The Renault 5 Is Exactly The Kind Of Cool, Small EV The World Needs

Renault 5 Leaked Ts
ADVERTISEMENT

The Renault 5 is only days away from its official reveal but what look like official photos are popping up everywhere online. The sub-compact all-electric hatchback made waves when the concept debuted in 2021 and even before that, the nameplate itself was somewhat iconic. Now, it’s set to return to production and we’re getting our chance to see it a bit early. Both of those things sound great to me.

When Renault debuted the concept for the 5 it did so to resounding praise. It was part of the brand’s “Renaulution” (yes, they really call it that) plan aimed at growing the brand. Having an attractive and affordable electric vehicle like the 5 is a key part of that strategy.

Thankfully, Renault managed to keep most of the style and design details that made the original concept so fetching. First spotted by AutoExpress.co.uk, these photos show the Renault 5 from two different angles and give a clear look at the interior as well.

The body still sports the squared-off LED DRLs, the squared-off fender flares, and the asymmetrical hood design from the concept. That hood even features a display for the state of charge when the 5 is plugged in. It gets tail lights with vertical LED elements in the main housing and a black horizontal bar across the rear hatch. The Renault wordmark and the “5” emblem both appear atop that bar. Those also closely mimic what we saw on the concept. 

Notably, the body does appear a little taller than the concept so here’s hoping it won’t take too much to lower it down. We’re also getting a clear shot of the cabin in these photos which show off a widescreen panel that incorporates the gauge cluster and the infotainment system.

Ghgda6mwgaabfdh

The center control stack has a nice tilt toward the driver and the dash features climate vents with styling elements that mimic the daytime running lights. It’s unclear from the photos but the upholstery almost looks like tweed. Likely it’ll end up being a recycled material of one sort or another.

Interestingly, this isn’t technically our first chance to see the Renault 5 in its production form. Back in December of 2023, patent drawings from the World Intellectual Property Organization leaked showing the car in a drab but basically finished form.Renault 5 E-Tech Leak 1

When it launches officially on February 26th, it’s expected to arrive with a 52 kWh battery pack and anywhere from 120 to 150 hp. It’s plausible too that a smaller 42 kWh battery is available as well with less range but a more attractive starting price.

Renault 5 E-Tech Leak Rear Three Quarters

Will the Renault 5 ever make it to the U.S.? The company is already planning a return late in this decade via Alpine so… maybe?

About the Author

View All My Posts

69 thoughts on “The Renault 5 Is Exactly The Kind Of Cool, Small EV The World Needs”

  4. The Honda E is still better looking, but I must admit not nearly better looking that it justifies the trash range it has in comparison to what it sounds like this has.

  5. My first reaction wasn’t that it’s ugly or that it doesn’t look like a modernized Le Car, but that I was glad somebody is making in not huge (I didn’t see any details but since European and referred to as smaller assume it is true). I picture our electric future filled with small, efficient vehicles. Not another ton of battery added to cars that are already too heavy. I am naive or maybe the king of wishful thinking.

  6. I hear a few people in the EV possible buying public are interested in a thing called range? What is this range thing we hear of? What is the RAange of this car? What charging system is used? It doesn’t look bad in yellow, actually great, but white it dissappear. Size? Can I fit? Safety? And really Renault isn’t a car people by confidently for excellent quality. So Renault 5? That should cut sales in half. I can’t Raye the quality since no information but I can prognosticate its success.
    Clue trumpet noise.

    2. Oh look, the neanderthal forgets outlets exist. Or hybrids.

      I can 100% guarantee you have never sat in, or been on the same tectonic plate as, a renault.

      1. Also: I don’t know where you’re going on a daily basis that’s more than 240 miles round trip (the car’s range), and I drive almost an hour to work every day.

  7. I love it!
    Make mine red with a red tweed interior and we’re good!
    (Oh wait – I’m an American. We don’t get nice things here. So much for “freedom”)

  8. Counterpoint: Yeah no, we’re good.

    This thing sucks ass. Classic Renault nameplates do not deserve what’s about to happen to them. There’s plenty of bloated, nonsensical retro-inspired designs in the market already, we don’t need more nostalgia-based cash cows with almost zero aesthetic cues from the original and a market positioning that insults its roots. Unless this thing actually drops from its £20k estimated price into actual budget territory over time, going head to head with cheap new ICEs, I can’t give it a pass.

    1. Counter counter point:
      Nameplates are just IP of corporate marketing and product development departments. These nameplates owe you nothing, and generally perform well based on the implied association to historical examples. Marketing will apply any tactic possible in the attempt at success, including reusing copywritted if necessary.

        1. For me, the important part is the product and not the name. The Ford Maverick isn’t a small coupe anymore, but it’s a great pickup. Names are just entities to be used as the owner decides, often to convey some sort of image. In this case I see a French hatchback with a kind of sharp and familiar rear rake, as well as a modern style to display square headlights.

  10. I like the body lines suggesting fenders. And the external door handles. Can’t tell from my small screen about hvac controls*. And, we don’t have actual price or size figures.

    *for those who set their automatic hvac & leave it: I’m happy for you. I, personally, like to heat the cabin up in the mornings using defrost/feet setting, then often this time of year, cool the cabin in the afternoon using vents. Each to their own

    2. Me too, grew up controlling the heat and cool, generally just turn it to full heat of full cold until I get it where I want it to be then moderate fan speed or temp to comfort. In the Midwest at least half the year is either arctic chill or blast furnace. Just setting the temp to 70 something and forgetting it doesn’t really cut it so well for comfort.

      1. I was born in Nebraska, and spent my formative years in the Midwest, so I well remember the massive temperature swing between the miserable extremes. Funny how memory works: a few years back it got quite cold here in Virginia….had any neighbors been peering out the window, they would have seen a middle-aged man tromping about the yard at 5am just for the nostalgia of hearing snow squeak* again 😉

        • not the true sharp squeak of 20° below—but squeak nonetheless!

  11. I had an original in orange. If this comes in orange I want to buy it and sneak it into Wisconsin. It looks amazing and if they can get a real price point all the better. EV’s at 40, 50, 60k and up is effing insane.

  12. I believe I’ve said this here before, but I’m rather disappointed with the new Renault 5. The design seems so much more bloated and watered down compared to the concept.

    1. You’re not alone, brother. Incredibly disappointed with this and other recent Renault designs for iconic nameplates. The new 4 is even worse for me, and while I’m not really into gatekeeping at all, I wish these designs at least had a couple cues from the originals rather than being a mish-mash of vaguely familiar and yet confusing shapes.

  14. > somewhat iconic

    Few French cars are as iconic as the R5. I can think of only a handful like the 2CV, DS, Citroen 15, maybe Peugeot 205, and the Espace.

    1. Yo I feel personally attacked by the absence of the Quatrelle from that list! The Renault 5 is incredibly iconic, but it was also a 20 year long, largely unsuccessful attempt at phasing out the mighty 4 🙂

      I would humbly suggest the Peugeot 504 also deserves a spot in that pantheon of french icons, with its unbelievably long production run and legendary status in many geographies – nothing conveys toughness and reliability as much as a beige 504 GRD break where I’m from, except perhaps a beige Toyota Hiace.

      1. For me keep any relationship to unsuccessful crappy french cars out of it.i mean Ford has an electric suv called the Mustang but it still isn’t reintroducing the Edsel right? The French are so egotistical they think they can sell it because French. HAHAHA. But ever since DeGaul turned France communist and started selling bottles of water for $1 the French need to do more as has been proven buy nothing French but French fries is sold successfully in the US.

        2. That’s… that’s a lot to unpack there. This is aimed at markets where the Renault 5 was wildly successful and commands a following to this day. It’s in no way guaranteed that it will ever be sold stateside, all there is is some rumours that if it does, it might be used as a way to introduce the revamped Alpine brand. Which sounds like a bit of a stretch for me, but we’ll see. I do agree there isn’t much of a point in Renault going back into the american market with any classic USDM nameplate.

    3. And that is pertinent too the 1-2000 people that care about French cars here in the USA. Calling it the Renault 5 will put off morebuyers than attract.

      1. Don’t worry. Renault is a European car manufacturer. The European car market is significantly different than the USA. I’m pretty sure that there’ll be more than 2000 possible buyers amongst the 450 million people in the EU.

  15. Like all the refurbished old models ( glares at the Mini, the Panda and the Beetle ), it is probably twice the size of the original, 3 times the weight and about half the habitability ( aka driver and passenger space ) of the original.

    Why can’t they just go with an original old model, refitted to modern standard ( parse : keep the size, weight and habitabilty the same and use modern tech to build it and power it) and be done with it is beyond my understanding.

      1. Basically, it’s what Rover did by building the MGRV8 out of the old MGB body shell, but early ’90s UK was a very different place and era in terms of safety regulations

      2. Not a restomod, a restomod here would be an homologation nightmare.

        A modern car built in the volume and habitability of the old one ( and with both modern techniques and material ) and not an inflated one, it wouldn’t have any homologation issue.

    2. Also 3x less likely to kill or maim you in a crash, so there’s that. And the “habitability” of the original wasn’t that great. It’s super cramped and uncomfortable.

      1. I know all about the space in a R5… I sat long enough on the back seat as a kid with my brother.

        As for the security If they can build a crash resistant cockpit for F1 cars, they can build smething that meet the modern requirements while keeping both interior and exterior around the same as the original.

        1. That part I doubt. Crash protection is simple. You want more safety, so you want more deformation, ergo, more crash boxes. The consequence is a cramped interior for a given vehicle size. There’s no way in hell a modern car would have the A pillars as thin as my 280Z.

          I also know about homologation nightmare of anything custom in France, being French myself. My comment was more targeted at our American friends who can apparently put anything on the road.

    2. French raw wool is considered as trash by the herd owners… They can’t find anybody to buy it. ( or get it out of their hands for free )

      Processed wool ( aka wool sheets ) usually comes from far away.

      Last using recycled stuff is is the à La Mode Trend in Europe right now

      2. “French raw wool is considered as trash by the herd owners… They can’t find anybody to buy it. ( or get it out of their hands for free )”

        Figurative trash. Recycled material OTOH is made from literal trash.

        Besides if what you say is true French wool should be cheap as Hell which is perfect for this car. It also sounds ‘o là là chique to my American ears. Much nicer than “made from recycled soda bottles”.

        “Processed wool ( aka wool sheets ) usually comes from far away”

        Maybe. France does have wool spinning factories of its own though. And plenty of sheep.

        “Last using recycled stuff is is the à La Mode Trend in Europe right now”

        Exactly. Wool is inherently recycled. First the sheep used it, now the humans get to use it. Eventually moths use it and other critters eat them thus continuing the cycle of life.

        Seriously though wool is great. It’s all natural, usually holds up wonderfully, it’s cool in summer, warm in winter and biodegradable creating AFAIK no icky micro plastics along the way.

        What’s not to love?

          1. Wales has lots of sheep too. Maybe the French sheep smell better. Marie Antoinette famously perfumed her own flock at Versailles. She had them dyed pink too.

  23. I’d say it’s more of a Renaultvation than a Renaultolutiion, but not a total flop. Bringing it the US does not excite me, except from the standpoint of having more choices in the market.

Leave a Reply