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By Jonathan Crouch

Renault's 5 E-Tech Electric aims to redefine what a trendy tiny EV can be. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 50

Renault aims to 'democratise electric technology in Europe', starting with this 5 E-Tech Electric small hatch. Back in the Seventies, the original 5 effectively pioneered the supermini genre: its look is nostalgically referenced here, in combination with futuristic design. A few recent tweaks have further enhanced this Gallic model's appeal.

Backgroundword count: 200

The future of Renault starts here. Well actually, it started back in 2021 when freshly installed company CEO Luca de Meo took one look at the retro '5 E-Tech' concept car his designers had just sketched and said "build that". It's taken some time for that to happen and in the interim, this new-era Renault 5 has become the poster child for de Meo's so-called 'Renaultution' plan to transform the company with a very different range of EV-led models. It's only electric - designed to replace the ZOE - and sits on the company's dedicated 'AmpR Small' platform, which will also be used for forthcoming Renault 4 and Twingo models as well as the new-era Nissan Micra. Associated performance brand Alpine sells a hot hatch spin-off, the A290. Like all of these models, the 5 celebrates its smallness - and aims to replicate the ongoing market success of other modernised retro small EV designs, like the MINI Cooper Electric and the Fiat 500e. As with those cars, lots of advanced technology lies behind the nostalgic Seventies design cues. Renault announced a few small updates to this model in Autumn 2026 to create the car we're going to look at here.

Driving Experienceword count: 379

You expect nimble, agile handling from a small car that looks like this and Renault says that there are two design keys here that provide it. Obviously important for agility are the measures that have kept kerb weight to under a tonne and a half; that's unusual for an EV. Unusual for a small hatch of any kind is the replacement of the normal torsion beam suspension set-up for a more sophisticated rear multi-link arrangement. That not only makes the ride more supple but also offers extra stability in extreme manoeuvres, like avoiding a child running out into the road. The main thing that the original version of this model needed to improve a little was EV driving range, so Renault's given some thought to that. As before, there are two powertrains available, starting with the 40kWh Urban Range version with 120hp. EV mileage for this variant has been increased from 190 to 197 miles. Most 5 E-Tech customers though, choose the Comfort Range 52kWh 150hp drivetrain. Here again, range has increased slightly - from 248 to 259 miles. Of possibly more impact on EV mileage though, is the new SmartMode system you now get on all models that automatically switches between the car's Eco, Comfort and Sport drive modes, according to how it's being driven. That means it can call on the sharper responses of Sport mode when the driver accelerates for an overtake, for example, before moving back to Eco when the pace drops through a town or village. Drivers who prefer to make the choice themselves can still change modes through the OpenR Link touchscreen or by voice command. With SmartMode taking care of more of the work automatically, the dedicated Multi-Sense button has been removed from the steering wheel. Performance hasn't changed. The 52kWh version gets to 62mph in 7.9s but runs out of steam at 93mph. If you want to go faster in a 5, remember that there's always the Alpine A290 version of this design, which can offer up to 217bhp. Drive dynamics for the standard 5 are based on those of Renault's Megane E-Tech, though the steering isn't quite as sharp and darty as it is in that car, the ratio slackened from 12:1 to 13:7. A brake-by-wire system features as standard.

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