It’s remarkable that a vehicle designed as a military staff car still today makes much of a reputation gained by its very first versions used in the second world war – a vehicle that could go anywhere, no matter how far off the beaten track.
In truth, Jeep’s insistence on ensuring its vehicles really could go anywhere proved a drawback in more recent times. The brand claims to have launched the first-ever SUV in the 1960s but as the modern incarnations of such vehicles have developed, Jeep has failed to keep up with rivals that were so much better on the road – where even Jeeps spend most of their time.
Now, as part of the giant that is Stellantis, Jeep is transforming into a brand that can compete in a market where on-road performance and quality take precedence over all-terrain ability. While Jeeps are still regarded as all-wheel-drive vehicles, today few of them are.
Jeep has also maintained its status as a US icon during a chequered history – most people still see the brand as American, despite the fact that it has been controlled by the French (Renault), Germans (DaimlerChrysler) and Italians (Fiat Chrysler), before being absorbed by the European giant that is Stellantis, headquartered in the Netherlands.
So who or what is Jeep?
What became Jeep had its beginnings in 1941, when the US military needed a light four-wheel-drive scout car for the war they were inevitably going to enter. They pitched the idea to 135 companies but just two responded, probably because of the 49-day deadline to produce a working prototype.
The American Bantam Car Company met the deadline but the Army thought it would never be able to make the number required, so the Bantam design was shared with Ford and Willys-Overland, and quickly evolved into the specification for the vehicle that has forever been a staple of war movies. Every US regiment received, on average, some 145 Jeeps and they were used for all sorts of purposes.
As for the name, Jeep was already US military slang for new and untested recruits or vehicles. When a prototype of the scout car was demonstrated by driving up the steps of the US Capitol building, a newspaper reporter asked what the vehicle was and was told a Jeep – the resultant news piece used the term and the rest, as they say…
After the war, Willys-Overland marketed passenger versions of the Jeep, including a station wagon and a ‘Jeepster’ model directly aimed at civilian buyers. Willys was then acquired, first in 1953 by Kaiser Motors and then in 1970 by the American Motors Corporation (AMC), which separated Jeep’s military and civilian businesses into separate companies. The military division would later create another iconic US military vehicle – the Humvee, which in civilian models became the Hummer.
In 1962, Jeep launched the Wagoneer, a vehicle that claims to be the first-ever SUV. It remained in production for almost 30 years before finally being retired, and the name was reborn a few years ago as Jeep’s flagship SUV model.
More than eighty years after the first Jeep was created, its spiritual descendant lives on in the form of the Jeep Wrangler – although it’s a conceptual connection that unsurprisingly shares no common parts with the original 1940s model.
Thousands of Jeeps were left behind in Europe after the war and, in Britain, directly inspired the creation of the first Land Rover in 1947. But it wasn’t until the late 1970s that Jeep officially went on sale in Europe, through Renault dealerships following the French giant’s investment in AMC. But financial issues and unrest in the late 1980s encouraged Renault to sell off its interest in AMC and the company was snapped up by US giant Chrysler.
In 1987 the ownership switched back to Europe when Chrysler merged with Mercedes-Benz owner Daimler to create DaimlerChrysler. That merger went disastrously, with Daimler unloading Chrysler again after just ten years. Another merger with Fiat followed in 2014 to form Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, which was subsequently absorbed into Stellantis when FCA merged with PSA Groupe (including Peugeot, Citroën, Vauxhall, and others) in 2020. Today, Jeep is one of more than a dozen brands within the sprawling Stellantis family, which has influenced its current lineup, especially in Europe.
What models does Jeep have and what else is coming?
As of June 2025, Jeep has a five-strong UK model line-up, albeit one that is in the process of undergoing major changes.
The Jeep Wrangler can trace its lineage directly back to the 1980s, and conceptually back to the earliest military Jeeps. Now available with just a petrol engine, it’s renowned for its off-road ability but not for its on-road dynamics or safety. Euro NCAP gave the Wrangler a paltry one star when testing the latest generation in 2018, a major factor in the New Car Expert Rating of E earned by the car in The Car Expert’s Expert Rating programme.
In contrast, the Jeep Grand Cherokee earned an excellent five-star Euro NCAP score for its latest generation launched in 2023. The large SUV, the flagship of the range, is now sold as a plug-in hybrid and earns a New Car Expert Rating of C – mediocre UK reviews are compensated for by that excellent safety performance.
Sadly, it’s back to E-grade territory for more recent Jeep fare. The Jeep Renegade launched in 2015 as a small SUV and as a result of Jeep’s merger with Fiat. Underneath the familiar Jeep styling themes is basically a Fiat 500X, and it’s built in Italy. It follows the US brand’s typical style – no rivals can touch it off-road but they leave it behind once on the tarmac.
The Jeep Compass went on UK sale in 2018, effectively filling the gap between the Renegade and the larger Cherokee models. This was a Jeep supposedly more focused on improved on-the-road performance, while losing none of its off-road credentials. It achieved the latter but not the former, still lagging behind its many rivals in this crowded market.
The most recent Jeep launch, however, has bucked the trend and perhaps marked a turning point for the brand. The Jeep Avenger is a compact SUV and the first all-electric model in Jeep’s line-up. It also shares its makeup with the Peugeot e-2008 and Vauxhall Mokka Electric, following Jeep’s absorption into the Stellantis Group. This has resulted in rather better scores in all areas and a New Car Expert Rating of A from The Car Expert.
Current Jeep range on our Expert Rating Index
The initial electric Avenger has since been joined by mild-hybrid and petrol variants and while in standard form it is two-wheel-drive, an off-road focused 4WD version is now offered too.
The third of Jeep’s traditional model names should make its return in 2026, the Cherokee. First sold in 1974 and last in showrooms in 2023, the new Cherokee will be totally unrelated to its predecessor, offered in hybrid and electric propulsion and pitched as a rival to the Land Rover Discovery.
The new Cherokee’s styling will match that of the all-new Compass, the third-generation model going for a complete reinvention with bold styling, better quality but still more off-road ability than its Stellantis sisters the Peugeot 3008 and Citroën C5 Aircross. On the road before the end of 2025, it will be offered with petrol, plug-in hybrid and electric versions, including a range-topping all-wheel-drive model.
Reports also suggest that both the Grand Cherokee and Wrangler could be dropped from Jeep’s model range this year as the brand continues its push towards a mainly electric future. The Grand Cherokee will be replaced by the electric Wagoneer S, on sale before the end of 2025, while the Wrangler could be killed off by the arrival of Jeep’s new small EV, the Recon.
Where can I try a Jeep car?
Jeeps remain fairly specialised vehicles, with a narrower range of models compared to some brands, and this is reflected in the number of dealerships. Like many brands, there has been some consolidation, and today there are around 50 outlets, although they are well-spaced throughout the UK.
Many Jeep dealerships can be found alongside those of other Stellantis brands, particularly those of Fiat, a result of the merger with the Italian brand in 2014.
What makes Jeep different to the rest?
It’s probably fairer to say ‘what made Jeep different to the rest’ because for much of its life, Jeep traded on a reputation of all its models being all-wheel-drive and able to traverse the toughest of off-road terrains – a similar image adopted by its younger British rival, Land Rover.
In fact, even some of the earliest Jeeps were two-wheel-drive machines and today market forces demand that most of the brand’s model range are. You can still get all-wheel-drive Jeeps and they will still go just about anywhere – but this ability has made it harder for them to keep up with the refinement of rivals where they spend most of their time, on the road. On-road quality is likely to be a bigger factor than off-road ability in Jeep’s future.
A Jeep fact to impress your friends
Following the second world war, enterprising locals in the Philippines took the many surplus Jeeps left behind by US forces and welded on longer, wider rear ends, effectively turning them into mini buses.
Elaborately decorated by their owners, the ‘Jeepneys’ have become as much a symbol of the Philippines as the black cab is of the UK.
Summary
The Jeep of today is at a crossroads – but appears to be heading in the right direction. As a central part of the Stellantis empire and benefiting from the economies of scale that come with developing new models for three or four brands at a time, Jeep is in the process of renewing its range.
These new models both embrace the switch to electric and eliminate the on-road deficiencies that were a byproduct of maintaining traditional off-road ability. For Jeep, the future holds great potential.
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