Renault Clio review - MPG, running costs & CO2

The Clio's new underpinnings helped future-proof the popular French model and allowed for the introduction of a hybrid model. That hybrid now sits alongside just one other petrol engine, offered with a manual gearbox. What you won’t see is a fully electric Clio to rival the Peugeot e-208, at least for the time being – that role instead falls to the popular Renault ZOE. Instead, the E-Tech hybrid is much cheaper to buy than the ZOE and can drive in its EV mode much of the time when you’re in town.

Renault Clio MPG & CO2

The three-cylinder 1.0-litre TCe 90 is likely to be the most popular engine and it certainly shouldn't break the bank. It’s capable of up to 54.4mpg and CO2 emissions of 118g/km when paired with a six-speed manual gearbox. That pips the equivalent Ford Fiesta and should appeal to company-car customers, thanks to a low Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) band. The entry-level SCe 65 engine managed 54.3mpg, but we’d avoid it unless cheap insurance is your main concern, since it's a lot slower. It seems most buyers overlooked it, because it was discontinued in late 2021.

The petrol hybrid Clio E-Tech also offers cheap motoring; its official figure of up to 67.3mpg is a whisker off the economy of the old diesel engine and it's far cheaper to buy than all-electric rivals such as the Honda e, Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Corsa-e. According to Renault, its 1.2kWh lithium-ion battery and two electric motors should allow a significant portion of urban journeys to be completed with the petrol engine turned off, and with the E-Tech’s recent revisions, we’ve noticed a real-world economy improvement, our most recent drives returning between 55 to 57mpg. The hybrid model also brings a slight VED (tax) saving, dropping the usual annual fee by £10. Business users will also like its 99g/km CO2 emissions, as the hybrid sits in the lowest BiK band of any Clio.

Insurance groups

Both versions with the discontinued SCe 75 engine sit within insurance group three, while most others are in group 10, meaning the cost of insurance should be affordable for most drivers. The TCe 90 engine attracts a higher group 14 rating (out of 50), while the insurance group for the E-Tech hybrid is from 12 to 18 depending on trim, so it should also be affordable to cover.

Warranty

Unlike the model before it, the Renault Clio now comes with a five-year warranty, rivaling Hyundai. It is unlimited in the first two years, with a 100,000-mile limit thereafter. This is longer than the three-year warranty that comes standard with a Ford Fiesta, Peugeot 208 or Volkswagen Polo and buyers also get three years of roadside assistance cover.

Servicing

Renault scored well for servicing costs in our latest Driver Power survey, largely thanks to its cheap servicing plans. These are bundled as ‘EasyLife Packs’ that include routine maintenance for three years/30,000 miles or four years/40,000 miles for a set price.