• Impressively low CO2 and high fuel economy
• The 90 TCe petrol is an excellent all-rounder
• E-Tech doesn’t disappoint around town

What are the running costs?

Not a lot. The Renault Clio is available with a pair of small, efficient petrol engines – one conventional petrol engine and one self-charging hybrid. Judging by its official figures, the pure-petrol TCe 90 model should be an affordable car to keep on the road. Renault says it emits between 118–120g/km of CO2 and returns up to 54.3mpg.

The Clio’s 1.6-litre hybrid powertrain makes some even bolder claims. Renault says it’ll return up to 67.3mpg while only emitting 97g/km of CO2, which are cracking figures for a hybrid that doesn’t need to be plugged in at the mains.

During our time with the car, we averaged around 50mpg on a route that included a lot of motorway and A-road driving. We expect you could improve on that figure if you spent more time driving around town where the hybrid system can make better use of its electric motor.

Servicing and warranty

Almost every manufacturer offers a monthly payment plan for servicing – and Renault is no different. Clio buyers can choose between two plans that cover their cars for either three years/30,000 miles or four years/60,000 miles. The former option costs £12.99 per month, while the latter is priced at £17.99 per month. However, it’s worth noting that the four-year plan also includes an additional year of warranty cover and the cost of your car’s first MOT.

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Renault offers a three-year/60,000-mile warranty with all its new cars, which looks quite stingy compared to the 10-year warranty package offered with a Toyota Yaris. What’s worse is that Renault used to sell the Clio with a five-year warranty when it was first launched. Now, you need to pay extra for an extended warranty to get that extra cover.

Reliability

• No recalls so far
• Reliability signs are good
• Tried and tested mechanicals

We still don’t have any owners reviews for the Renault Clio, but the previous model (with lower interior quality) scored an overall rating of 3.8 out of 5.0. There have been no safety recalls so far, but we’ll continue to maintain the situation.

Remember that much of the technology in the Clio is already used throughout the rest of the Renault range. The touchscreens are an evolution of what Renault’s been using for a few years, which aren’t completely trouble-free, but are decent overall.