So, my time is almost up with the Renault 5. I had quietly hoped that Renault’s press office would forget to ask for it back, but no such luck. After four months as our do-it-all family car, we’re obliged to say . 

Production of the reborn R5 started in October 2024 and, two years later, there’s still a buzz around this French supermini. Even friends and relatives with zero interest in cars seem intrigued by it. Several of them made comments along the lines of “I don’t like electric cars, but I’d happily have one of these”. 

Spoiler alert: were I shopping around for a small-ish EV, I’d have one of these too. Objectively, you get more for your money with a Chinese competitor – the BYD Dolphin Surf or Aion UT, for example – but the Renault feels like more than just basic transport. It looks chic, handles well and has that certain that car enthusiasts like to call ‘character’.

What I liked about the Renault 5

For this final long-term test report, I’ve decided to list my likes and dislikes about the Renault 5, based on using HT26 LZF – a 52kWh model in Iconic Five+ spec – as my daily driver since June. Let’s start with the good stuff…

How it looks

To my eyes, the 5 E-Tech’s design owes more to Marcello Gandini’s second-generation Supercinq, launched in 1984, than the Michel Boué original of 1972. Either way, it’s instantly recognisable as a Renault 5, yet somehow avoids looking overtly retro. You’d never mistake it for anything other than a modern car. 

There are also lots of neat details when you look closer, such as the French flags within the headlights and 5-shaped charge indicator on the bonnet. And you can also order in the R5 in ‘proper’ paint colours, such as dazzling Pop Yellow and Pop Green, rather than just varying shades of grey. My car is a more subtle Midnight Blue, although I’ve convinced myself it resembles the Renault 5 GT Turbo Raider – an object of my affections in the 1990s.

The 5 is equally stylish inside, where its dark exterior contrasts with yellow recycled denim upholstery and drive mode-dependent ambient lighting. There are further nods to the past in the R5 Turbo-style seats, ribbed dashboard trim and textured rooflining. While many new-car cabins contain little more than an oversized iPad, the Renault does things differently. 

How it drives

It has taken a while, but we’re reaching a point where affordable EVs are genuinely fun to drive. The R5’s closely related cousin, the Alpine A290 hot hatch, was a trailblazer here. And the recently launched Peugeot E-208 GTI is even better. 

The standard 5 isn’t a car you’d set your alarm for on a Sunday morning, but its well-weighted steering, eager turn-in and punchy 150hp e-motor can still raise a smile. Just as importantly, it rides well, smothering speed humps and potholes like a larger, more luxurious car. There isn’t the delicacy of a classic R5, but this remake is in a different league when it comes to build quality – and at least half-a-tonne heavier, too.

I find the car flows better in default Comfort mode than in over-caffeinated Sport. However, the energy-saving Eco mode, which softens throttle response, limits top speed to 70mph and dials down the heating or air-con, is genuinely useful when you want to eke out extra miles without the need for a charging stop. 

A further plus point is the nicely calibrated One Pedal mode, activated by pulling the right paddle behind the steering wheel. This ramps up regenerative braking, helping to recharge the battery and lengthen the car’s range. It also means you can drive around town using – you guessed it – one pedal, which is an engaging, EV-specific skill in itself.

Charging and efficiency

That segues us neatly into talking about batteries, charging, range and other topics that will have petrolheads shrugging their shoulders or rolling their eyes. Bear with me.

Theoretically, this bigger battery 52kWh version of the R5 can deliver 252 miles on a full charge, although recent aerodynamic and battery management upgrades have boosted this to 267 miles. In reality, my car never displayed a range of more than 224 miles with a 100 percent charge, which has decreased to around 200 miles in recent colder weather. 

That doesn’t sound like a lot, but a) the figure is a realistic one, and b) the 5’s small battery can be charged at up to 100kW, so refills en route don’t take long. But the time you’ve been to the bathroom, bought a coffee and caught up with the latest drama on the parents’ WhatsApp group (OK, just me then), it should have added enough juice to get you home.

Throughout my time with the R5, its average efficiency has wavered between 4.3 and 4.4 miles per kWh. That’s not bad, even for a small EV, particularly given that many of those miles were on motorways. 

In truth, I still wouldn’t want to run an electric car without access to a home charger, but the public network is improving all the time. I never had any problems with connecting the Renault to charging points, either – an issue that has cropped up with other EVs. As in all other areas, the 5 has been completely reliable.

What I didn’t like about the Renault 5

This is a shorter section, because I liked the R5 a lot. Given how many awards it has won – European Car of the Year 2025 and UK Car of the Year 2026 among them – that may not come as a surprise. However, testing a car for a few hours, often on great roads, isn’t the same as daily-driving it for months. And to its credit, the Renault’s initial sparkle didn’t fade.

It’s a tight squeeze in the back 

In the 1970s, erudite motoring journalist LJK Setright described the back seat of a Peugeot 104 as ‘no more than a padded parcel shelf’. The Renault’s rear bench isn’t quite so cramped, but legroom is tight for anyone other than small children. My two lanky teenagers complained about it with tedious regularity.

The Renault’s 326-litre boot is also on the small side, partly because of the batteries beneath its floor. There’s no ‘frunk’ under the bonnet to store a charging cable, either. Perhaps trying to use the R5 as an all-round family car was a little unfair; Renault would say the bigger and boxier R4 is more suited to that role. Nonetheless, this car’s limited practicality would be my only real barrier towards buying one. 

‘Reno’ will get on your nerves 

Those convinced that artificial intelligence is poised to take over the world should spend time with Reno, the 5’s built-in AI assistant, who is powered by ChatGPT. In theory, the diamond-shaped character – a close cousin of ‘Clippy’, the paperclip mascot for Microsoft Office – should pop up when you say “Hey Reno” (pronounced ‘Ree-no’). However, Monsieur Reno has other ideas. 

Summon him and he’ll often stay quiet, then butt into conversations at random intervals with a chirpy “Here’s what I found” (a list of local Indian restaurants, perhaps, when you were talking about the weather). It’s quite funny at first, but soon gets rather tiresome. Thankfully, you can switch him off. 

And that’s it: my final missive on the Renault 5. It’s been fun, and certainly made me more amenable to EVs. I’m hoping to spend some time with the faster and feistier Alpine A290 early next year, so watch this space. 

Tim Pitt writes for Motoring Research