Summary
The Jeep Wrangler is a medium-sized SUV, available in either two-door or four-door format. The latest generation was launched in late 2018 and traces its heritage all the way back to the original Willys Jeeps of the Second World War.
The new Jeep Wrangler has received mixed reviews from the UK media. It has been highly praised for its off-road ability and for keeping true to its heritage, while it has also been criticised for its poor on-road driving dynamics and extremely poor one-star safety score from Euro NCAP.
The Wrangler was originally offered with a choice of petrol or diesel power, but the diesel engine was dropped after a while so now there’s only one petrol engine available across the whole range.
As of May 2024, the Jeep Wrangler has a poor New Car Expert Rating of E, with a score of 45%. It scores poorly for its running costs and media review scores, while its one-star Euro NCAP safety rating was terrible when the Wrangler was launched six years ago and looks even worse today.
Key specifications
Body style: Two- and four-door SUV
Engines: petrol (and previously diesel)
Price: From £60,285 on-road
Launched: Autumn 2018
Last updated: N/A
Image gallery
Media reviews
Reviews, road tests and comparisons from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.
Auto Express
Model reviewed: 4xe Rubicon (2023)
Score: 8 / 10
“On the steep slopes that the Jeep Wrangler 4xe Rubicon’s muscle really comes into its own. With drive sent to each of the four wheels on the fly, the electrified Wrangler just grips and goes.”
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Model reviewed: Range review
Score: 7 / 10
“For top-down fun drives, the Wrangler is a blast, and it’s epic off road, too.”
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Model reviewed: Sahara
Score: 6 / 10
“This is an off-road car that can be used on the road, rather than a road car that can be taken slightly off the beaten track.”
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Score: 8 / 10
“Still as rugged and capable off-road as it ever was but with a more civilised interior and more all-round appeal, the new Wrangler represents a well-judged step forwards for the famous Jeep.”
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Auto Trader
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6 / 10
“The Jeep Wrangler builds on a great heritage to rightfully stake its claim as one of the most competent off-road vehicles you can buy. Yes, its off-road ability does lead to compromises on the road, but these compromises are fewer and less severe than in Wranglers of old, and it’s more civilised than some other hardcore mud-pluggers we could name.”
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Autocar
Model reviewed: (range review)
Score: 8 / 10
“That the latest Wrangler remains one of the toughest, most capable off-roaders in the business comes as little surprise. Jeep knows what it needs to provide to retain the 4×4’s passionate cult following.”
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Model reviewed: Overland
Score: 8 / 10
“The Wrangler has raised itself from that distant corner of the SUV market where the Defender and Toyota Land Cruiser were once its only kindred spirits and joined the bigger SUV scene.”
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Car
Score: 8 / 10
“In a world where almost every new car is trying to look like an SUV, the Wrangler remains an authentic original, and an immensely likeable one. While it is genuinely refined at a cruise, its off-road focus still makes it a compromised proposition on tarmac compared with more mainstream 4x4s.”
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Car Keys
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“If you think with your head, the Jeep Wrangler is a model that can be hard to get on with, its backwards driving experience and low-rent interior not making it feel luxurious in the slightest. But we value the Wrangler for sticking with its proven formula of being a dependable off-roader, but now with more appeal than ever thanks to its better road dynamics and better engines.”
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Carbuyer
Score: 6 / 10
“The Jeep Wrangler has been modernised, but it’s still aimed at serious off-road enthusiasts and a high price makes it a rather niche proposition.”
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Carwow
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 5 / 10
“The Jeep Wrangler is unmistakable, and so is its off-road prowess. The trouble is, it’s expensive to buy and run and pretty uncomfy on the road.”
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Company Car Today
Model reviewed: 2.1-litre diesel manual Sahara
“There’s a lot to love about the characterful Jeep Wrangler, but that almost-peerless off-road ability comes at a cost in financial, practicality, refinement and driving experience terms.”
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Honest John
Score: 8 / 10
“If you are considering the Wrangler, be aware that it differs drastically depending on whether you go for the impractical but achingly cool-looking three-door short-wheelbase, to the moderately roomy, long-wheelbase five-door.”
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Parkers
Model reviewed: Range review
Score: 6.4 / 10
“Legendary off-roader isn’t perfect, but very likeable”
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The Sun
“This descendant of the original US Army Jeep is hard, capable and very cool — basically, it’s nothing more or less than a Tonka toy for grown-ups.”
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The Telegraph
Model reviewed: 2.1-litre diesel automatic
Score: 8 / 10
“The Wrangler has been around for 77 years in various forms, but it’s been an exemplary evolution. Even now that it’s bigger and more comfort-oriented than ever, it’s still irreverent, lovable, unmistakably rooted in off-roading, and currently without any direct rivals.”
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Top Gear
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 7 / 10
“If you ‘get’ the Wrangler, this one’s easier to live with than ever before and just as easy to love. If you don’t, there’s always the Skoda Kodiaq.”
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What Car?
Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6 / 10
“If you don’t plan to go off-road, the Jeep Wrangler is not the car for you – a Land Rover Defender is a much more comfortable and refined daily driver. However, if you want the best off-roader currently on sale, the Wrangler Rubicon is where we’d point you. It will go places that stop a Defender in its tracks.” (Neil Winn)
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Safety rating
Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP
Overall score: 1 stars
Date tested: December 2018
Read the full Euro NCAP review
Adult protection: 50%
Child protection: 69%
Vulnerable road users: 49%
Safety assist: 32%
Notes on safety rating
The Jeep Wrangler scored a woeful one-star safety rating from Euro NCAP when it was launched in 2018, receiving scathing criticism from Thatcham Research, the UK’s Euro NCAP representative: “The Jeep Wrangler is an entirely new vehicle and doesn’t come cheap. Buyers outlaying over £50,000 on a car should expect more than a one-star safety rating.
“No AEB (autonomous emergency braking) system is fitted, which is unheard of in this price bracket. There were a number of issues with the Wrangler in impact testing too, in terms of deformation of the footwell and damage to connecting structures, while the make-up of the dashboard was seen to present a risk to occupants.”
Eco rating
Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP
No eco rating
As of May 2024, the Jeep Wrangler has not been lab tested by Green NCAP.
Reliability rating
Reliability data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by MotorEasy
No reliability rating
As of May 2024, we don’t have enough reliability data on the Jeep Wrangler to generate a reliability rating.
The Car Expert’s reliability information is provided exclusively to us using extended warranty data from our partner, MotorEasy. As soon as MotorEasy has sufficient data on the Wrangler, we’ll publish the score here.
Running cost rating
Monthly cost of ownership data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by Clear Vehicle Data
Fuel consumption | Average | Score | Variation | Score |
Petrol models | 25 mpg | E | 25 – 27 mpg | E – E |
Diesel models | 30 mpg | E | 29 – 31 mpg | E – E |
CO₂ output | Average | Score | Variation | Score |
Petrol models | 258 g/km | D | 243 – 269 g/km | D – D |
Diesel models | 246 g/km | D | 240 – 252 g/km | D – D |
Insurance group | Average | Score | Variation | Score |
All models | 23 | B | 22 – 25 | A – B |
Service and maintenance | Cost | Score |
Year 1 | £358 | C |
Year 2 | £907 | C |
Year 3 | £1,431 | C |
Year 4 | £1,675 | C |
Year 5 | £2,189 | C |
Overall | £6,560 | C |
The Jeep Wrangler is a very expensive car to own and run, according to whole-life cost numbers provided exclusively to The Car Expert by our data partner, Clear Vehicle Data.
The biggest cost is always fuel, and the Wrangler performs very poorly here. Fuel economy scores an E (which is the worst score possible for this category and means it sits in the bottom 20% of all cars in our database), so you probably need to lower your expectations from whatever they may have been. CO2 emissions are not much better.
Servicing and maintenance costs are average over the first five years, while insurance costs should actually be better than average.
Awards
Trophies, prizes and awards that the Jeep Wrangler has received
2021
- 4×4 Magazine Awards– Off-Road Award
2019
- 4×4 Magazine Awards– Off-Road Award
Similar cars
If you’re looking at the Jeep Wrangler, you might also be interested in these alternatives
Ineos Grenadier | Land Rover Defender | Mercedes-Benz G-Class | Mitsubishi Shogun Sport | Toyota Land Cruiser
More information
More news, reviews and information about the Jeep Wrangler at The Car Expert
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