The reimagining of a popular early supermini of the 1970s and 1980s into a bang up-to-date electric vehicle (EV) has caught the eye of many observers. The new Renault 5 is already well on its way to being a sales hit, helped by earning its makers a second successive European Car of the Year trophy.
The styling – with distinctive nods to the original Renault 5, through such elements as the big wheels on each extremity of the body, the completely sloping rear end and vertical light clusters – will no doubt entice the kind of customer that would choose a Mini, or a Fiat 500.
However, Renault intends the new 5 E-Tech to be much more than a lifestyle buy. This car replaces the first EV offered by the French brand, the Zoe, and forms a core part of the future EV line-up. As such, the style must not be at the expense of the practical elements that will attract savvy motorists, especially those company car drivers wanting to pay a minimum level of Benefit in Kind (BiK).
One aspect that will immediately attract is the Renault 5’s price, which starts from just £22,995 and makes it one of the most affordable EVs on the market. Admittedly, this buys a car in base evolution specification, and with the smaller 40kWh battery, producing a WLTP-certified range of 192 miles.
While the real-world range will typically be closer to 170 miles, this will still be plenty for many users – many company car drivers travel less than 50 miles in an average day.
For those that need more, there is the larger 52 kWh battery, boosting that WLTP figure close to 250 miles. It’s only available in cars in mid-range techno spec upwards costing from £26,995 – £2,000 for the higher specification and £2,000 for the bigger battery.
Likewise, the top iconic five specification adds another £2,000 to the price, while both the techno and iconic 5 are also available with the smaller battery, dubbed ‘urban range’.
The Renault 5 is not a particularly potent EV – the 40 kWh variant takes nine seconds to crest 62mph from rest, its 52 kWh sibling a second less.
Similarly, the smaller battery is limited to DC fast charging at 80 kWh , the larger one 100 kWh, which for both will mean a coffee stop of around half an hour to allow the battery to replenish from 15 to 80% capacity. On a home wallbox they will take around 11 hours to fully recharge.
Evolution versions of the Renault 5 come with a pleasing amount of equipment, especially considering the price. Automatic air conditioning is included, a wireless smartphone connection for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, rear parking sensors and cruise control while the exterior appearance is aided by 18-inch alloy wheels and LED lights on both ends.
Another laudable standard fitment on every car is a heat pump, which will help provide the most efficient battery charging, particularly in winter weather. All versions also offer a vehicle to load function, allowing the battery energy to be used to power external electrical equipment such as camping lights.
As is typical today the centre console is dominated by a 10-inch landscape-format touchscreen and on all versions it mates to Apple or Android smartphones allowing the use of such apps as Google Maps. On the upper-level trims Google functions are built in already.
Of the three trims the Business Motoring recommendation would be the mid-range techno, with the battery choice decided by a careful analysis of your average daily mileage. The additions paid for by the £2,000 extra cost include ‘Multi-sense’ – a choice of four driving modes setting various parameters of the car and dubbed Eco, Comfort and Sport plus a setting able to be personalised by the driver. This includes being able to easily limit or even turn off the various mandated alerts for such aspects as speed limits.
Other equipment on the techno includes wireless phone charging, a rear-view camera, adaptive cruise control and a driver information display enlarged from seven to 10 inches.
Oddly if heated seats are a necessity one will need to buy the top specification iconic five, which also comes with a heated steering wheel, hands-free parking and additional ADAS driver aids including a blind-spot monitor and lane centring.
All versions of the Renault 5 come with enough safety equipment, including ADAS driver aids, to earn the car a four-star rating when tested by Euro NCAP, typical of smaller car scores in today’s ever more stringent testing regime.
What do we think of it?
Even on first viewing, the Renault 5 will likely appeal to a wide audience, even those that would not know the original if they saw it. The car looks like a well-proportioned supermini and rather more ‘normal’ that many EVs.
Once inside, the good impression continues. Space is plentiful in the front, somewhat tighter in the back but no more so than typical cars of this size. The boot is good-sized at 326 litres with a dedicated space for the charging cables, but its depth is emphasised by a rather high rear loading lip.
For those sitting in the front seats, the fascia looks pleasingly different to normal supermini fare, principally due to the large horizontal shelf on the passenger side, padded in fabric and stitched. Few will realise this is another reminder of the original Renault 5.
The central touchscreen falls easily to hand, and Renault has resisted the industry trend to load every function needed onto it – the driver has a number of physical controls, many contained on some four stalks placed around the steering wheel.
The one for selecting the transmission, drive, neutral and reverse, is tall and frankly flimsy-looking compared to its short and stubby siblings, while the audio control stalk is completely hidden by the steering wheel – though frequent use will soon make locating it second nature.
The Business Motoring test car was fitted with the lower-capacity battery, and during an afternoon spent around Home Counties roads that varied from traffic-choked to completely clear, the indicated range held up well.
The car proved well-behaved in stop-start traffic, even though the brake regeneration – a typical feature of EVs – is somewhat limited, with two levels to set and no room for paddles on the steering wheel. You certainly cannot drive this car on the EV norm of one pedal.
Another EV norm is very quick acceleration, but again this car does not particularly follow that line, while still being able to dispatch slower traffic with relative ease. It corners with confidence with precise steering, displaying a little body roll but not enough to be uncomfortable.
It is particularly impressive at motorway speeds, offering very quiet, refined progress. Ride comfort is excellent too, easily coping with South East roads that suffer from being both heavily used and constantly dug up and patched by utilities workers.
In summary, underneath the head-turning styling the Renault 5 is a well-built, comfortable electric car with enough practicality for most and a reasonable range, though some rivals can go further.
The business driver in particular will need to carefully analyse what they really need from their car, before deciding if the attractive retro style of the Renault 5 is enough to make it a winner over less distinctive but in places more practical EV rivals.
Business Motoring Test Drives are the initial test of a new vehicle, of usually between 50 and 100 miles. Business Motoring Reviews are usually conducted over a full week, completing several hundred miles.
