Renault 5 review

Hop in the new Renault 5’s cabin and you instantly feel as though you’re in something far sportier than it actually is.  

From the angles to the colours, this new car does remind us of the original that launched back in 1972, but with a properly modern twist (that’s a good thing). 

Driving position 

The seating position itself is very comfortable. There’s plenty of adjustment in the steering wheel and the digital gauge cluster in front of you is visible in almost all configurations, but this will also depend on your height. 

On that, we found the driver’s seat didn’t go quite as low as we hoped, meaning those above six-foot tall may need to duck down on occasion to see traffic lights etc. 

Thankfully, the seats themselves are incredibly comfy and the denim-like material (made from 100% recycled plastic bottles) doesn’t get too hot. They’re even inspired by those found in the old Renault 5 Turbo – a friendly nod to its predecessor. 

This therefore means the ‘5’ has a 100% leather-free interior, unless you’re wearing a leather belt or shoes. 

Tech and features 

We're glad to report the original Renault 5’s quirky interior carries on into the new model, and there’s a smattering of callbacks beyond the seats. 

These include the two-tier dashboard, chunky gauge cluster (now with screens instead of analogue dials), and the bumpy, 3D headlining, which Renault absolutely didn’t need to spend money on developing, but it’s a welcome touch. 

You do also get a very unique drive selector that sits above the steering wheel stalks and looks a lot like a lipstick tube. Why? Well, because it’s chic. 

In terms of technology, the Renault 5 electric is really well kitted-out. The seven-inch digital gauge cluster (10.1 inches in the top-spec model) is customisable and shows you all the relevant driving info. 

The 10.1-inch infotainment screen in the middle runs Google software and has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone, so it’s responsive and really easy to use. Imagine using an iPad – it’s that smooth. 

Having Google built-in also means you benefit from its journey planner, which helps you find electric car charging stations when you need them the most without needing to use your phone. 

Another addition to the infotainment is an avatar assistant called ‘Reno’ (pronounced ‘ree-now’) running on ChatGPT AI software. You can ask it questions like “Hey Reno, how can I maximise the range of my car?” and “Hey Reno, how do I change a tyre?” 

In our experience, it wasn’t the best AI assistant we’ve used, but let’s be honest, they’re usually a bit naff anyway. 

Lower down, you get decent-sized cupholders, USB-C charge ports, ample storage space (though, door bins could be deeper), a wireless phone charging pad and even an optional baguette holder. We're not joking. 

Our one small gripe with the interior is the infotainment system’s ‘dark mode’ which comes on at night or when you drive through a tunnel.  

Annoyingly on our car, the screens stayed in dark mode long after we drove out the tunnel, making it very difficult to see our speed and maps in the bright sun.  

We believe this was a random glitch on our car, and it sorted itself out after about 15 minutes. 

There are three different trims available: Evolution (£22,995), Techno (£24,995) and Iconic (£26,995). Our test car was the top-spec Iconic trim (costing £28,995 with the more powerful motor), so was fitted with all the extra bells and whistles, including heated seats, a 360-degree parking sensors and our car had a yellow interior. 

If you thought the interior breadbasket and ‘lipstick’ drive selector were the only nod to the car’s French heritage, then you’d be wrong. 

When you switch on the ignition and start rolling, you notice a slight hum to warn pedestrians of your whereabouts. This isn’t a new phenomenon, and almost all electric cars have to have it.  

But what makes it unique on the Renault 5 is the sound was designed by Jean-Michel-Jarre himself – possibly the most French person to ever exist, and a fine composer too. 

Electric motors and power 

Anyway, onto the driving. 

The Renault 5 is available with two different batteries: a 40kWh battery and a larger 52kWh unit that our test car had. 

This helps it produce 150hp and 245Nm of torque (a 120hp model will follow). On paper, that may not sound like a massive amount when compared to other cars of the same ilk, but the instant torque from that front-mounted electric motor makes up for any ‘lack of power’. We think it’s the perfect amount of power for a city car. 

There are four different drive modes available via the MultiSense toggle on the wheel: Comfort, Eco, Sport and Perso.  

You’d probably want to be in Comfort most of the time because the car balances everything for you but step up to Sport of Perso and you can adjust your steering and throttle response for when you hit a twisty B-road. 

The car is competent on the motorway, too. It feels well planted and it’s nippy enough to overtake.  

There’s a slight bit of wind noise from the front windows at the national speed limit but bump up your tunes on the impressive sound system and it’s soon drowned out. 

Handling and ride comfort 

Around town is where the Renault 5 is at its best, after all it’s what it’s designed to do.

Because of its compact wheelbase and the fact all four wheels are stretched out to each corner, it’s effortless to park and manoeuvre around tight corners, as we proved in our drive around Monaco.

Not just this, but its 10.3-metre turning circle makes it a doddle if you’ve gone the wrong way or need to tackle those pesky mini roundabouts. 

When you get up to speed on a country road, you’ll notice it doesn’t roll thanks to the low centre of gravity from its batteries. And with a weight of just 1,450kg, it handles corners really nicely and with confidence. 

We don’t think it handles quite as well as its retro-cool rival the Mini Cooper Electric, but it’s loads more comfortable around pot-holed and speed-bumped city streets. 

The 5’s clever multi-link rear suspension really helps to cushion the ride, and it means road noise vibrates into the cabin much less. And, despite the standard fit 18-inch wheels, the car rocks some rather chunky tyres that help with overall ride comfort. 

The same goes for braking – another tick for the Renault.

Using the brand’s clever 'One Box' system that utilises the friction from the brakes and regeneration from the motor to create a more consistent brake feel, while putting extra juice back in the battery. 

It’s also not meant to be a hot hatch – that’s the Alpine A290’s job.

It’s more like a lukewarm hatch that isn’t afraid of putting a smile on your face, especially when its sparkly yellow paint winks back at you as you pass shop windows. 

Boot space 

Yes, the Renault 5 s pitched as a small family electric car, but if you’ve ever travelled with a family or two kids in the back, you’ll know boot space is king. 

The more space you have back there, the easier your life is – simple. 

Boot space in the Renault 5 measures in at 326 litres, which beats the Mini Cooper by more than 100 litres.  

Thanks to its wide opening, getting suitcases in there is very easy, despite it having quite a high loading lip. 

Underneath the boot floor there’s an extra bit of storage space for charging cables, which is a welcome addition since there’s no front boot (froot/frunk). 

Rear seats 

There’s no hiding the fact that this is a small car, so rear seat space is never going to rival a Mercedes S-Class, but Renault’s done a decent job with the cards it dealt itself. 

For most people, headroom and legroom won’t be a problem on the majority of journeys, but if you’re a taller person, you may struggle – especially with legroom.  

It’s fine for shorter journeys nipping about town, but a long motorway journey would start to get a little uncomfortable. 

If you don’t need these rear seats, and instead want to make the boot bigger, they have a 60:40 split and fold relatively flat, which makes loading longer items that little bit easier. 

Storage solutions 

Renault’s given the ‘5’ some clever storage solutions in the front of the cabin such as cupholders and a deep armrest but seems to have neglected those sat in the back. 

For example, there are no rear door bins, no charge ports, no cupholders and no central folding armrest.  

It's a shame there isn’t much in the way of rear storage, but then again, this is a car built for the city, not 1,000-mile trips across continental Europe.  

Is it annoying? Yes. Is it the end of the world? No. But it does leave a gap for rivals to lap up. 

Safety 

Like all modern cars, the Renault 5 E-Tech comes packed with advanced safety features to help you, the driver, and those around you. 

Some of these include adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, automatic emergency braking, and speed warning chimes – thanks Jean-Michel-Jarre. 

Usually in modern cars, these safety features can be a bit tricky to turn off, which sometimes you may want to do. But the Renault 5’s Perso driving mode allows you to choose which of these features are on when that mode is engaged. It’s a little thing but saves you from selecting and deselecting settings as you drive. 

The car is still too new to be independently safety tested by Euro NCAP, but Renault has a track record of making very safe cars, so we don’t doubt it’ll score very well in most areas. 

Range and charging times 

There are two different battery options available: the 40kWh, which is good for a claimed 190 miles on a single charge, and the 52kWh, which will get you 250 miles. 

After living with our car for a couple of days, we found the 52kWh battery to be very efficient, offering an indicated 256 miles at 100% and an average 4.3mi/kWh across town, country and motorway driving – putting it in the same league as the Tesla Model 3. 

Part of this is helped by the onboard heat pump, which is standard across all models. This means you don’t lose range from using the heating in cooler climates – perfect for the UK. 

Once you’ve driven your 200+ miles and it’s time to plug it in and charge, you can benefit from speeds up to 100kW charging. That gives you 10-80% charge in around 30 minutes. 

Alternatively, plug it into a slower 7kW or 11kW charger and leave it overnight. 

Another nifty feature of the Renault 5 is V2L (vehicle-to-load) charging, which means you can connect the adapter to the charge socket and power anything with a three-pin plug. From an iPhone all the way up to an e-bike – ideal for camping trips off-grid. 

Reliability 

There are two reasons this will be a reliable car to own.  

Firstly, it’s from a well-established brand that’s been making cars for decades.  

Secondly, it’s an electric car, which has far fewer moving parts than a petrol or diesel car. And it’ll wear down its brakes considerably less quickly thanks to regenerative braking technology.