Electric Renault 5: prices, 2024 launch date and teaser images of the MINI Cooper rival

It’s official: the new all-electric Renault 5 is set to be revealed on the 26 February at the 2024 Geneva Motor Show. 

A future rival for the new MINI Cooper E, as well as the Fiat 500e and forthcoming Volkswagen ID.1, the Renault 5 E-Tech will sit as the smallest model in the French maker's growing EV line-up.

The latest teaser has not only confirmed the Renault 5 E-Tech’s reveal date, but also a handful of design details, as well as a maximum WLTP electric range of just under 250 miles.

Renault 5 E-Tech pricing and specs

Renault has confirmed that the 5 E-Tech will be powered by at 52kWh battery pack at launch; this, according to the manufacturer, is sufficient for an official electric range of up to 248 miles – only one mile less than the aforementioned electric MINI Cooper that’ll undoubtedly be the 5’s biggest rival.

Our sources at Renault also hint at the fact there will also be a smaller 42kWh battery pack available at some stage in the future; this will undoubtedly arrive at a lower price point, potentially bringing the Renault 5 in-line price-wise with the £23,000 Citroen e-C3 that was revealed in late 2023.

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Having driven a prototype of the Renault 5 – more on that below – we know that the plug-in supermini will get a very nippy electric motor, as well as a brake-by-wire system which, from our experience, offers a decent amount of pedal feel – something that can’t be said for many other EVs with standard regenerative braking setups.

Pricing for the Renault 5 remains under wraps for now, although we expect the new model to undercut pre existing competitors like the Vauxhall Corsa Electric, which starts from just over £32,000. A high-performance version called the Alpine A290 is coming later down the line, although we expect this to cost closer to £40,000.

The Renault 5 E-Tech should go on sale in the Summer of 2024; in the meantime, Renault has stated that it’s launching what it calls the ‘R5 R Pass’ programme which, for £150, allows buyers to place their order 10 days early in order to be the first to receive their new car. First deliveries are expected to commence in early 2025.

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Design and technology

As indicated by the latest teaser images, the Renault 5 E-Tech takes many of its design cues from the 'Renault 5 Prototype' concept car. This mirrors the silhouette of the original 5, which was produced in two generations between 1972 and 1996, but with details like the lights and bootlid shape having been modernised.

Renault says the 5 will measure 3,920mm long, which is slightly smaller than a Volkswagen Polo, as well as the new MINI Cooper Electric. The car is set to be offered in five-door form only and teasers show that the supermini’s bonnet will feature a charge indicator light in the shape of the number ‘5’, as well as squared-off wheel arches, like the R5 Turbo hot hatchback of the 1980s.

On the inside, we expect the Renault 5 to get a similar Google-based infotainment setup to the larger Renault Megane and Scenic models. Like in the Scenic, the portrait centre touchscreen could measure up to 12.3 inches, though teasers have indicated that the 5 will forgo a traditional instrument cluster in favour of a more minimalist transparent head-up display panel.

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Renault 5 prototype drive

Given we likely won’t be able to get our hands on a production version of the Renault 5 until late 2024 at the earliest, we were given the unique opportunity to drive an early prototype clad in Clio body panels to get our first taste of the reborn classic hatchback.

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Despite the prototype’s fascia and body coming from a Clio, there are visual giveaways there’s something special underneath. There’s the charging port on its nose (similar to a ZOE’s), the bolt-on wheel arches needed to accommodate a wider track, and the rear wheels sitting noticeably further forward in the arches because of the CMF-BEV platform’s shorter wheelbase. According to Renault, this platform is stronger than the Clio’s, and features four battery packs crammed full of cells. 

But it's the wide track that alludes to the Renault 5’s key characteristic – that it’s designed to be fun. While the ZOE is a regular electric city car, the 5 is a much sharper machine. Its steering is direct, reacting quickly to direction changes. The goal is to offer an agile and exciting driving experience around town, plus stability at higher speeds. It seems to have worked.

Quick lane changes felt smooth and the car responded well to fast steering inputs. The suspension kept it level, too. Going into a slalom at roughly 40mph, the momentum of repeated changes in direction did unsettle the car somewhat, but the various electronic safety systems on-board stopped it from getting too out of hand, even though it let the car move around a little. All of this bodes well for sportier sister brand Alpine’s hot version of the Renault 5, but it seems even the basic Renault version will be able to put a smile on your face.

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The prototype we drove was understandably a little rough around the edges though. The Renault 5’s traction control is still being worked on and as a result struggled with some of the slippery surfaces we encountered. At full throttle the wheels spun and found grip multiple times before settling and pulling the car forward. We could still feel the generous amount of torque on offer, though figures for this haven’t yet been revealed.

What was especially impressive was the braking system. The 5’s new brake-by-wire set-up was developed with Continental and despite not being connected to the brakes themselves, offers strong pedal feel. Notably, it also stops in less distance than a Renault ZOE from the same speed. We applied full pressure at just over 50mph on a half-snow/half-ice surface and not only did the car slow quite quickly, it did so with minimal fuss.

The Renault 5 was already one of the most hotly-anticipated EVs of the decade, but our brief stint behind the wheel of this prototype has us even more excited for the car’s launch in 2024. There’s still plenty of work to be done, though the Renault 5’s focus on being fun, entertaining and agile for drivers of all types and abilities shone through nonetheless and suggests this will be a fantastic electric city car when it finally lands.