Renault 5 long term test: report 6
Back in January, we named the new Renault 5 as our overall Car of the Year, but now we're seeing if it continues to impress when you live with it every day...
The car Renault 5 E-Tech 150 comfort techno| Run by Claire Evans, consumer editor
Why it's here To see if the new Renault 5 impresses in everyday life
Needs to Raise a smile on rural roads at the weekends, and complete motorway commutes during the week without stress or too much expense
Mileage 9102 List price new £26,995 Target Price £26,995 Price as tested £27,395 Official range 251 miles Test range 183 miles
23 October 2025 – Feeling the cold
A recent spell of cold weather has seriously dented how far my Renault 5 can go on a charge. Now, when I get into it early in the morning and it’s 4-6dec C outside, the total available range reads 185 miles. There have even been a couple of nights where it’s been frosty in our rural village – which, to be fair, is one of the highest in the country at 255 metres above sea level – and the 100% charged range has shown as 164 miles.
That’s significantly below the 215 miles I was getting back in August. However, in my experience the Renault 5’s readout errs on the pessimistic side, with the miles dropping surprisingly slowly if I drive gently and add charge when driving downhill by making use of the car's regenerative braking feature.
The readout also appears to under promise when the car is plugged into a rapid charger, as I discovered on a recent 475-mile round trip from Kent to Harrogate.
My E-Tech 150 model has a maximum charging speed of 100kW, which is faster than the 80kW of the smaller E-Tech 120. However, it’s still around a quarter of the speed of the fastest charging vehicles on sale, such as the MG IM5 and IM6.
On this latest occasion, the initial reading on the dashboard when I plugged the car in suggested I’d be in for a long wait; it reckoned it would take 50 minutes to get from 12% to 100%. However, that estimate for the total charging time soon dropped to 40 and then 30 minutes, and in the end, the car needed just 25 minutes.
I believe the charging time was aided by the car’s standard battery pre-conditioning function, which ensures it’s at the perfect temperature to charge quickly when you plug in.
Another small but pleasant revelation is that the Renault 5 is more practical than you might expect. It has 326 litres of boot space, which is more than a Fiat 500 or Mini Electric. What’s more, with the rear seats folded to provide a bit more space, I managed to get a rather large exercise bike in the load area.
For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here
Read more on our long-term Renault 5 >>
Read about more long-term test cars >>
Buy a new car with What Car?
Like the sound of the Renault 5?
If so, check out our New Car Deals pages to see how much you could save on a Renault 5.
We’ve got the biggest selection of discounted new cars available in the UK.
