New Renault Twingo will be priced under £17,000
Renault’s new supermini will be one of the cheapest EVs on sale
The electric-car market is set to gain a new, affordable option with the return of the Renault Twingo. The French firm has announced a price of less than 20,000 Euros (roughly £16,770) for the forthcoming entry-level model in its EV line-up.
Renault ended sales of the last Twingo in the UK in 2019, but it’s bringing the name back with EV power and some design details inspired by the original version from the nineties. It’s not the only name the company has brought back with electric power in recent times, with the Renault 5, 4, Megane and Scenic getting the same treatment.
The pricing and size of the new Twingo will make it a close rival to the Dacia Spring and the new Leapmotor T03 when it arrives in 2026. But before then, Renault will show it off in prototype form at the Paris Motor Show, between 14 and 20 October.
Judging from the Renault 5 EV, we expect the production-ready Twingo to look similar to the prototype car unveiled in late 2023. It’ll receive a familiar front end with rounded headlights, a short bonnet and three fake vents that mimic those on the original car. The positioning of the round door handles on the new model is like the old Twingo’s, although they are illuminated in the EV. Unlike the old car, the new Twingo has five doors, with the rear door handles hidden in the C-pillar. There’s also a glass roof and protruding rear lights, and Renault says the Twingo lettering on the boot ‘adds cheer’.
Renault is collaborating with an unnamed partner from China in a bid to reduce the costs for the budget-focused Twingo. A spokesperson for Renault made it clear that development of the new Twingo is being led by Ampere – a separate company within the Renault Group dedicated to designing, engineering and producing electric vehicles for the B and C-segments.
Despite the Chinese link, the design and advanced engineering for the new Twingo are being carried out in France, and production will take place in Europe, as originally planned.
Development of the new Twingo has been going on for some time now, with Renault’s Chinese partner embedded throughout the process. This was not, as some have speculated, Renault’s ‘plan B’ after talks with Volkswagen to join the project proved unsuccessful.
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