• High driving position
• Simple, ergonomic controls
• Quality and materials are very nice

How is the quality and layout?

The first thing that strikes you about sitting behind the wheel of the Zoe is how high the driving position is. In many ways this is beneficial because it gives you a good view of the road ahead, but it may put some drivers off.

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Parts of the dashboard, doors and centre console (and seats in top grade cars) are trimmed in a material made from recycled seat belts and bottles, and there’s a total of 22.5kg of recycled polymer parts in and around the cabin. It’s not only on-trend and environmentally kinder, it feels much higher quality overall than the previous generation.

Infotainment and tech

A 10.0-inch screen serves as the instrument cluster and can be configured to show media or sat-nav info between a speedometer and efficiency readout. In front, sits a steering wheel with buttons for the cruise control, which were previously placed awkwardly low down on the centre console.

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The the central infotainment touchscreen comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard. Built-in sat-nav a larger screen sizes are now standard on all UK models, but lower-grade earlier versions were offered with smaller screens and without navigation.

Renault’s quirky paddle-style audio remote has survived through all these iterations, leaving more space on the steering wheel for controls and instant familiarity for loyal owners. It takes a bit of getting used to if you’ve never encountered one.

Comfort

• High-set seats
• Limited rear passenger room
• Very quiet inside

The front seats are supportive and comfortable enough for moderately long journeys, though they aren’t heavily bolstered – which is good news for ease of access, bad news if you like to throw the car around the bends, as you’ll find yourself sliding around a bit. There’s not a huge range of adjustment within the front seats, either, which is a little disappointing by modern standards.

The position of the battery pack means the rear seats are higher than those up front, and the floor is higher than the sills. There’s no footwell to add space below the front seats. Given the Zoe’s dimensions are closer to a Clio than a Megane, it’s acceptable and ideally suited to child seats. But taller passengers will find head- and leg-room cramped.

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As you’d expect from an electric car, it’s very quiet inside. There’s only the slightest of whispers from the electric motor, while wind and road noise are well suppressed at lower speeds. On the motorway, the Zoe’s interior remains muted, putting some expensive electric rivals to shame. But it’s not the best place to be for very long periods.