produces a total of 141bhp. The Yaris Cross, meanwhile, gets by with a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder engine and a 114bhp total output. Despite this, all three are fairly evenly matched in terms of acceleration; the Captur sprints from 0-60mph in 9.7sec, with the others less than a second behind.