Renault 5 E-Tech Iconic Five long-term test: hype, heritage and a hint of madness

Verdict

The Renault 5 E-Tech is everything I wanted it to be. This phenomenal little bundle of joy is exceeding my expectations, because it delivers the perfect balance of style and substance, both present in extraordinarily high quantities. Frankly, I’m ecstatic to be spending the next few months with it, and am already dreading the day it has to be returned. 

• Mileage: 1,586 miles
• Efficiency: 3.6 miles/kWh

The Renault 5 E-Tech is one of the most sought after, hotly anticipated new cars in recent memory. I was completely smitten by the concept model when it was presented in 2021, and have been hanging on every word about this car ever since. So as you can imagine, I’m extremely excited to be living with one for the next few months, and hope to be grinning the entire time. 

But I was worried that Murphy’s law (anything that could go wrong, would go wrong) might interfere somehow. To ensure no one stole our R5 in transit, or its arrival from France wasn’t delayed, I decided to pick up the car myself from Renault’s incredibly impressive ElectriCity plant, just outside the town of Douai, France – some 260 miles and a Channel crossing from home. 

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Naturally, while the battery was being topped up, I had a look around the plant, which was where the original Renault 5 was produced from 1974 to 1984. Since then it’s undergone a massive transformation to make EVs, and can now handle up to eight different models based on four platforms, all on the same production line at the same time.

Another mind-boggling fact is that 400 million points of data are collected every single day at this factory; almost everything is monitored to ensure the high quality of the cars, examine energy consumption and identify any potential problems.

I’ve visited a few car factories as part of my job – a weird brag, I know – yet the carefully choreographed waltz of machines putting together the body shell and marrying it to the platform, before actual humans assemble the interior and then sign the whole thing off ready to be delivered, still amazes me. 

7

Having watched lots of other people’s Renault 5s being built, I finally got to admire our own long-term test car. Naturally, we had to have the brilliant pop yellow! paint that has a lot more metal flakes in it than you might think and looks sensational, particularly in the spring sunshine. 

The interior includes bursts of the vibrant hue on the seats, which are trimmed with upholstery made from recycled plastic bottles. Renault’s Google-powered infotainment software also features, running on dual 10-inch displays that are snappy and clear. 

But as characterful as the cabin is, my favourite detail is the ‘My Perso’ button located to the right of the steering wheel, which activates a personalised profile for the driver-assistance systems – so basically turns them all off – with just two quick taps. I’ve loved this feature on every Renault and Dacia model I’ve driven with it, and am still surprised more companies haven’t just stolen this idea. It’s that good. 

At the same time, I’m still getting used to the medley of different stalks behind the steering wheel, which can be annoying when trying to pull off a quick manoeuvre; instead of selecting reverse, I turn off the windscreen wipers. One other slight negative is that while the 326-litre boot is plenty for my day-to-day needs, and easily swallowed my luggage for the trip home, the charging cables have to be crammed into the underfloor storage space because there’s no room under the bonnet.

On the road, the Renault 5 just zips around town and is great fun when the going gets twisty. Most surprising is how stable and refined it feels on the motorway. There’s enough remaining poke for overtaking, too, although occasionally I felt the car being pushed around by the crosswinds when I passed the enormous French lorries.

7

The car’s 252-mile range is merely average, but the read-out on the dashboard seems reliable so far and the 100kW maximum charging speed is quick enough that a 10 to 80 per cent top-up takes about half an hour.

As you’d expect, I’ve been getting many admiring looks from people while charging and driving. In fact, I was stopped by the UK border control on my way onto the Eurotunnel train, which I am convinced was just so one policeman there could have a look around. Thankfully, he seemed impressed by the car; I can’t blame him, because so am I.

*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.