Renault unveils perhaps the most exciting electric car of the year

Renault was one of the pioneers in the field of electric cars in 2013 with the small car Zoe. After that, not much happened for a long time. The Mégane E-tech, which has been sold since 2022, is very strong, but does not generate any enthusiasm. The new edition of the R5 could now achieve this feat.

Three years ago, Renault surprised people with a concept vehicle modeled after the popular small cars of the ’70s and ’80s. Now the R5 is back as an electric car – and visually the production version of the Renault 5 E-Tech Electric is actually reminiscent of its legendary predecessor: angular headlights, angular fenders and the vertical rear lights should make the heart of the (old) R5 beat. fans beat faster.

A real small car

The new R5 is 3.92 meters long, 1.77 meters wide and 1.50 meters high, so it is still effectively a small car. The trunk volume is still relatively large at 326 liters.

And the French are capable of retro charm, as they emphasize that the new R5, including battery production, is produced in France. By 2025, the small car must be climate neutral in direct assembly and achieve a recycling level of 85 percent, with 22 percent of materials coming from the circular economy.

Technically, the little one doesn’t have to hide either: from route planner with battery preconditioning to bidirectional charging (V2L and V2G), it comes with functions that are not self-evident even in higher segments.

The view inside

The simple interior has a ten-inch multimedia touchscreen as standard. The driver also has an instrument display directly in front of him. Like many other manufacturers, Renault relies on Google integration to bring apps like Google Maps directly into the car. The system is also compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. New is the Avatar Reno, which brings a touch of artificial intelligence to the car. Just like ChatGPT, it should be able to answer all kinds of questions from the driver.

Range up to 400 km

The R5 is based on the new ‘AmpR Small’ platform for electric cars. The retro body contains the most modern technology. This includes a more compact electric motor compared to the Mégane E-tech, which should enable a range of up to 300 or 400 kilometers thanks to a net battery capacity of either 40 or 52 kWh. As usual, these are WLTP specifications that can only be approximately achieved in everyday life under ideal conditions.

Renault also offers three engine versions (front-wheel drive) with 70, 90 or 110 kW, or 95 to 150 hp.

Basic model without fast charging function

Charging takes place as usual on the wallbox at home with a maximum of 11 kW. This means that it takes 4.5 hours to charge the battery from 10 to 100 percent. At public fast charging stations (DC chargers), the R5 with the larger battery version achieves a maximum charging power of 80 or 100 kW. That doesn’t sound like much compared to the much more expensive top models of the competition, but given the relatively small batteries it is appropriate. In both cases, it takes 30 minutes to charge the battery from 15 to 80 percent.

However, it must be emphasized that the R5 is not designed for long distances or long highway journeys. The basic model with a small battery and the weakest motor cannot even be charged at fast charging stations and is therefore only intended for short journeys.

On the other hand it is nice: Depending on the external conditions, the battery is automatically preheated or cooled before the charging stop in the route planner in order to immediately reach the maximum charging capacity on the fast charger. Plug & Charge is also supported as standard. At charging stations that support this, you only need to connect the charging cable, otherwise everything runs automatically.

The heat pump for better energy efficiency is also standard, but the aforementioned bidirectional charging is missing from the cheapest model series. Vehicle-To-Load (V2L) can be used to charge external electrical devices such as e-bikes. Thanks to Vehicle-To-Grid (V2G), the R5 can also supply electricity back to the grid, which could be interesting for owners of a photovoltaic system.

LED headlights with automatic high beam are standard. Various assistance systems such as the optional adaptive cruise control are also intended to guarantee safety. This detects upcoming bends and roundabouts, for example. If you want, you can also add a reverse emergency braking assistant or an exit assistant. ‘Active Driver Assist’, which is also available at an additional cost, offers partially automatic driving up to level 2, lane center guidance and a stop & go function.

Price and availability

In Germany, the basic version of the R5 will be available from autumn 2024 for 25,000 euros, here the starting price will probably be just under 30,000 francs. This makes the small one from Renault more expensive than the Citroën e-C3 or Dacia Spring, but optically and technically at a different level.

Slightly smaller and cheaper electric cars will only be available from 2025 with the new, electric Twingo. The small car for city traffic should be available from 20,000 euros.