Pros
- Looks seriously cool Matched with a pleasant driving experience
Cons
- Rear legroom is super tight Faster charging would be appreciated
It’d be an understatement to say the arrival of the new Renault 5 is something we’ve been anticipating with quite a bit of enthusiasm. Reviews from the wider motoring world are nothing short of glowing, to the point that the EV landed itself the title of European Car of the Year.
Combine that with the fact we walked away from its performance-focused stablemate, the Alpine A290, pretty enamoured, and we had every reason to believe we wouldn’t be disappointed when our time finally came with the Renault 5. And that time is now.
In short? Yeah, it’s good. Very, very good.
2025 Renault 5, rear
If you’re a car manufacturer that’s going to revive an old model as an electric car, the Renault 5 should serve as the blueprint for everyone doing it. It’s the right balance of making the 5 look modern, yet with enough nods to hark back to what came before it. It’s seriously cool to look at. As a personal fan of chintzy bits, bonus points for the bonnet-integrated battery level indicator, too.
In contrast, the interior doesn’t try to replicate anything that came before at all – although that’s probably a good thing. Beyond some passenger-side vertical stitching and a tag hidden in the map pockets on the back of the front seats, you won’t find much in the way of Easter eggs nodding to the original R5.
Instead, you’re getting a modern-feeling, looking and ergonomically sensible cabin layout. Build and material quality are pretty impressive across the board, and there are even physical buttons to control the climate. This, as you may have guessed with the enthusiasm, is a very welcome thing in 2025.
2025 Renault 5, interior
As standard, all versions of the Renault 5 feature a 10-inch infotainment display, running Google-developed software. This is something we’ve seen in a few other Renault models already, debuting in the Megane E-Tech, and it just provides further evidence that car manufacturers should leave software to the tech companies.
It runs buttery-smooth, uses integrated Google Maps in place of other navigation (perfect) and still lets you plug your phone in for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. What more could you want? Well, perhaps to put ‘Reno’, the car’s avatar, into the virtual bin as it’ll crop up anytime it thinks you’ve said ‘Renault’. Not great when you have a Hull accent and have to shout ‘neeeerrr’ in a failed bit to get it to disappear.
So you’ll be pleased in the front, generally, although your rear passengers may have a few gripes with you. Space in the back is tight, to say the least, and anyone above the size of an average 10-year-old may have to reluctantly (or enjoyably, depending on their opinion of you) dig their knees into your back.
2025 Renault 5, front
In the R5’s defence, it’ll be a similar story in rivals, and it does at least have a set of rear doors to make getting in and out a little easier, but worth keeping in mind. Oh, and though boot space is decent at 326 litres, you do have a large load lip to overcome, and you’re going to need to keep your charging cables under there – there’s no frunk.
Speaking of charging, the Renault 5 has a pick of two battery packs – 40kWh or 52kWh – both supporting rates of 100kW on DC. Given the relatively small capacity of the cells, that’s not awful, but it’d have been nice to see those increased for the sake of future-proofing the car as faster rates become the standard.
Our 52kWh-equipped test car returned 3.5mi/kWh over a day of mixed route testing, equating to 182 miles from a charge. Renault quotes 250 miles, but you should see that figure eclipse 200 if you spend most of your time in town, as the R5 is primarily designed for, and less on twisty back roads.
2025 Renault 5, rear
Unsurprisingly, then, the town’s where it shines to drive. It feels compact and nimble, steering is light-set but not horribly so and with a turning circle of just 10.3 metres, you can almost rotate it on a five pence coin.
Visibility out of the back isn’t particularly good, but it’s fine out the front and sides, plus you do get a reversing camera to help put it into spaces.
Ride quality is generally pretty good, though you will notice the odd knock in the road with those standard-fit 18-inch wheels. An inch smaller option would be a welcome choice to us, though we suspect most people wouldn’t bother with them.
2025 Renault 5, side
Out when things get twisty, the Renault 5 is a fun little thing. You can get a sense for the headroom between it and the more engaging Alpine A290 – steering isn’t immensely direct, and you do get the odd bit of body roll – but it’s pretty fun as far as EVs go. A Mini will offer a touch more engagement if that matters and you don’t want to stretch to an Alpine.
It’s not gut-wrenchingly quick as some EVs are, but 148bhp as with this test car is pokey enough to have a bit of fun with it. You can go for a 118bhp version, but we’d look towards the more powerful one if you can afford it.
On that topic, prices kick off at £26,995, and the one you want – the 148bhp car – will cost an extra £2,000. It’s about on-par with the Mini, and stretching to an A290 will be a pretty steep leap.
2025 Renault 5, bonnet charging indicator
Unless you really must have the hot version, we’re not convinced you need it. The Renault 5 is a great showcase of how EVs can be done right. It’s simply brilliant.
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Get the latest car news, reviews and unmissable promotions from the team direct to your inbox
For more information see our Privacy Policy
Facebook Conversations