At last! Renault 5 order books open to everyone: prices start from £23k

Order books for the new, feverishly anticipated Renault 5 are now open to everyone, four long years after we first saw the heart-warming concept model. Prices start from £22,995, or £182 per month on finance.

The first examples should be arriving on customers' driveways in the spring, and so will the R5’s spicier counterpart, the Alpine A290 hot hatch, which is also available to order now from £33,500. 

The Renault 5 is offered with two powertrains. The standard set-up uses a 40kWh ‘Urban’ battery that provides up to 193 miles of range, and a 118bhp e-motor to drive the front wheels. Upgrade to the 52kWh ‘Comfort’ battery and range jumps to 252 miles, while a more powerful 148bhp e-motor cuts the 0-62mph time down from nine to eight seconds. 

There’s also three trim levels to choose from: Evolution, Techno and Iconic Five. Every model comes with LED headlights, a 10.1-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a seven-inch digital driver’s display, rear parking sensors, a heat pump and several safety systems, including traffic-sign recognition and driver-attention alert.  

Techno trim starts from £24,995 and adds a larger 10-inch driver’s display, built-in Google apps and services, 100 per cent recycled denim fabric trim and seat upholstery, a reversing camera, adaptive cruise control and – one of the Renault 5’s quirkier features – an illuminated charging indicator in the shape of a ‘5’ on the bonnet. 

Finally, the Renault 5 in Iconic Five spec starts from £26,995. This range-topping model gets a bright yellow and grey interior colour scheme (still using recycled fabrics), a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, blind-spot warning and hands-free parking tech, among other goodies. 

Upgrading to the two higher specifications also unlocks the option of two-tone paint schemes and the bigger ‘Comfort’ battery, which costs £2,000 to add.  

Every Renault 5 rides on 18-inch alloy wheels, although the design varies depending on the trim level, and there’s a range of five vibrant paint colours. These include Pop Yellow! and Pop Green! which are meant to be reminiscent of those offered on the original R5 in the seventies.

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