Name: Renault Twingo (2014 to 2019) | Expert Rating | The Car Expert
Item: Renault Twingo
Rating: 68.0

Summary

The Renault Twingo was a compact city car – rivalling the likes of the Peugeot 108 and Volkswagen Up – that was discontinued in 2019.

The model shown here was the third iteration of the Twingo that first arrived on UK roads in 2014, praised for its nimble driving dynamics suited to urban commutes, its interior which is quite practical by city car standards, and its exterior looks, which Autocar described as “handsome and unusual”.

While the Twingo was regarded as a capable inner-city runaround, reviewers frequently commented that the city car wasn’t the best in its class at handling longer journeys, particularly on the motorway. “The Twingo isn’t very refined”, What Car? explained. “There’s a bit too much wind and road noise at speed and the ride isn’t particularly smooth.”

Price was also an issue for some. Several reviewers argued that the Twingo was affordably priced during its time on sale, but others pointed to the fact that the Volkswagen Up and Smart ForFour were cheaper to buy as standard.

Enthusiast-focused motoring titles also questioned the car’s performance when compared to its rivals – particularly the sportier Twingo GT model that joined the range in 2016, which Auto Express concluded was “nippy rather than fast, and not as much fun to drive as its hot hatch rivals.”

As of May 2024, the Renault Twingo holds a Used Car Expert Rating of B, with a score of 68%. It scores top marks for its very low running costs and CO₂ emissions, but its safety rating has now expired and its media review scores were poor.

More Renault Expert Ratings, new car reviews, news and features

Twingo highlights

Spacious cabin by city car standards
Stylish looks
Agile handling
Plenty of customisation

Twingo lowlights

Small boot
So-so performance
More expensive than some rivals
Not suited to motorways and long journeys

Key specifications

Body style: Small five-door hatch
Engines: petrol
Price when new: From £9,835 on-road

Launched: Autumn 2014
Last updated: Autumn 2017
Discontinued: Summer 2019

Image gallery

Media reviews

Reviews, road tests and comparisons from across the UK automotive media. Click any of the boxes to view.

The Car Expert+

Model reviewed: GT
Score: 7.4 / 10
“The Renault Twingo GT offers pace and handling improvements over the standard Twingo, but not to a level that makes it truly sporty.”
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Score: 7.4 / 10
“With handling that disappoints for a rear-wheel-drive model, the Twingo GT does not go far enough to be truly regarded as a pocket hot hatch.”
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Auto Express+

Model reviewed: The Color Run
Score: 8 / 10
“Special edition Renault Twingo The Color Run gets plenty of kit, but is let down by its underpowered 1.0-litre petrol engine.”
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Model reviewed:
“The Renault Twingo is a quirky city car that is well priced and surprisingly versatile.”
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Model reviewed:
Score: 5 / 10
“The Renault Twingo has a sporty rear-engined layout, but it’s a bit of a disappointment.”
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Model reviewed:
Score: 6 / 10
“The Renault Twingo GT is nippy rather than fast, and isn’t as much fun to drive as its rivals.”
Read review

Autocar+

Model reviewed: GT
Score: 6 / 10
“The Renault Sport-fettled city car is a quirky new addition to the class, and our first UK drive shows it to be a fun runabout, if not a hardened hot hatch.”
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Model reviewed:
Score: 6 / 10
“The new Renault Twingo is an attractive addition to the city car ranks chiefly because it’s handsome and unusual.”
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Car+

Model reviewed: GT (2017)
Score: 6 / 10
“The Twingo as a whole remains a flawed but very enjoyable car. The yet more characterful, and more dynamically adept, GT is the most likeable model of the range.”
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Car Keys+

Model reviewed: GT TCe 110
Score: 7 / 10
“The Renault Twingo GT may not be the proper Renaultsport hot hatch which some have dreamed of, but it has enough punch and eye-catching styling to make it a decent, fun option for commuting through cities.”
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Carbuyer+

Model reviewed:
Score: 6.2 / 10
“The Renault Twingo is a small and economical city car that blends good looks with decent practicality.”
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Carwow+

Model reviewed:
“The Renault Twingo GT can’t offer the engagement or focus of its esteemed relatives; but it’s still a sporty city car that’s nippy, cheap-to-run and relatively racy looking.”
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Daily Mail+

Model reviewed:
Score: 10 / 10
“The Renault Twingo is as cute as a button and has plenty of clever tricks in the snazzy cockpit. Just don’t expect a white-knuckle ride.”
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Eurekar+

Model reviewed:
“The Renault Twingo has a very tight turning circle – the best in class – which means that you can make a u-turn in many places where others would have to do a three pointer, and its perfect for parking in the tightest of spots.”
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Model reviewed: GT
“The GT adds a whole new dimension to the award-winning Twingo range, offering drivers a city car with added va va voom.”
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Evo+

Model reviewed:
Score: 7 / 10
“The Renault Twingo’s nimbleness, aided by that comically tight turning circle, make it a nip ‘n’ tuck master in town and it feels equally agile on a twisty country road with a pretty decent ride for good measure.”
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Model reviewed:
Score: 6 / 10
“The Renault Twingo offers pokey performance and attractive styling.”
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Fleetworld+

Model reviewed: GT
“Stylish and lively to drive, the Twingo GT is an accessible first step on the RenaultSport ladder. But drivers expecting a fully-fledged R.S. product may be left feeling short-changed.”
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Model reviewed:
“Cute styling, brilliant packaging and low costs: the new Twingo is everything a city car should be.”
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Green Car Guide+

Model reviewed:
Score: 9 / 10
“It’s rear-engined, rear-wheel drive, turbocharged and lightweight – it also has a fuel economy figure of 65.7mpg, emissions of 99g/km CO2, and costs less than £12,000 – it can only be the new Renault Twingo.”
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Heycar+

Model reviewed:
Score: 7 / 10
“The Renault Twingo’s rear engine makes for clever packaging.”
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Honest John+

Model reviewed:
Score: 8 / 10
“The Renault Twingo is fun to drive in town and easy to park and manoeuvre.”
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Motors.co.uk+

Model reviewed:
Score: 7 / 10
“The Renault Twingo offers light and nimble handling, and an efficient range of engines.”
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Parkers+

Model reviewed:
Score: 9 / 10
“The Renault Twingo boasts good looks and spacious interior; a wide range of customisation packs; and is exceptionally manoeuvrable.”
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The Sun+

Model reviewed:
“The new Renault Twingo RS has lost the fruitiness of its predecessor and is best viewed as a souped-up city car.”
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Model reviewed:
“More looks and more for your money than its half-sister, the Smart ForFour. The Renault Twingo is worth a look.”
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Model reviewed:
“The Renault Twingo is striking, economical and perfectly weighted.”
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The Sunday Times+

Model reviewed:
Score: 8 / 10
“The Renault Twingo is a hoot to drive.”
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The Telegraph+

Model reviewed:
Score: 7 / 10
“The Renault Twingo is a city car with a rear-engined layout and plenty of cheeky appeal.”
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Model reviewed: GT
Score: 6 / 10
“To the Twingo’s already cute-as-a-new-born-lamb styling, Renault has added just a smattering of sporty aggression, with bright LED spotlights.”
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Top Gear+

Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 7 / 10
“As entertaining and satisfying as the old Twingo was mundane and mediocre.”
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Model reviewed:
Score: 7 / 10
“Renault has tried something different with the Twingo, and it’s worked.”
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What Car?+

Model reviewed:
Score: 6 / 10
“Out on the road, the Twingo isn’t very refined; there’s a bit too much wind and road noise at speed and the ride isn’t particularly smooth.”
Read review

Safety rating

Independent crash test and safety ratings from Euro NCAP

Overall score: 4 stars
Date tested: September 2014
Date expired: January 2021
Read the full Euro NCAP review

Adult protection: 78%
Child protection: 81%
Vulnerable road users: 68%
Safety assist: 56%

Notes on safety rating

The Renault Twingo was originally crash tested by Euro NCAP back in 2014 and awarded a four-star rating. However, this rating expired in January 2021 and is no longer valid as the car no longer meets the standards required for such a rating. This is normal practice, as Euro NCAP reviews its ratings on most cars annually with most ratings expiring after about six or seven years.

Although the rating has now expired, the score is still useful if you are comparing a used Twingo to vehicles of similar age – whose ratings will have probably also expired.

Eco rating

Independent economy and emissions ratings from Green NCAP

No eco rating

The Renault Twingo was not lab tested by Euro NCAP during its production life.

Reliability rating

Reliability data provided exclusively for The Car Expert by MotorEasy

No reliability rating

As of May 2024, we don’t have enough reliability data on the Renault Twingo to generate a reliability rating.

The Car Expert’s reliability information is provided exclusively to us using workshop and extended warranty data from our partner, MotorEasy, sourced from both official dealerships and independent workshops.

As soon as MotorEasy has sufficient data on the Twingo, we’ll publish the results here.