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Retro design is very easy to get wrong, but on occasions you land on the sweet spot evoking a classic design whilst producing something that looks modern, confident and fully resolved. Welcome to the Renault 5. Looks good, doesn’t it? Anyone who remembers the ‘Supercinq’ will instantly recognise the heavy design references, but for all those who have never seen the original, you just get a great looking Supermini, and that’s what we call a win-win.
Renault is really serious about its latest generation of EV offerings and that can be seen here. The entry level model combines a sensible official range of just shy of 200 miles with an admirably light kerb weight, good performance and efficiency. This is all helped by using a dedicated EV platform that has been developed by Renault’s new EV focused partner Ampere, which is tasked with developing Renault’s EV’s and selling to third parties as well.
If you do want more range, you can pay for a bigger battery which delivers around 250 miles and can be paired with a more powerful motor. However the great news is that even in entry level trim you get a 10.1 inch central display which is powered by Google, a 7 inch driver display, a heat pump, and V2G (Vehicle to Grid) compatibility. All in that is a very good starting point, so you don’t feel short-changed.
In line with the feel good approach, the interior also looks great, and includes some physical controls for key functions (thank you Renault!) so strikes a great balance between design and functionality. There is also a big range of exterior and interior colour combinations, decals, and optional extras which add to the sense of fun and make it easy to make a 5 ‘yours’.
We think that Renault has nailed the brief by offering a sensibly priced Supermini, which looks and feels aspirational, offers sensible range and key features such as a heat pump. The fact that it is all delivered on a new EV platform and is manufactured in France shows that Renault hasn’t taken the easy route to deliver the eye catching list price, but rather has done the hard work and really thought this thorough.
Estimated real world range: 135 – 193 miles
Official range: 193 miles
Official electricity consumption: 145 Wh/km
Battery pack: 40 kWh (net) lithium ion; 8 year / 100,000 mile warranty
Recharge time: 7 kW charge approx 3 hours 58 minutes (15 – 80%); 11 kW charge approx 2 hours 37 minutes; Rapid CCS 50 kW approx 40 mins (15 – 80%); Ultra Rapid CCS 80 kW 31 minutes (15 – 80%)
Please note that CO2 emissions quoted for electric cars are not directly comparable to diesel and petrol cars. This is because CO2 emissions quoted are calculated by Green Car Guide and include the emissions created at the power station turning fuel (e.g. gas etc) into electricity and in transmitting and distributing the electricity to an end user. They do not include the actual production of the fuel (e.g. gas extraction and refinery emissions). Petrol and diesel emissions are supplied by car manufacturers and are based solely on the fuel burnt in the engine (tailpipe emissions) and do not include the production of the fuel or distribution to a fuel station. In practice this means that electric car emissions are over-estimated relative to petrol and diesel. For instance if an electric car, a petrol car, and a diesel car are all reported to emit 100 g/km CO2, the electric car actually has lower emissions.
