Written by Alan Taylor-Jones Updated: 17 January 2025

Overview

Having just been named the 2025 European Car of the Year, the hotly anticipated Renault 5 has certainly impressed on the continent. Thanks to the lovely folk at Renault UK, we’ve now had the chance to sample a left-hand drive 5 on Britain’s less than perfect roads ahead of the car’s UK launch. Is it really 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 Small 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 driven a top-spec model around Denmark’s northern peninsula, and spent a few days with a lower-spec car in the UK to give our definitive verdict. If you want to know how we test, we have a handy explainer page.

What’s it like inside?

As cool as it is on the outside, yet also surprisingly functional. Our original test car was a top-spec Iconic Five, which gets the colourful interior upholstery (which is also 100% recycled) on the seats, dash and doors. It certainly looked funkier (if much harder to keep clean) than the dowdier hues of the mid-range Techno we drove in the UK.

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There are some areas where it feels a little cheap; scratchy plastics around the door cards and footwells, plus 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.

And it doesn’t just look great, it’s surprisingly usable, 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.

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And when you do use the 10.1-inch touchscreen, you’ve got in-built Google software including Google maps from Techno trim and up, intelligent charger search and journey planner, not to mention wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. We’ve only experienced the larger driver’s display so far, which is easy to read and offers a range of layouts.

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. Access is hampered by wide sills that’ll frequently muddy the backs of your legs if you’re not careful.

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You’ll get two average-sized adults on the rear bench for short distances, but taller adults will likely protest. 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…

Rear headroom is good and legroom acceptable for this class of car, bettering the 500e, although the rear footwells are small, and the height adjustable front seats can’t be in a low position if rear passengers want to stick their feet under them. Children are probably the best candidates for rear-seat occupancy, although a rear-facing Isofix seat will limit the legroom of anyone in front of them.

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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 120hp / 166lb ft motor, although (we haven’t been given a 0-62mph time for that, yet). The 52kWh car gets a 150bhp / 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.

Both 5s we’ve tested were the 52kWh, 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.

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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.

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 hot hatch-like performance, 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?

Really good fun, if perhaps on the firm side in the UK. While our initial experience on Danish roads was positive, the car we drove back home (admittedly on mud and snow tyres) didn’t impress as much. You’re aware of every bump that passes beneath you, albeit rounded off deftly so it’s never outright uncomfortable. It’s certainly less punishing than a MINI Cooper Electric.

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The 5 certainly feels very wieldy, with 2.6-turns lock-to-lock making for quick, alert steering response. It’s not as overtly heavy as the Mini Cooper’s which certainly suits it around town. On the open road, it’s perhaps a little too fast at times given the light weight, with Sport mode not really helping quell things.

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 with paddles to switch between them at a later date.

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Regardless, the 5 gels well and has enough grip and handling fizz to be fun even at normal road speeds. Steering and suspension work together to make it feel keen to change direction, with the chassis delivering strong grip and good balance even in inclement conditions. A MINI Cooper Electric is more agile still, but the 5 is certainly more entertaining than a Fiat 500e or Vauxhall Corsa Electric and all the cars it shares a platform with.

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.

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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.

A heat pump is standard, which helped the 5 get closer to those figures in winter than many rivals would. We managed an average efficiency of 2.7 miles per kWh at near-freezing temperatures whilst driving on a mix of roads. That figure isn’t great, but it’s enough for a calculated 140 miles of range whilst heating the car to a toasty 20 degrees C and making the most of both the heated seat and steering wheel.

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.

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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?

There are three trims – 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.

Prices for the 40kWh Evolution to start at a fiver shy of £23,000, while mid-spec Techno will be the bigger seller, and is £25- £27,000 depending on which battery you want. As well as the option of the bigger battery, you get full LED front lights, recycled denim seats, an upgrade from a 7.0- to a 10.3-inch driver’s display, ambient lighting, a reversing camera and an illuminated charging indicator in the bonnet.

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The Iconic Five is £27-£29,000 depending on battery, and adds different alloy wheels, brightly coloured seats, a blind spot warning, hands-free parking, adaptive cruise control and steering assist. Crucially, it’s the only way to get heated front seats and a heated steering wheel.

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.