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Renault is reviving its once best-selling 5 supermini in the form of an all-new, low-cost electric car. The production version of the new Renault 5 is scheduled to arrive in 2024 and will compete with other compact EVs such as the Fiat 500 and MINI Electric.
Pricing is yet to be confirmed, but Renault’s executive vice president for engineering, Gilles Le Borgne, told us at the 2021 Munich Motor Show that: “This will be a real affordable car. We need to be in the range between €20,000-€25,000 (around £17,200-£21,500), but still be profitable. That's the challenge”.
If Renault is able to keep its pricing within this low bracket, the 5 will be one of the cheapest new EVs to buy. This will put it in direct competition with Volkswagen’s upcoming ID2.all and the current MG4, and it would cost around 33 per cent less than the Renault Zoe.
The new 5 will be the first vehicle based on the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s CMF-B EV platform, which has been specifically designed for smaller electric vehicles. This platform will also be used by the new Nissan Micra.
The brand is claiming up to 249 miles of range for the 5’s larger 52kWh battery pack, which will also likely come with a higher starting price. Le Borgne also confirmed that the entry-level model will be fitted with a 40kWh battery, which will offer a more moderate maximum range but will also be more affordable.
Charging is likely to be similar to that of the Megane E-Tech, which offers up to 130kW rapid-charging speeds - this should allow up to 124 miles of range to be added in around 30 minutes.
The 5’s motor, meanwhile, will be a standardised 134bhp unit that will feature across all of Renault’s upcoming small EVs, as part of the brand’s drive to increase economies of scale, trim down production costs and pass the savings on to consumers.
Drive and performance
Not only is the new Renault 5 intended to be budget-friendly, but Renault also wants it to be fun to drive, just like its ancestors.
We’ve already driven a Clio-bodied Renault 5 prototype ahead of the production car’s 2024 arrival and, although it was far from a finished product, this has helped give some insight into what this electric supermini will be like to drive.
Direct steering, a stable chassis and an impressive braking system were all highlights of the prototype 5’s performance. The motor also feels like it produces a plentiful amount of torque but, due to the traction control system still undergoing development, the car struggled to maintain tyre grip in the snowy test conditions.
The 5 is fitted with a brake-by-wire system, but this offered reasonable pedal feedback even though it is not directly connected to the brakes.
The new Renault 5 will draw heavy inspiration from its ancestors, sharing the same boxy silhouette and square front end. However, the firm’s designers have modernised features such as the headlamps, the bootlid and the tail-lights.
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