Renault 5 E-Tech Iconic Five long-term test: EV supermini faces its fiery cousin

Verdict

As much as I like the cartoonishly angry styling, more sophisticated interior and sharper handling of the Alpine A290, I still prefer its more laid-back sibling, the Renault 5. For me, it really comes down to the fact that the R5 has exceeded all my expectations in the way it drives – and several other areas – while I found the Alpine was lacking the extra spark I was hoping to find behind the wheel.

• Mileage: 3,512 miles
• Efficiency: 3.9 miles/kWh

In case you hadn’t heard the news, the Renault 5 took home the now fiercely contested title of Auto Express Affordable Electric Car of the Year in our New Car Awards. And it’s not simply because prices for this obscenely charming EV start from under £23,000; another big reason is that it’s great to drive, no matter what situation you throw it into. I assumed that, being such a chic small electric car, the French fancy would have a crisis when driven outside town or above about 30mph. Yet it’s quiet and feels stable cruising on the motorway, while on a twisty country road it’s very composed and up for being chucked into corners.

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Other than the fact that I’ve been averaging a very respectable 3.9 miles per kWh, the Renault 5’s impressive road manners have been the biggest surprise after living with the car these past few months. Which made me think: if the regular model is so well rounded and great to drive, then why might someone pay extra for its evil-looking twin, the Alpine A290? To find out which of the pair I’d rather have if I were walking into a dealership today, I decided to get them both together for some back-to-back testing.

Now, I love the retro design of the Renault and its glorious pop yellow! paint, however Sonic the Hedgehog (as I’ve christened the A290) really appeals to the boy racer in me and looks – for want of a better term – like a serious bit of kit. The Alpine is 60mm wider than its sibling, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but you immediately notice the difference when the two are parked side-by-side, thanks to the A290’s flared wheelarches. There’s also the more aggressive bumpers, extra rally-inspired lights, and the go-faster grooves in the rear doors – which remind me, rather oddly, of a 1968 Dodge Charger.

The interior feels like a more grown-up place as well, because the example I was testing was the top-of-the-range A290 GTS, which starts from £37,500 and swaps the R5's recycled yellow fabric upholstery for more sophisticated blue and white Nappa leather. 

It also features a taller centre console to make the cabin feel more like a cockpit for the driver, plus the A290’s steering wheel has a devious red ‘overtake’ button and a separate ‘recharge’ dial for switching between four modes for the regenerative braking – rather than simply D or B modes in the Renault. 

My favourite upgrade, though, is the new drive selector. This is lifted straight from the incredible Alpine A110 sports car, and I found it much easier to get along with in everyday use than the column-mounted item in the Renault, especially when trying to pull off quick manoeuvres. More than once in the R5,I’ve flicked the shifter down to go into Drive and come close to having a scrape with something because the car’s stayed in reverse. 

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In all honesty, though, this is one of my few gripes with the car. However, the lack of cup-holders in the A290 is rather annoying, as is having the charging cables taking up space in the boot because of a sub-woofer sitting where the underfloor storage is in our R5.

As you’d expect, there are some differences in the two cars’ driving experience as well. For instance, in the Alpine there’s a synthesised, Star Trek-esque sound when you accelerate, which I’m a fan of, and the Renault’s already responsive steering has been made even more precise. The A290 feels more sure-footed than its sibling too, giving you more confidence 

to go around corners at even higher speeds. And yet, the Alpine manages to absorb bumps better, thanks to its hydraulic bump stops. The GTS version also has around 70bhp extra on tap, so it feels punchier off the line and there is even a little torque steer when you floor the throttle. 

But despite all that, the A290 doesn’t feel any more engaging or fun to drive. Instead, it just delivers more of everything you get in the Renault 5 – something that I see as a compliment to the latter, which doesn’t take itself as seriously either. Ultimately, both the Renault and its closely related Alpine sibling are fantastic small EVsthat offer different interpretations of fun, and choosing between the two simply depends on which suits your personality more. For me, that’s the Renault.

Renault 5 E-Tech Iconic Five: first fleetwatch

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Renault embraces its heritage with the most French accessory ever

The tricolore hidden in the headlights and the various cockerel easter eggs are relatively subtle nods to the Renault 5’s French heritage. The wicker baguette holder, on the other hand, is so stereotypically French it has to have been thought up by a Brit. Regardless, it’s easily one of the most ridiculous accessories a car maker has ever offered, and it’s safe to assume that every new R5 owner is going to be receiving one for Christmas.

Renault 5 E-Tech Iconic Five: first report

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Does the retro-inspired electric supermini live up to the massive hype?

• Mileage: 1,586 miles
• Efficiency: 3.6 miles/kWh

The Renault 5 E-Tech is one of the most sought after, hotly anticipated new cars in recent memory. I was completely smitten by the concept model when it was presented in 2021, and have been hanging on every word about this car ever since. So as you can imagine, I’m extremely excited to be living with one for the next few months, and hope to be grinning the entire time. 

But I was worried that Murphy’s law (anything that could go wrong, would go wrong) might interfere somehow. To ensure no one stole our R5 in transit, or its arrival from France wasn’t delayed, I decided to pick up the car myself from Renault’s incredibly impressive ElectriCity plant, just outside the town of Douai, France – some 260 miles and a Channel crossing from home. 

Naturally, while the battery was being topped up, I had a look around the plant, which was where the original Renault 5 was produced from 1974 to 1984. Since then it’s undergone a massive transformation to make EVs, and can now handle up to eight different models based on four platforms, all on the same production line at the same time.

Another mind-boggling fact is that 400 million points of data are collected every single day at this factory; almost everything is monitored to ensure the high quality of the cars, examine energy consumption and identify any potential problems.

I’ve visited a few car factories as part of my job – a weird brag, I know – yet the carefully choreographed waltz of machines putting together the body shell and marrying it to the platform, before actual humans assemble the interior and then sign the whole thing off ready to be delivered, still amazes me. 

Having watched lots of other people’s Renault 5s being built, I finally got to admire our own long-term test car. Naturally, we had to have the brilliant pop yellow! paint that has a lot more metal flakes in it than you might think and looks sensational, particularly in the spring sunshine. 

The interior includes bursts of the vibrant hue on the seats, which are trimmed with upholstery made from recycled plastic bottles. Renault’s Google-powered infotainment software also features, running on dual 10-inch displays that are snappy and clear. 

But as characterful as the cabin is, my favourite detail is the ‘My Perso’ button located to the right of the steering wheel, which activates a personalised profile for the driver-assistance systems – so basically turns them all off – with just two quick taps. I’ve loved this feature on every Renault and Dacia model I’ve driven with it, and am still surprised more companies haven’t just stolen this idea. It’s that good. 

At the same time, I’m still getting used to the medley of different stalks behind the steering wheel, which can be annoying when trying to pull off a quick manoeuvre; instead of selecting reverse, I turn off the windscreen wipers. One other slight negative is that while the 326-litre boot is plenty for my day-to-day needs, and easily swallowed my luggage for the trip home, the charging cables have to be crammed into the underfloor storage space because there’s no room under the bonnet.

On the road, the Renault 5 just zips around town and is great fun when the going gets twisty. Most surprising is how stable and refined it feels on the motorway. There’s enough remaining poke for overtaking, too, although occasionally I felt the car being pushed around by the crosswinds when I passed the enormous French lorries.

The car’s 252-mile range is merely average, but the read-out on the dashboard seems reliable so far and the 100kW maximum charging speed is quick enough that a 10 to 80 per cent top-up takes about half an hour.

As you’d expect, I’ve been getting many admiring looks from people while charging and driving. In fact, I was stopped by the UK border control on my way onto the Eurotunnel train, which I am convinced was just so one policeman there could have a look around. Thankfully, he seemed impressed by the car; I can’t blame him, because so am I.

*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.