It’s been more than three years since we first saw the electric Renault 5 Concept. At the time, it wasn’t entirely clear whether or not the reborn 5 would make it to production, but now, it’s officially here. Well, not here as in the U.S. Odds are, we still won’t get the new Renault 5 EV here in the States, but it’s been officially revealed as the 2025 Renault 5 E-Tech Electric for Europe, a market we’re sure it will find much more success in than in the notoriously small car-phobic U.S. And it looks pretty darn close to the concept, too.
At first glance, the Renault 5 E-Tech Electric may appear to be a two-door, but you actually get a set of rear doors, as well. That helps explain the fact that it’s a little more than a foot longer than the current Fiat 500e. In fact, it’s even a couple of inches longer than the upcoming all-electric Mini Cooper SE. Still, at 154.3 inches long, it’s far from a large hatch. It’s more than two feet shorter than a Honda Civic Hatchback, after all.
Inside, you don’t get the most exciting design in the world. It is a city car, not an S-Class, after all. Screens include a 7.0-inch driver display and a 10.0-inch infotainment system, although you can upgrade the driver display to 10.0 inches if you want. Still, it’s nicely designed and laid out, and it can be had with an accessory that deserves to be standard on every car — a baguette holder. Presumably, it can hold other things, as well, but as the official press photo makes clear, it was specifically designed with baguettes in mind.
As far as specs go, the Renault 5 E-Tech is definitely a city car, not a cross-continental road tripper. It gets a 40-kWh battery pack standard, but if you need the extra range, a larger 52-kWh version is available. The former weighs in at 2,976 pounds, while the latter jumps to 3,197 pounds. Neither one delivers much in terms of straight-line performance, though. Both versions are front-wheel drive, with the base model making 95 hp and 156 lb-ft of torque, while upgrading to the bigger batter only gets you 120 hp and 166 lb-ft.
Even with the bigger battery and the more powerful motor, you’re looking at a zero-to-60 mph time in the seven-second range. That’s not exactly going to melt your face off, but it’s also not designed with face-melting in mind. It’s an affordable, practical city car that doesn’t need to hit 60 mph in less than three seconds. If you want better performance, maybe hold out hope that the powertrain from the Renault R5 Turbo 3E rally concept will find its way into a production version down the road.
According to Renault, the base battery is good for 186 miles of range, while the larger battery gets you 249 miles. Those figures were calculated using the European testing cycle, though, which tends to be more optimistic than the EPA’s testing. If the Renault 5 E-Tech were to make it to the U.S., it would most likely be rated closer to 158 miles and 212 miles respectively.
With the base battery, the Renault 5 can’t match the Fiat 500e’s range, and with the bigger battery should be about in line with the Mini Cooper SE when it goes on sale. It does, however, have a price advantage here. The Renault 5 E-Tech will reportedly start “around €25,000,” which is a little more than $27,000. For comparison, the Fiat 500e starts at €29,490.
