Renault Scenic review

Brands live or die by moving with the times and reacting to demand – and the team behind the Renault Scenic E-Tech appears to have done just that.

You see, while the Scenic was historically an unfashionable MPV shaped a bit like a van, this latest version has morphed into an electric SUV. Okay, it's not exactly a Range Rover but it does offer a higher driving position than a regular hatchback, along with chunkier styling.

The Scenic also continues the tradition of being a more practical alternative to the Renault Megane (which is now an electric car too) and the bigger of two batteries it's available with offers an impressively long range between charges.

Renault Scenic video review

The Renault Scenic is a bit smaller (and cheaper) than alternatives such as the Kia EV6 and Tesla Model Y but it's slightly larger than the Kia Niro EV. So is it the perfect compromise for you? Or are there better electric SUVs available for the money? Read on to find out...

The entry-level Renault Scenic is called the Comfort Range and comes with a 60kWh (usable capacity) battery and a 168bhp electric motor. We haven't tried that version yet but with 0-62mph officially taking 8.6 seconds its performance should be roughly on a par with a Hyundai Ioniq 5 Standard Range or Skoda Enyaq 50. 

The other option is called the Long Range and gets a larger 87kWh battery and a more powerful 215bhp electric motor. It's not much quicker though. We timed it accelerating from 0-60mph in a fairly underwhelming 8.6 seconds (the official time is 7.9).

No Scenic is as nippy as a Kia Niro EV or Tesla Model Y but most buyers won't be overly fussed by that. There’s still plenty of punch to overtake traffic and get up to motorway speeds quickly.

Arguably more important is how far an electric car can travel between charges, and in this department the Scenic boasts some more impressive numbers. Indeed, the Long Range version has an official range of up to 379 miles (it varies slightly depending on trim level), which is better than any Ioniq 5, Niro EV or Model Y.

Mind you, you’re unlikely to get that kind of range in real-world driving. In our mild-weather tests, the Long Range returned average efficiency of 3.1 miles per kWh, giving it a theoretical maximum range of 270 miles. If that doesn’t sound impressive, bear in mind that when we tested a Model Y RWD on the same day it's theoretical maximum range was 220 miles.

The Comfort Range Scenic has an official range of 260 miles, which is slightly more than the Ioniq 5 Standard Range and the Enyaq 50. You can expect roughly 180 to 220 miles from a full charge, depending on your speed and how warm (or cold) the weather is.

The Scenic’s suspension has been tuned for comfort rather than agility, and it does a pretty good job of soaking up bumps and remaining calm most of the time.

It’s noticeably more supple than the brittle Model Y and even edges the Kia EV6. Indeed, the only only similarly priced electric SUV with a clear edge over the Scenic for ride comfort is the Enyaq.

You can adjust the weight of the steering by switching between the various driving modes but even in Sport mode the steering is fairly light. In an ideal world we’d like a little more resistance but it is at least accurate, allowing you to place the nose of the car where you want it.

That said, the Scenic isn’t really the kind of car you’ll be taking for a weekend blast, and with plenty of body lean when cornering and moderate levels of grip, it’s best enjoyed at a relaxed pace. When you accelerate hard out of corners, there's noticeable torque steer (a phenomenon that causes the steering wheel to tug left or right in your hand unexpectedly). That's because, unlike most of its rivals, the Scenic has front-wheel drive rather than rear-wheel drive.

As for refinement, the Scenic is noticeably quieter at a 70mph cruise than the EV6 and Model Y thanks to low levels of tyre and suspension noise. You can hear some wind noise on the motorway though.

The worst thing about the way the Scenic drives is its brake pedal. Due to poor tuning of the regenerative braking system there’s a spongy, inconsistent feel to the pedal, which makes it difficult to come to a stop smoothly, especially when driving around town. The EV6 and Model Y have much firmer, more consistent pedals that inspire more confidence.

You sit higher up in the Renault Scenic than in the relatively low-slung Kia EV6 but not quite as high as you do in the Tesla Model Y. Even so, you have a clear view over the low dashboard and the bonnet. The chunky windscreen pillars hamper your view a little at junctions and roundabouts.

The wide rear pillars and small rear windscreen compromise rear visibility, but you get front and rear parking sensors, and a rear-view camera to help out during low-speed manoeuvres. Top-spec Iconic trim adds a 360-degree camera and a digital rear-view mirror to improve rear visibility when your view is blocked by passengers' heads or luggage.

Finding a comfortable driving position is very straightforward, thanks to plenty of height and reach adjustment for the steering wheel and seat. All trim levels come with electric lumbar adjustment while top-spec Iconic trim comes with full electric seat adjustment to fine-tune your position even more easily. Iconic also adds a massage function.

There are three stalks behind the steering wheel on the right hand side – one that acts as the gear selector, another to operate the windscreen wipers and a third for controlling the stereo. That might sound quite difficult to get to grips with but our testers found it worked well.

Less impressive is the 12.3in digital driver's display – or rather the view of it. That's because, depending on your height and driving position, you might well find that the rim of the steering wheel obscures a lot of the display, including the speedo.

In the middle of the dashboard, there's portrait-oriented 12in infotainment touchscreen. It's fairly low down on the dash but is tilted towards the driver slightly to make it easier to see and it responds swiftly to your prods.

You get plenty of features, including Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring. The Google-based operating system features a great voice control function and you get a built-in sat-nav powered by Google Maps. Range-topping Iconic trim includes a Harman Kardon sound system that provides plenty of punch and good quality audio.

Although you control most functions, including the heated seats, through the touchscreen, there are some physical controls to adjust the air-conditioning fan speed and temperature really easy on the move. You don't get those in a Tesla Model Y.

What about interior quality? Well, you’ll find plenty of padded fabric and faux-leather on the dashboard and doors, with fabric also lining the windscreen pillars and roof. There are hard and scratchy plastics in a few areas but less overall than in a Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Kia EV6. The Model Y's interior features some plusher materials, but doesn't feel any better constructed.

Iconic trim Scenics get a panoramic glass sunroof with an integrated tint called Solarbay, which allows you to switch from a see-through glass roof to an opaque one at the touch of a button. You can even choose which sections of the roof to tint so, for example, you can keep children in the back shaded from bright sunlight while letting the sun into the front seat area.

The Renault Scenic is focused on serving families, so practicality is obviously a big thing. To that end, there’s loads of space in the front for two six-footers, with plenty of elbow room and lots of leg room to stretch out.

Iconic trim's panoramic roof doesn’t eat into head room because its electronically controlled sun tint removes the need for a sliding blind.

Head room in the back of the Scenic is generous, even for someone sitting in the slightly raised middle seat. There’s lots of leg room so rear-seat passengers can really stretch out.

The only slight disappointment is that – unlike in the Kia EV6 and Tesla Model Y – the Scenic’s rear seats don’t recline for that extra bit of comfort. You can't slide them back and forth like you can in a Hyundai Ioniq 5 either.

There’s a huge amount of storage space up front, including door bins that can each take a large bottle of water, a wireless phone-charging tray below the infotainment system and a deep storage cubby under the centre armrest.

You also get a long storage tray on the lower centre console with a pair of movable dividers that slot into various places. There’s only one integrated cupholder though, and while you can create another one with the dividers, they can be quite fiddly to use.

Rear-seat passengers get map pockets and two smaller pockets for phones and devices on the backs of the front seats. The long, fold-down centre armrest provides lidded storage for your devices and has two cupholders. It also contains two arms that swivel out and have integrated slots designed to hold a device upright, so your kids can watch films.

The Scenic has a 545-litre boot, which is 105 litres more boot space than in a Renault Megane. That also makes it slightly larger than the boot in a Hyundai Ioniq 5 or Kia EV6 and allows you to slot up to seven carry-on suitcases below the parcel shelf with space left over for a soft bag. That's not bad, although the Tesla Model Y can carry nine carry-on cases in its boot.

There's quite a drop from the boot entrance down to the boot floor, which isn't ideal for loading and unloading, but at least the load area is uniform in shape and a height-adjustable boot floor gives you plenty of space to hide your charging cables out of sight. Unlike the Ioniq 5 and Model Y, the Scenic doesn’t have a storage area under its bonnet.

For the times when you need more space, the Scenic’s rear seatback can be folded down in a 40/20/40 split. The Model Y offers the same flexibility, while the Skoda Enyaq offers a more conventional 60/40 split. 

The entry-level Renault Scenic (which has the smaller, 60kWh battery) costs about the same as a Skoda Enyaq 50 so it's significantly cheaper than the Hyundai Ioniq 5 Standard Range, the Kia EV6 Air and the Tesla Model Y RWD.

Even if you go for the bigger, 87kWh battery (the Long Range) and entry-level Techno trim, the Scenic undercuts those rivals, and is not much more expensive than the smaller Kia Niro EV.

The Scenic commands the same benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax rate as other electric cars and electric SUVs but its lower list price should mean it works out a little cheaper each month as a company car than many alternatives.

The model is expected to lose its value more slowly than an equivalent Ioniq 5, EV6 or Enyaq, and is on a par with the Model Y for depreciation. That should help to reduce the monthly costs for those buying on PCP finance (you can check for the latest offers on our New Car Deals pages).

The Long Range Scenic can accept a maximum charging rate of up to 150kW – slightly faster than the Enyaq 85 and VW ID 4 but slightly slower than the 170kW offered by the Model Y RWD. A 10-80% top-up will take around 40min in ideal conditions. 

Meanwhile, the smaller battery Comfort Range car can accept a maximum of 130kW for a 10-80% charge in around 35 minutes. That's not particularly quick by modern electric car standards, but you'll be waiting more than 40 minutes for a 10-80% top-up in a Niro EV.

Entry-level Techno trim – which is available with either battery size – comes with 19in alloy wheels, two-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel, heated front seats and ambient lighting.

The top two trims – Esprit Alpine and Iconic – are available only with the bigger battery. Esprit Alpine gets larger 20in alloy wheels, sports front seats and blue interior highlights on the carpet, storage compartments and trim finishers.

The flagship Iconic trim adds a panoramic glass roof, park assist, massaging driver’s seat and a Harman Kardon sound system upgrade. However, it's encouraging that all trim levels come with a heat pump as standard to help improve efficiency in the winter.

We’ll have to wait a while before the Scenic features in the What Car? Reliability Survey but Renault finished 23rd (out of 32 brands) in the 2023 manufacturer league table. That's above Audi, Jaguar and Mercedes but a fair way below Tesla, Kia and Hyundai.

Renault gives you a three-year warranty as standard, with unlimited mileage for the first 24 months and a cap of 100,000 miles thereafter. That’s fairly par for the course and doesn’t match Hyundai’s five-year cover or Kia’s seven-year warranty. The main drive battery is covered for eight years.

The Scenic was awarded the full five stars for safety when it was tested by Euro NCAP. All versions come with automatic emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assistance, rear cross-traffic alert and traffic-sign recognition as standard.

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here