Renault ZOE hatchback - Interior & comfort

First and foremost, the ZOE is definitely quiet. On the move below 20mph, it emits a sound similar to someone blowing on a wine bottle – purely to make sure that you don't take pedestrians or cyclists by surprise and startle them. Once you get above 40mph, however, there's a little more noise from the special low-resistance tyres, but it's still a really quiet car on the road, even driving at 70mph on the motorway. It's so refined and smooth that you’re unlikely to miss the hum of an engine, while the seats are soft and supportive. In fact, in some models, the seat upholstery is made from recycled plastic bottles and seat belts.

Renault ZOE dashboard

The new ZOE has a vastly improved dashboard, borrowed from the new Renault Clio. Taking centre stage is a new touchscreen, which is 9.3 inches and very impressive in top-spec models. It’s no longer wantonly futuristic-looking, but it now feels much more upmarket - especially without a swathe of bland-coloured plastics.

Equipment

The ZOE range has been heavily simplified as of 2022 and now includes just two models: Techno and Iconic. Both feature LED headlights, climate control, cruise control, auto lights and wipers, a seven-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, parking sensors and reverse parking camera with Renault’s semi-autonomous parking feature. The kit list almost includes niceties like a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, keyless entry, folding door mirrors, electric front windows and front foglights. The only real differences are to design – both come with different sets of 16-inch alloy wheels and the Iconic trim comes with darker exterior colour options and side decals.

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All ZOE owners can make use of MY Renault app, which allows battery level and charging status to be remotely monitored on your smartphone or computer. The app also allows you to control and schedule charging of your ZOE remotely to take advantage of lower off-peak electricity rates, while you can also pre-set the climate-control temperature.

Options

The only options for the ZOE as of mid 2022 are a choice of colours instead of the standard Glacier White. Techno models get a choice of six other colours, and Iconic models come with a choice of four darker colours. All vary in price between £600 and £700.