Renault 5 E-Tech Debuts As A Retro-Futuristic EV Supermini

The iconic Renault 5 has been revived as a retro-futuristic, all-electric supermini!

After many concepts, prototypes, and even an accidental image leak, the much-anticipated Renault 5 E-Tech has finally made its global debut. Taking place at the ongoing Geneva International Motor Show 2024, this diamond-badged EV supermini arrives with retro-inspired styling that harkens back to its iconic predecessor, the original Renault 5 hatch.

The R5 E-Tech looks similar to its concept twin, featuring tons of design cues inspired by the original R5.

As previewed by its concept twin, the R5 E-Tech gets a very familiar front face, featuring a unique LED headlight design that mimics the pupil of a human eye and a stubby front nose—all derived from the original R5 back in the 70s. The original R5 hommage can also be seen in its compact supermini hatch design with hidden rear door handles to imitate the original model’s three-door style, as well as its slim vertical LED taillights mounted on the thick C-pillars.

One novel feature of the new R5 is the charge indicator display placed on top of the front hood, which is meant to copy the original R5’s hood intakes. Instead of channelling air, the panel illuminates when connected to a charger, displaying the current charge level. Once the car is fully-charged, the LED display takes the shape of the number 5.

The retro-futuristic theme continues as we get inside the new R5’s cabin, as it perfectly blends retro design elements with vibrant colours and some modern creature comforts. The centerpiece of the cabin is the 10.1-inch central infotainment display that connects with the driver’s instrument cluster. Powered by the Google-based OpenR Link infotainment suite, the system can host over 50 applications and services, including an AI-enabled digital assistant known as “Reno”.

Apart from its swanky infotainment unit, the R5’s cabin also comes with a multifunctional steering wheel with multiple buttons and controls, modern textile upholstery made using recycled and bio-sourced materials, as well as some safety features, including the Active Driver Assist suite, which supports Level 2 semi-autonomous driving.

The new Renault 5 E-Tech underpins the marque's proprietary AmpR Small EV architecture.

Fully developed by Renault’s new Ampere electric vehicle arm, the new R5 rides on the marque’s proprietary AmpR Small architecture, which is essentially an updated version of the existing CMF-B platform used on many of Renault’s ICE models.

Renault engineers have spent countless hours perfecting the R5 E-Tech’s chassis setup. As a result, Renault claims the new R5 boasts segment-leading handling performance and driving dynamics, thanks to its multi-link rear suspension setup, lower centre of gravity, and the small footprint that makes this EV supermini “superbly nimble”.

The R5 E-Tech comes with either a 40-kWh or 52-kWh battery pack, delivering up to 400 KM of WLTP range.

Battery-wise, the R5 E-Tech comes with either a 40-kWh or 52-kWh battery pack, the latter unit providing a decent WLTP range of 400 KM. Charging-wise, the former pack supports DCFC at up to 80 kW, while the bigger unit can be charged at up to 100 kW. Besides the usual Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality, the R5 also supports Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology, which allows users to sell energy back to the power grid.

On the powertrain front, the R5 E-Tech is exclusively powered by a single, front-mounted (FWD) electric motor sourced from its larger siblings, the Megane E-Tech and Scenic E-Tech. Said motor setup is available in three power outputs, starting at 94 HP (70 kW) for the baseline spec, 121 HP (90 kW) for the mid-spec model, and 148 HP (110 kW) for the range-topping model.

The new Renault 5 E-Tech is poised to set ablaze the competitive European EV supermini market segment.

Now available on sale in selected European markets, the all-new Renault 5 E-Tech is slapped with a competitive entry price of €25,000 (RM129,649). This makes Renault’s new EV supermini on-par with several other European rivals, including the upcoming Volkswagen ID.2, the new MINI Cooper Electric, Fiat 500e, as well as the French duo of the Peugeot E-208 and Citroen e-C3.