Major Renault Megane revamp due this year with more range and racy looks
All-new battery could push the more aggressive Megane EV past 300 miles of range
A make-or-break revamped Renault Megane is in the pipeline, as one of four new Renaults hitting the UK in the next 12 months.
The first new car of the Renaulution fightback plan, the all-electric Megane went on sale in 2022. But the compact, 217bhp hatchback, hampered by its tight cabin space and modest 285-mile max range, has not cut through commercially like the new Renault 5.
So Renault will roll the dice with a facelifted model in the spring. “There will be a strong Megane evolution this year,” said Renault product development chief Bruno Vanel. “Megane has got an important role in the lineup: it’s our only [low]-riding C-segment hatchback.”
New batteries, more range
The headline news comes under the skin. “The strong evolution includes new batteries,” Vanel told Auto Express at the Brussels Motor Show. The current Megane has a 60kWh Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) battery, but Renault is industrialising cheaper lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells in Europe for the Twingo – and the Megane will follow its little brother in adopting them.
LFP batteries are typically less energy dense than NMC, but Renault should be able to pack more cells into the same space by adopting a ‘cell-to-pack’ format. This eliminates the structure surrounding the battery modules, freeing up space and eliminating cost and weight. The upshot should be a Megane that goes further, potentially cracking the 300-mile mark.
Visual changes will aim to exaggerate the Megane’s ‘hot hatch’ billing, Renault brand CEO Fabrice Cambolive has previously told Auto Express. Expect a muscular new bodykit, with an aggressive front bumper and a sporty rear diffuser to amp up the dynamism.
Expect the revised Megane to go public in the spring, with UK sales later in the year. We’ll also be treated to the Renault 5 Turbo 3e hot hatch, the new Renault Twingo late in 2026 and the sixth-generation Renault Clio early in 2027.
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