Renault ZOE

Price and performance have traditionally hindered electric cars. Yet the ZOE drives like a slightly heavy but extremely refined supermini, while its price is similar to that of a diesel-powered Clio. A £70-a-month battery lease fee means running costs are comparable as well. If you can live with the range, you’ll travel in more comfort and at less cost to the environment if you drive a ZOE.

While various other car makers have dipped a toe in the water of mass marketing electric vehicles, Renault has thrown itself in wholeheartedly with the arrival of its fourth all-electric model: the Renault ZOE. The Clio-sized five-seater has the potential to tempt people from their conventionally powered superminis – but does it deliver?

The ZOE is based on the latest Clio platform, and built in the same plant as its stablemate in Flins, France. Yet while the width and wheelbase are almost exactly the same, it’s 22mm longer and 114mm taller. It seems bigger still thanks to the high shoulder line, curvaceous door panels and large front bumper punctuated by small daytime running lights.

We like the fact that for the most part the ZOE looks like a conventionally powered supermini – the only clues to its electric drivetrain are the lack of an exhaust pipe or fuel flap, and the blue detailing in the lights.

Inside, the centre console is borrowed from the Clio, although instead of conventional dials you get a screen that shows the car’s speed and range. All models also feature Renault’s tablet-style R-Link set-up, with customisable apps ranging from the usual sat-nav, audio and Bluetooth to one that reads your horoscope.

All 290kg of lithium-ion battery is mounted under the front and rear seats, allowing for a 338-litre boot – that’s 38 litres bigger than the Clio’s.

The back bench is set quite high but space is still decent, even for tall passengers. Meanwhile, the driving position is also higher than the supermini’s, giving the unexpected bonus of excellent visibility and making town traffic even easier to deal with.

The extra weight can be felt through bends, but it all sits low down so there’s not much more body roll than in the Clio. You’ll find yourself running out of grip sooner, though, because of the special low-rolling resistance Michelin tyres. On the plus side, they are quiet, which only adds to the ZOE’s near-silent progress.

Along with the well judged suspension, they give a smooth ride, too. Large breaks in the road can cause a jolt, but there’s none of the firmness that afflicts the likes of Vauxhall’s Ampera. Under the bonnet, a built-in Chameleon battery charger sits just above where a normal engine would be. It automatically adapts to the strength of the power source, and can charge the battery in anything from 30 minutes to nine hours. 

We found that this restores the range to around 100 miles of mixed driving. Renault’s claimed range is 130 miles, although it does admit that this could drop to 60 miles in very cold weather.

Under the charger is the motor, which produces the equivalent of 87bhp. More important is the 220Nm of torque and lack of a gearbox, which allow the ZOE to sprint off the line easily – despite the fact it’s nearly 400kg heavier than a diesel Clio, at 1,468kg. 

The four-second 0-30mph sprint makes carving through traffic easy. At higher speeds the car does run out of puff, though. 

The thing that impressed us most is that the ZOE feels just like any other supermini to drive – and in our book that makes itthe best fully electric car yet.