Should you buy one?

The Renault Zoe electric car has nice interior, useful performance and an impressive driving range, if you manage it sensibly. It’s easy to drive, and you can get plenty of satisfaction from nipping about town producing zero emissions. Pricing isn’t quite as keen as it once was, but you do get a lot of standard equipment.

However, the 2021 Euro NCAP safety testing certainly raises some concerns. We don’t think that zero-star rating makes it an inherently unsafe car – after all, the Zoe was a five-star performer originally. But there is no escaping the reality that more recently designed and more cleverly equipped rivals will provide a greater level of protection.

If Renault were to respond and deliver an improved Euro NCAP performance, we’d still wholeheartedly recommend the Zoe as one as the most usable small electric cars you can buy. But as it is, we don’t think this is the best place for you and your family.

What we like

A generous 52kWh battery gives ample range for the sort of short, sub-50mph journeys the Zoe’s perfect for. It’s quite practical too, with a large boot for a car of this size that includes under-floor cable storage. Refinement is great for a car of this type, and it is certainly easy to drive.

What we don’t like

That Euro NCAP score. It’s also not exactly the last word in handling prowess, and sustained high speeds quickly drain the battery – which might be more acceptable if the charging speeds weren’t so comparatively slow. Space for passengers could also be better, and there are bigger electric cars, such as the MG4, that go further while costing less.