Renault ZOE review - Interior, design and technology

Renault says the Zoe was designed “from the ground up” as an electric car, although it has been developed on the platform used by the Renault Clio, as well as the Nissan Note. 

The Zoe is distinctive thanks to its neat light clusters, and a sleek exterior with few features to disrupt the airflow and cause unwelcome drag. Notably, it also has a high shoulderline and small window area designed to cut heat build-up and loss – important for reducing the demands on the battery-sapping climate control.

Standard Glacier White paint is available on all versions, with another eight hues on the options list. Specifying one of the metallic colours will cost around £600.

Inside, the interior borrows heavily from the latest Clio and Captur, making use of soft-touch plastics along the dashboard, but instead of conventional dials, you get a stylish digital TFT display that shows range and speed, as well as graphics telling you whether the regenerative systems are pumping power back into the battery, or discharging it.

Renault has tried to create a modern, minimalist feel with lots of light-coloured trim. Generally, the results are pleasing, but material quality doesn’t feel up to the standard of the Volkswagen e-up!, and we suspect the pastel cabin will be hard to keep clean if you regularly carry children.

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Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

The standard set-up features a 10-inch digital display combined with a seven-inch infotainment screen using Renault’s EasyLink system, although GT Edition cars receive an upgraded 9.3-inch portrait device. The graphics are sharp enough and the interface is reasonably responsive, although the menu layout isn’t that intuitive. Luckily, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are featured across the line-up.

Renault also offers its connected navigation services for Iconic and GT Edition cars, which includes a three-year subscription to live traffic updates, weather information and location of charging stations.