BACK TO THE FUTURE?(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 39

Renault aims to 'democratise electric technology in Europe', starting with this 5 E-Tech Electric small hatch. Back in the Seventies, the original 5 effectively pioneered the supermini genre: its look is nostalgically referenced here, in combination with futuristic design.

Background word count: 178

The future of Renault starts here. Well actually, it started back in 2021 when freshly installed company CEO Luca de Meo took one look at the retro '5 E-Tech' concept car his designers had just sketched and said "build that". It's taken some time for that to happen and in the interim, this new-era Renault 5 has become the poster child for de Meo's so-called 'Renaultution' plan to transform the company with a very different range of EV-led models. It's only electric - designed to replace the ZOE - and sits on the company's dedicated 'AmpR Small' platform, which will also be used for forthcoming Renault 4 and Twingo models as well as the new-era Nissan Micra. Associated performance brand Alpine sells a hot hatch spin-off, the A290. Like all of these models, the 5 celebrates its smallness - and aims to replicate the ongoing market success of other modernised retro small EV designs, like the MINI Cooper Electric and the Fiat 500e. As with those cars, lots of advanced technology lies behind the nostalgic Seventies design cues.