Are Jeeps good first cars?

There’s no denying the road presence or visual appeal of a Jeep, but those aren’t really good enough reasons to consider one as your first car. After all, your first car should be easy to drive and easy to park, compact enough to place on the road, with good visibility from the driver’s seat and plenty of safety kit to keep you safe in the event of a collision. And, as it turns out, not all Jeeps meet these criteria.

 

Jeep Renegade (First Car Score: 2/5 to 4/5)

This is the least-expensive and smallest Jeep in the current range, so it is compact enough and quite easy to drive, making it the most suitable in the range to serve as your first car. That depends on whether you select the appropriate derivative, though, as the entry-level “Sport” trim has to make do without any parking sensors or a rear-view camera. 

Rear parking sensors feature from mid-level “Longitude” trim upwards, while the higher-end “Limited” adds a rear-view camera to the equation. This would be a bit of an issue, because the view to the rear of the Renegade is compromised due to small side windows and a tiny rear windscreen, which will make parking difficult for inexperienced drivers.

Another downside to the Renegade is its comparatively poor safety ratings, only receiving 3 stars in 2019 Euro NCAP crash testing. This is largely due to a relative lack of driver aids, because the actual occupant protection scores were all above 80%. While ABS, 6 airbags, stability control and rear ISOFIX child seat mounts are standard across the range, automatic emergency braking and pedestrian safety assistants are notable for their absence.

With all this in mind, the best Renegade to consider as your first car would be an up-spec variant, ideally one with at least a rear-view camera to ease parking. In this case, the only real concern would be to steer well clear of pedestrians and cyclists...

Related: Shop for new and used Jeep Renegade cars for sale here.

 

Jeep Wrangler (First Car Score: 1/5)

Regardless of which trim level you choose for a Jeep Wrangler, it remains a rather poor choice for a first car. Yes, they all have power steering and automatic gearboxes, so they’re not difficult to operate, but there are also numerous downsides to starting your driving career with a Wrangler.

While those burly bumpers and plastic fender trims should make it fairly immune to parking lot mishaps (and relatively simple to repair), they also make it very difficult to gauge the vehicle’s extremities. Putting it simply, there’s a lot of the Wrangler that a driver simply can’t see while driving, making it difficult to place accurately in confined spaces and congested traffic. 

To its credit, a rear-view camera and parking sensors on both ends are standard across the range, but that still doesn’t solve the basic issue of poor sightlines from the driver’s seat and fenders that are hidden from view.There are also some safety concerns, particularly relating to the SWB variants.

Directional stability is much improved in comparison to the old model, but a Wrangler still demands constant driver attention to maintain a set course. Combine this with the Wrangler’s top-heavy construction, and it could become more difficult to control in an emergency than lower-slung vehicles.

And then there’s the matter of crash safety. The latest-generation Wrangler only scored 1 star in Euro NCAP crash testing in 2018, with adult occupant protection rated at only 50%. This is compounded by a lack of ISOFIX child seat anchors and autonomous emergency braking, meaning that you don’t really want to be involved in a collision while driving a Wrangler.

Related: Shop for new and used Jeep Wrangler cars for sale here.

 

Jeep Grand Cherokee (First Car Score: 2/5 or 3/5)

This is the largest and most practical Jeep in the current local range, but it probably isn’t great for first-car duties either. Part of the reason is its sheer size: 4.8-metres long and more than 2-metres from mirror to mirror, the Grand Cherokee is a big car, which could be pretty daunting to an inexperienced driver.

The entry-level “Laredo” trim is attractively priced, but it lacks a rear-view camera and parking sensors, adding to the difficulties involved in parking such a large vehicle. For these driver aids, you’ll have to start shopping at the lower-midrange “Limited” trim level. 

This will add to the peace of mind that comes with having ABS, 7 airbags (6 in the Laredo), stability control, and rear ISOFIX child seat anchors. Crash safety isn’t bad, either, with a 4-star Euro NCAP rating achieved in 2011, so at least an inexperienced driver will be well-taken care of in the event of a collision.

Related: Shop for new and used Jeep Grand Cherokee cars for sale here.

 

Verdict

The only Jeep in the current model range that could pass muster as a sensible first car is the Renegade, and that only from the mid-range trim level. In this form, a Renegade is compact enough to be easy to handle, has decent occupant protection in a crash, and offers enough driver aids to make driving generally hassle-free. 

For the rest of the range, their appeal is undeniable but should rather be enjoyed once their owners have gained more experience and confidence behind the wheel. The Wrangler is too unwieldy for a first car, and the Grand Cherokee is too big and cumbersome, placing them behind the Renegade in suitability as first cars.