Following its first unveiling at the Geneva motor show in March last year, the compact Renault 5 E-Tech is now available to order in the UK, with three trim levels and two powertrains to choose from.
A battery-powered successor to the popular Renault 5 hatch of the 1970s and 1980s, Renault has said that this new model “harks back to this glorious past” while being a prominent example of the brand’s near future, as it is built on brand-new foundations and comes with several new tech features.
In the run up to the car’s UK release, the 5 E-Tech has won a wide array of industry awards, including the ‘European Car of the Year‘ title and The Car Expert’s ‘Best Small Car‘ award for 2025.
Now it has arrived in the UK as its French manufacturer’s smallest electric offering, the 5 E-Tech is now one of the smallest superminis on the market. While the car is slightly longer than the Fiat 500 Electric, it’s shorter than the brand’s electric now-discontinued Zoe hatch. Unusually for a car of this size, the 5 E-Tech sits on large 18-inch alloy wheels as standard. The boot offers 326 litres of luggage space – 12 litres less than the Zoe.
Customers can choose from two different powertrain levels – an entry-level 40kWh battery and 120hp electric motor pairing, or a 52kWh battery and 150hp electric motor combination.
While the former can reportedly muster up to 194 miles on a single charge, the 52kWh version has a maximum range of 252 miles between charges. By comparison, the new Mini Cooper Electric offers up to 145 miles on a single charge, while the Citroën ë-C3 offers 198 miles. The compact car can also tow trailers, with a towing capacity of 500kg. The top speed is electronically capped at 93mph.
Three trim levels are available, starting with the entry-level ‘Evolution’ model. UK pricing begins at just south of £23k, which is significantly cheaper than the Mini Cooper Electric’s £30k lead-in price tag. That said, there are cheaper budget EVs, namely the Dacia Spring range which has pricing that begins around the £15k mark.
Key trim level features
Entry-level ‘Evolution’ (from £22,995)
- Keyless start and entry
- LED headlights
- LED daytime running lights
- 18-inch alloy wheels
- Cruise control with speed limiter
- Rear parking sensors
- Dual-zone climate control
- Seven-inch digital instrument cluster
- Ten-inch infotainment touchscreen
Mid-range ‘Techno’ (from £24,995)
- All ‘Evolution’ features
- Google apps for infotainment
- Rear view parking camera
- Wireless smartphone charging
Top-spec ‘Iconic’ (from £26,995)
- All lower trim features
- Two-tone exterior colour scheme
- Heated seats
- Heated steering wheel
Renault is keen to show the small hatchback’s safety credentials – an area of concern of the older Zoe which was given a zero-star Euro NCAP safety score in 2021. The car comes with a driver attention monitoring system that watches out for tired driving, rear parking sensors with lane keeping assistance, emergency braking and cruise control.
The 5 E-Tech is also available in higher-spec ‘Techno’ and ‘Iconic’ trim guises, and speccing the more powerful 52kWh battery option – which is only available with these higher trims – will add another £2k to the list price.
The Renault 5 E-Tech currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 81%. It gets top marks for its impressive media reviews and zero tailpipe emissions.
