Renault 5 review - Range, charging & running costs

The Renault 5 is available with a choice of 40kWh and 52kWh battery sizes. The larger of the two is capable of up to 253 miles, which isn’t particularly far but fairly standard for an electric supermini. The smaller 40kWh is more limited, with a range of up to 193 miles that will be more suited to those strictly planning shorter trips around town. A Peugeot E-208 can do up to 225 miles on a charge, while the MINI Cooper Electric can travel up to 250 miles from a smaller battery.

Full details regarding the small 40kWh battery are yet to be announced, but it’s expected to be capable of up to 186 miles. What we do know is that it can be charged at a maximum speed of 80kW, while the 52kWh battery gets faster 100kW charging. That means both cars can be charged up from 15 to 80% in 30 minutes at a public charger. 

Home wallbox charging at speeds of up to 11kW is possible, enabling a charge time of around five hours for the 52kWh version. 7kW wallbox charge speeds are more common, though, which will take you overnight to top up.

How efficient is the Renault 5 in the real world?

Our latest test drive of the Renault 5 in the UK was carried out in very poor conditions for an EV. It was a cold six degrees celsius outside and we had the heating on – as you would expect to keep the cabin comfortable. All things considered, we achieved around 3.6 miles per kWh, which is a real-world range of 187 miles from the 52kWh battery. Around town this improved to around four miles/kWh (208 miles on a charge) and on the motorway it dropped to 3.1 miles/kWh (161 miles).

During our testing on a warm day in France, however, we managed to achieve around five miles/kWh, which made the Renault 5 efficient enough to hit its on-paper range figure. 

What will the Renault 5 cost to insure?

Insurance groups are yet to be announced for the Renault 5 EV. For context, the electric MINI Cooper sits in groups 20 to 26, the Peugeot E-208 in groups 26 to 28, while the electric Fiat 500 spans groups 16 to 18 – with the Renault 5 looking to compete with these models, we’d imagine it will sit in a similar ballpark.

What does the Renault 5 cost to tax?

Currently the Renault 5 doesn’t incur any VED (road tax) as an electric vehicle, but it will from April 2025 – from then on it will cost the standard rate. The good news is that, because the Renault 5 costs less than the £40,000 threshold, it won’t incur the luxury car tax surcharge. As a company car the 5 should be cheap on BiK (Benefit-in-Kind) tax because of its zero-emissions status.