Renault Megane E-TECH hybrid hatchback joins estate version in UK

Renault has confirmed the plug-in hybrid version of the Megane hatchback is coming to the UK in August 2021, with prices starting from £29,495. The electrified model is capable of 30 miles of pure-electric driving, returns up to 235mpg fuel economy and emits just 28g/km of CO2.

The hatchback will sit alongside the already-on-sale Sport Tourer estate version of the Megane E-TECH. The arrival of the plug-in hybrid hatchback also sees the withdrawal of purely petrol and diesel-engined Meganes from the UK market.

Both the hatchback and estate models of the Megane E-TECH use the same 158bhp drivetrain, combining a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor and 9.3kWh battery. Although the estate is slightly less efficient, emitting 30g/km of CO2 and capable of up to 217mpg economy.

However, both have a pure-electric driving range of up to around 30 miles, and can drive on electric power alone at motorway speeds. They also only attract a Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) company-car tax rate of 11%.

Three driving modes are available: 'MySense' (which automatically mixes electric and engine power for the best efficiency), 'Pure' (which keeps the car in purely electric mode for as long as possible) and 'Sport' (which offers maximum power at the expense of some efficiency).

The E-TECH badge is being used on several of Renault’s new electrified models, including the hybrid variants of the Clio supermini, Captur SUV and Arkana coupe-SUV, as well as the forthcoming fully electric Megane that was teased recently.

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Renault Megane E-TECH hybrid: trim levels and specifications

The Megane E-TECH hybrid is available in Iconic and R.S. Line trim levels. Iconic is the entry-level trim, with prices starting from £29,495 for the hatchback and £30,685 for the estate.

Iconic cars come with full LED headlights, front and rear parking sensors, a rear parking camera, automatic headlights and wipers, cruise control with a speed limiter, lane-departure warning, traffic-sign recognition, auto-dipping headlights, 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, power-adjustable heated and folding door mirrors, electric windows front and rear and automatic dual-zone climate control.

R.S. Line upgrades the wheel size to 17 inches and adds sporty front and rear bumpers, R.S. Line black fabric upholstery with red stitching R.S. Line dashboard trim, an R.S. leather steering wheel and a 10.2-inch driver information display (up from seven inches on the Iconic). The R.S. Line versions of the Megane E-TECH start from £31,495 and £32,685 for the hatchback and estate respectively.

Enhanced driver assistance systems on the revised Megane include adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, improved blind-spot warning and driver drowsiness detection.