Renault Megane E-Tech review - Reliability and safety
The Megane E-Tech’s five-star Euro NCAP rating and lengthy safety kit list is reassuring
Industry safety body Euro NCAP, awarded the Megane E-Tech a five-star rating, with an 85 per cent score for adult occupant protection and 88 per cent for child passenger safety. The Megane’s driver-assist systems also performed well, receiving a 79 per cent rating, although it did lose marks for pedestrian protection (65 per cent overall) due to some poor results recorded at the base of the windscreen and on the stiff windscreen pillars.
It is worth noting that these safety assessments are the most stringent ever, and to record a five-star rating is a major success. Standard safety equipment for the Megane E-Tech is excellent and includes lane-keep assist, automatic emergency braking assist with pedestrian, cyclist and junction alerts, traffic-sign recognition, a driver drowsiness alert, rear park assist and a rear-view camera.
Upgrading to the Techno trim adds a level of semi-autonomous driving technology with adaptive cruise control, lane centring and speed-limiting functions, along with a blind-spot monitoring system and a rear cross traffic alert with automatic braking. Top-of-the-range Iconic-spec cars also get a 3D 360-degree camera set-up.
The Megane E-Tech is too new to make it onto our best cars to own list, which is based on owners’ feedback from our Driver Power customer satisfaction survey. Its sister car, the Nissan Ariya, didn’t make an appearance, either. Renault itself will be aiming to reverse a worrying slide down the best car manufacturer rankings; the French firm finished 15th in 2020, 20th in 2021, 24th place in 2022 and was down to 29th (out of 32 brands) in 2023.
Warranty
At launch, the Megane E-Tech came with a five-year/100,000-mile warranty. However models registered after 1 January 2023 are covered for only three years. There’s no mileage cap during the first 24 months after registration, then a 100,000-mile limit is implemented for the final year of coverage. For comparison, the VW ID.3 is covered by a basic three-year/60,000-mile warranty, while the MG4 is covered for a much more impressive seven years or 80,000 miles, whichever comes first.
Like a lot of electric cars, the Megane E-Tech’s battery has a separate eight-year/100,000-mile warranty, which means it will be replaced if it falls below 70 per cent of the original capacity.
Servicing
Renault’s EasyLife servicing plan allows customers to spread the cost of scheduled maintenance. Buyers have a choice of a three-year/30,000-mile plan, or a four-year/40,000-mile agreement, which adds an additional year of warranty cover, too. You can opt to pay for either via flexible monthly instalments or a one-off payment.
