Overview

The Renault 5 is one of the most highly anticipated cars of the last few years, and you can see why. Just look at it! It is a strikingly brilliant car design that’s unmistakably a Renault 5, yet unmistakably modern. Could this be one of the best electric cars on sale? Let’s find out.

As you may well know, the Renault 5 E-Tech (to give it its full name) is a compact, five-door hatchback that’s only available with an electric powertrain; there are no petrol options. It sits on the new AmpR platform, which will also underpin the forthcoming Renault 4, and it’s offered with a couple of batteries; a 40kWh LFP pack that manages 194 miles according to official WLTP figures, or a 52kWh NMC li-ion pack that ups the official range to 255 miles.

We’ve had an early go in the Renault 5 courtesy of the Car of the Year award, where we got to drive around Denmark’s northern peninsula.

What’s it like inside?

As cool as it is on the outside, yet also surprisingly functional. Our test car was a top-spec Renault 5 Iconic Five, which gets the colourful interior upholstery (which is also 100% recycled), although UK-specific pricing and trims are yet to be confirm so we’ll have to wait to find out exactly what each of the three trims – Evolution, Techno and Iconic Five – will get.

There are some areas where it feels a little cheap; scratchy plastics around the base of the door cards and footwells, some scruffy finishes that appear at the base of the 60/40 split rear seats when folded. But, for a car at this sort of level – never mind an electric car – the general perceived quality and aesthetic in the Renault 5 is really rather excellent.

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And it doesn’t just look great, it’s surprisingly practical, too. The manually adjustable driver’s seat offers enough range of movement that most drivers will feel at home straight away; rake- and reach-steering wheel adjustment, as well as electric lumbar adjustment, help with that. Plus, there are physical air-con buttons, another proper button allowing you to save and quickly access your preferred settings for the safety assistance systems, and even buttons on top of the touchscreen for volume and for turning the screen off at night.

It’s almost like Renault might have been listening to us moan about touchscreen dependence in cars, as the 5 is pleasingly ergonomic and not too reliant on in-screen menus to control everyday features, which we love.

And when you do use the 10.1-inch touchscreen, you’ve got in-built Google software including Google maps, intelligent charger search and journey planner, not to mention wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

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One caveat is that – as with the Scenic E-Tech and Megane E-Tech – Renault has clustered stalks for gear selection, wipers and audio control around the right hand side of the wheel, and it’s irritatingly easy to accidentally give a vicious wipe of the screen when you were going for reverse.

Anyway, because the 5 is surprisingly wide, at 2020mm including the mirrors, you don’t feel too squashed in next to your front passenger, and visibility is pretty good all-round too if a touch restricted to the rear three-quarter.

You’ll get two average-sized adults on the rear bench, and you can legally squeeze three slimline passengers across if you need to, although the middle seat cushion is narrow and raised so they may want to draw straws… The rear doors could do with opening a touch wider, but access still isn’t too bad at all.

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There’s a useful boot, too, with 326-litres of space including a roomy underfloor cable storage area. No ‘frunk’ storage under the bonnet, but for a small, 3.92-metre long car the space and practicality in the Renault is very good; noticeably better than the three-door Mini Cooper E, although the similarly targeted Citroen e-C3 will give the Renault a run for its money in the space and practicality stakes.

Renault 5 motors

The 5 is front-wheel drive, and gets slightly different performance depending on which battery you go for. The 40kWh car gets a 121bhp / 166lb ft motor, although (we haven’t been given a 0-62mph time for that, yet). The 52kWh car gets a 148bhp / 181lb ft motor that’s good for 0-62mph in 8.0 seconds, which is a touch slower than a Mini Cooper E, but better than the Citroen e-C3.

We test drove the 52kWh Renault 5 car, which is likely to be the bigger seller and is available from launch. It doesn’t feel hugely fast, but it always feels peppy and alert in the way it responds – provided you haven’t put it in Eco mode, anyway, which does neuter the throttle response very noticeably. In any other mode the Renault 5 has a really nice, moderate but punchy level of acceleration that’s ideal for nipping around town but still gives you confidence at higher speeds, so you won’t be worried about a fast merge onto the motorway.

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It’s pretty quiet, too. Wind noise is fairly noticeable, but it’s nothing that’s really going to bother you and the 5 is generally a quiet and fast enough. Don’t go expecting a hot hatch-like drive, as that’s not the point of the Renault 5; that’ll be the job of the forthcoming Alpine A290.

What’s it like to drive?

Comfortable yet tidy and responsive, which is exactly what you want from a small car like this. Our test car came on skinny Continental tyres (195/55 R18), which have an unusually chunky sidewall, and that really helps with a pliant ride. It smooths lightly over bigger bumps and undulations, and irons out the worst of any sharp-edged potholes and coarse, patchwork Tarmac.

It’s also very wieldy, with 2.6-turns lock-to-lock making for quick, alert steering response – if not quite as overtly heavy and sporting as the Mini Cooper’s. Maybe that steering can feel a touch too quick, especially in Sport mode when it’s weighted up a touch more.

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We’d also like a bit more flexibility to the brake regeneration, as the 5 only has one default mode that feels very similar to normal engine braking, or you can select a heavier setting via the gear shifter. But that’s it; there’s no one-pedal mode, nor steering wheel paddles to control the regen, although Renault has told us that the 5 may be gaining the Scenic’s four-level brake regen and paddles at a later date.

Regardless, the 5 gels well and has enough grip and handling fizz to be fun even at normal road speeds. It’s an intuitive, cheerful car to spend time in, and it balances comfort and confident, direct handling response perfectly for what you want in a small car that’s nonetheless likely to see fairly broad use across all sorts of roads and lifestyles.

Renault 5 E-Tech range and charging

The 5 gets those two batteries that we’ve already mentioned – a 40kWh LFP in the base car or mid-spec Techno, for a 194-mile range, or the 52kWh NMC lithium-ion manages 255 miles, and is available in Techno or Iconic Five.

Real-world range was a bit underwhelming. Our summer test in the 52kWh Iconic Five, along a combination of faster A-roads, a bit of moderate b-road fun and a fair amount of about-town pottering, resulted in a real-world range of around 170- to 180 miles. That’s quite a way off the claimed range, but it’s a similar range to what you get in the Mini Cooper and Fiat 500 Electric, so it’s no deal breaker. We’ll have to wait and see how it does in winter, but you do get a heat pump in the Renault 5, so hopefully cold weather efficiency will be decent.

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Charging peaks at 100kW on the 52kWh powertrain, while the 40kWh Renault 5 has an 80kW DC rapid charging capacity, and both will manage a 10 to 80% charge in around 35 minutes. Charging at a normal 7kW home charger will take around six to nine hours depending on which battery you’re filling with electricity.

You can also have vehicle-to-load (V2L) technology on the 5, which means that you can charge other electrical devices from the car’s high voltage battery. It’ll also vehicle-to-grid (V2G) coming from 2025, so that you can power your house from the Renault 5’s battery – provided you’ve got a home charger that can support bi-directional charging.

What models and trims are available?

UK pricing and specifications haven’t been released, yet, but we know that it’ll be offered in Evolution, Techno and Iconic Five – and every Renault 5 will get 18-inch alloy wheels, that touchscreen system we’ve already mentioned, and keyless entry. Every Renault 5 will be able to tow a 500kg (braked or unbraked) trailer, too.

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Expect prices for the 40kWh Evolution to start at around £23,000, while mid-spec Iconic will be the bigger seller, and will be around £25- £27,000 depending on which battery you want. The Iconic Five will probably come in at roughly £29,000, and is only offered with the 52kWh battery. This top-spec trim will also change each year, according to Renault, which wants to give the 5 something of a ‘haute couture’ feel by introducing a new top-spec trim each season, complete with new details and colours, and even bespoke 3D-printed storage solutions.

The vehicle warranty is three years and 100,000 miles, while the battery is covered for eight years and 100,000 miles.