Renault 5 E-Tech Review & Prices

This small, stylish hatchback is the new Renault 5; Renault’s revival of its old iconic model for the electric age. It’s designed to take on the Mini Cooper Electric and Fiat 500e, or if retro looks aren’t your cup of tea, the Peugeot E-208 and Vauxhall Corsa Electric.

Renault’s designers seem to have found the golden ratio of retro to modern touches with the 5. It’s a great nod to the brand's heritage whilst making the most of its current tech. Think of a sympathetic home restoration: a quaint little country house, but with a flat-screen TV and central heating.

And the Renault 5 really is quaint. It’s under four metres long, and less than 1.8 metres wide, though it’s a proper five-door hatchback with space for five. Renault has been clever with the doors too, going right up to all four wheels for maximum opening space.

It’s a fun looking thing too. A mix of sporty and cute, managing to look aggressive without being menacing. The bulging wheel arches are a little nod to the old Renault 5 Turbo without looking contrived, and the LED headlights and taillights have a clear link to the old 5.

Renault 5: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 192 - 252 miles
Efficiency: 4.1 - 4.3 miles per kWh
Battery size: 40 - 52kWh
Max charge speed: 100kW
Charge time AC: 3hrs59mins - 4hrs51mins 0 - 100%, 11kWh
Charge time DC: 30 - 31mins, 15 - 80%, 80 - 100kWh
Charge port location: Right side front
Power outputs: 125 - 150hp

Everywhere you look on the Renault 5 you’ll find nods to its past, from its bonnet trim to the strip along the tailgate with its integrated logo. And that’s without mentioning the 5’s silhouette.

Inside the Renault 5 is much of the same, blending together cues from Renault 5s of all decades. The two-tier dashboard just screams ‘70s, too. The infotainment and heater controls are angled towards the driver, further adding to the 5’s sportiness, whilst Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come as standard.

The funky three-spoke steering wheel is another retro nod, as are the heavily bolstered seats and the vertical pinstripes on the dash. Even the denim interior materials nod back to a special edition Renault 5 from 1989, without feeling old-fashioned at all.

Unfortunately, the rear seats aren’t quite as fun to be sat in as the front pair. Five adults can fit in the Renault 5, but the rear occupants will feel rather cosy pressed up against one another and leg space is severely lacking.

Boot space benefits as a result of the rear seats though, and the 5’s 326-litre boot capacity is bigger than the Mini Cooper Electric and Fiat 500e; ideal if you’re after a small car but you regularly haul luggage around, not people.

Two battery options are available for the Renault 5 at launch. The entry level 40kWh battery spec gets 125hp and up to 192 miles of range, whereas the 52kWh battery model gets 150hp and up to 252 miles of range. Both models will charge from 15-80% in around 30mins.

Performance-wise, the entry level 5 can crack 0-62mph in 9 seconds whereas the 52kWh models shave that down to 7.9 seconds. Plenty fast for a city car in either spec.

We’ll update this review once we drive the Renault 5 on the road, but in the meantime you can browse Carwow’s Renault 5 deals. You can also check out more new Renault deals or consider other used Renaults. Carwow can even help when you decide to sell your car, too.

The Renault 5 starts at around £23,000 in Evolution trim with the 40kWh battery, climbing almost £29,000 for the 52kWh battery in Iconic Five spec at the top of the range. Techno trim sits in between. That means even the top-spec Renault 5 costs less than the entry-level of the Mini Cooper Electric, whilst the base-spec Renault 5 costs less than even the basic 500e - and you get more doors, more seats, more range and more boot space than both.

All Renault 5 trims are equipped with 18-inch wheels, LED headlights and phone connectivity as standard. Techno 5s gets keyless entry, as well as a rear view camera and privacy glass and Google tech built into the infotainment system. Iconic 5 spec builds on the Techno with extras such as adaptive cruise control with blind-spot monitoring, heated seats and steering wheel and exclusive colour options.