Renault Scenic review

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

You see, the original Scenic was a van-shaped MPV back when MPVs were all the range. Then MPVs fell out of fashion, of course, so Renault made the sensible move of morphing the Scenic into an electric SUV. That puts it bang on trend, because people haven't tired of SUVs, with their chunkier styling and typically commanding driving position.

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Renault Scenic

Expected annual mileage	5000
Term months	48
Deposit months	12
Monthly payment	£332.32
Initial payment	£3,987.84

Step-by-step

Leasing works a bit like a long-term rental. You drive it, but you don’t own it.

• Choose your car, pick your terms and apply for lease credit online
• Pay monthly rental payments for your chosen term length
• Drive it, enjoy it, then give it back at the end

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• Full manufacturer’s warranty
• Road tax and roadside assistance included
• No admin fees
• Free returns within 30 days*

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£3,988 initial payment, 48 month contract, 5000 miles p/a. Subject to status and conditions.

• Lower total monthly cost than PCP/HP
• No balloon payments
• Road tax included

The Scenic continues the tradition of being a more practical alternative to the Renault Megane (that's still a family hatchback, but another Renault that's gone all-electric), and it’s powered by a battery that offers an impressively long range. Earlier versions were available with a choice of two batteries but, since recent price cuts, all Scenics get the larger of the two battery sizes.

Renault Scenic E-Tech video review

The Renault Scenic is smaller and cheaper than the Kia EV6 and Tesla Model Y, but slightly larger than the Kia Niro EV. Does that make it the perfect compromise for those on a budget, or are there better electric SUVs available for the money? Read on to find out...
 

Verdict

Is the Renault Scenic E-Tech a stand-out car? Yes, in many ways. It offers a fantastic official electric range that few rivals can get near to matching for the money. It also comes with an easy-to-use interior, a great infotainment system and, despite its keen pricing, it's well equipped. Is it perfect? No. There are quicker and more practical rivals, but the Scenic's still good enough in those areas – they're certainly not deal-breakers. We'd suggest keeping it simple: the Scenic is at its best in entry-level Techno trim because it maximises value for money and range, while still offering lots of toys. 

What's new?

• July 2026: we test the Renault Scenic against its latest rivals, the Kia EV5 and Changan Deepal S05
• August 2024: Scenic named Best Electric Family SUV in What Car? Electric Car of the Year Awards
• December 2023: all-new Renault Scenic SUV available to order, from £40,995

Best buy

long range 87kWh techno SUV 5dr Electric Auto (11kW Charger) (220 ps) review

RRP £36,995

Pros

• Long range between charges
• Cheaper cash buy than many rivals
• Fine ride and handling balance

Cons

• Relatively slow peak charging speed
• Spongy brake-pedal feel
• Not particularly quick in a straight line

What's new?

• July 2026: we test the Renault Scenic against its latest rivals, the Kia EV5 and Changan Deepal S05
• August 2024: Scenic named Best Electric Family SUV in What Car? Electric Car of the Year Awards
• December 2023: all-new Renault Scenic SUV available to order, from £40,995

Best buy

long range 87kWh techno SUV 5dr Electric Auto (11kW Charger) (220 ps) review

RRP £36,995

Trims available

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techno

This entry-level trim comes with 19in alloy wheels, two-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, automatic windscreen wipers, heated steering wheel, heated front seats and ambient lighting.

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Performance & drive

What it's like to drive, and how quiet it is

How fast is it and which motor is best?

There’s just the one motor available with the Renault Scenic and it delivers 215bhp to the front wheels – there’s no dual-motor version with four-wheel drive. 215bhp isn’t a vast amount of power for an electric SUV, which is why more powerful rivals, including the Tesla Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive and MG S5 Long Range, will pull ahead relatively easily from the lights. 

That said, the Scenic offers usable performance and it’s far from the slowest in class. 0-62mph takes 7.9sec, which makes it sprightlier than a Citroën ë-C5 Aircross, and, if you’re not hell bent on beating people away from the lights, the performance is perfectly adequate – it’ll ease you to motorway speeds without difficulty.

Is it agile and is the ride comfortable?

The Scenic’s suspension does a pretty good job of soaking up bumps and delivering a calm ride most of the time. It’s more supple over rutted surfaces than the Kia EV5 and Tesla Model Y, and more settled over dips and crests than the rather bouncy Changan Deepal S05 and BYD Atto 3 Evo. 

Is it the most comfortable electric SUV for the money? No, because versions of the Skoda Elroq are cushier, while the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross is one of the best-riding alternatives available for similar cost.

And the Scenic handles better than the ë-C5 Aircross, which manifests partly as less body lean in bends. The Scenic also has quicker, more direct steering, and while the steering is too light in the Comfort mode, you can add a dollop of reassuring extra weight by switching to Sport mode.

Overall, the Scenic offers a nice balance between ride and handling, albeit with a noticeable issue: when you accelerate hard out of corners there’s a degree of torque steer (that’s when the steering wheel tugs left or right erratically as you accelerate). The steering corruption is down to the Scenic being front-wheel drive; it’s not an issue you’ll notice in rear-wheel drive rivals like the MG S5, which delivers better traction, too.

Is it quiet and how easy is it to drive smoothly?

The Scenic is pretty effective at isolating you from wind noise at 70mph and road noise in general. It does a better job than the MG S5, but more expensive rivals, like the Smart #5, are even more hushed. There’s a bit of motor whine during hard acceleration, but it’s background noise that never becomes front and centre in your mind. 

The worst issue is the Scenic’s grabby brakes. A car’s brake pedal should have some resistance when you press it, but the Scenic’s pedal is very soft and spongy. We should make clear that there’s no issue with the Scenic’s stopping power: quite the opposite, actually. The lack of resistance from its brake pedal means you’re likely to press it too far and jam on the brakes unintentionally hard. Most rivals, including the MG S5 and Tesla Model Y, are far easier to stop in a smooth and controlled manner. 

Instead of relying solely on the Scenic’s regular friction brakes, you’re better off ramping up its regenerative braking system. That’ll slow you down just by lifting off the accelerator and you can adjust the strength of the regenerative braking using paddles on the back of the steering wheel. The strongest setting slows you enough (in the normal ebb and flow of traffic) that you need to press the actual brake pedal often. Mind you, the Scenic doesn’t offer a full ‘one-pedal mode’ that brings you to a complete stop without touching the brake pedal at all – something the Model 3, for instance, offers. 

What’s the range and efficiency like, and how quickly can it charge?

The Renault Scenic’s battery options are as diverse as the electric motors on offer: that’s correct, there’s only one battery size. It’s 87kWh (usable), but don’t feel the least bit cheated. It holds enough energy to carry you up to 382 miles (officially) on a single charge. 

That range knocks most of its price rivals into touch. The best an MG S5 can manage, for example, is 289 miles, and the Kia EV5’s maximum is 329 miles. In fact, to beat the Scenic’s potential you need to look at the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross Long Range, which, officially, is capable of 423 miles. 

Official figures are not always a good indicator of what you can expect in the real world, though. The last time we tested a Renault Scenic it managed 3.6mi/kWh, which gave it an estimated range of 313 miles. That’s a long way off what it’s meant to do, but the conditions weren’t the best on the day. And for context, it was a long way ahead of the two other cars we had on that test: they were a Changan Deepal S05 and Kia EV5, both of which managed around 250 miles. 

It’s also worth noting that a heat pump, which helps maintain the car’s efficiency in extreme weather, is standard on all Scenics but it’s an option on some of the competition. 

The area where the Scenic drops the ball is charging speed. While a Tesla Model Y will charge at up to 250kW and the Deepal S05 at up to 200kW, the Scenic can only charge at up to 150kW. Factor in its big battery and you’ll be waiting around 40 minutes to charge from 10-80%. Because that’s for a percentage increase (rather than the actual miles added) it’s worth bearing in mind that a car with a similar charging speed but a smaller battery will get from 10-80% quicker, yet the miles of range added will be fewer. 

If you’re charging at home on a 7kW charger, the Scenic takes around 14 hours to go from 0-100%. 

Interior

The interior layout, fit and finish

What does the interior look like and is it well made?

You’ll find padded fabric and faux-leather on the Renault Scenic's dashboard and doors, so, on the face of it, the Scenic's interior looks pretty swish – especially from Techno Esprit Alpine trim with its snazzy electric blue highlights and carpets. It’s a bit of a wheeze, though. 

The trick Renault’s pulled off is making you think the overall material quality is better than it really is by using fancier trims in the right places. It’s a trick the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross pulls as well. Once you look beyond the eyecatching highlights, the truth is both the Scenic and the ë-C5 Aircross have a heck of a lot of cheaper, harder plastics throughout. If you want a consistently higher-end interior feel, check out the MG S5. 

If you go for the Iconic Esprit Alpine trim you get a panoramic glass sunroof that makes the interior lighter and airer. It’s fitted with electrochromic panels that you can choose to make see-through or opaque at the touch of a button. And you can select which sections to tint so, for example, you can keep kids in the back shaded but flood the front with sunshine. 

Is the driving position comfortable and is it easy to see out?

If you go for the entry-level Techno trim, the Renault Scenic’s driver’s seat comes with electrically adjustable lumbar support but, otherwise, it’s manually adjustable. Step up to Techno Esprit Alpine trim and you get a sportier, fully electrically adjustable driver’s seat, with bigger side bolsters and a massaging function. The bigger side bolsters do a good job of clamping you in place through corners, while the supportive cushions help suppress any aches and pains on longer trips. 

We mentioned in the intro that SUVs tend to offer a higher driving position than regular hatchbacks. And if that’s your prime want, you might find the relatively low-slung Renault Scenic a tad disappointing. In terms of overall height, it’s only eight centimetres taller than a Skoda Octavia Estate, and you don’t feel like you’re in a tall SUV from behind the wheel. For a loftier driving position we’d suggest the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross or Kia EV5. 

That said, you still get a decent view of the road ahead thanks to the Scenic’s low dashboard, but its chunky windscreen pillars hamper your view (looking diagonally) at junctions and roundabouts. The EV5 offers better forward visibility and a clearer view rearwards, too: the Scenic’s shallow rear window and thick rear pillars heavily limit what you can see behind. 

To help alleviate its visibility woes, every Scenic comes with front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera. The top-spec Iconic Esprit Alpine trim adds a 360-degree surround-view camera, and a rear-view mirror that turns into a digital screen showing a feed from the rear camera. That lets you see what’s behind even when the rear window is blocked by luggage. Bright LED headlights are standard throughout the range, too.

Are the dashboard and infotainment system easy to use?

Renault’s made the genius move – and no that’s not sarcasm – of fitting lots of buttons. Real ones, which you find by feel rather than looking endlessly at a touchscreen trying to decipher its cluttered collage of tiny icons. That’s what life’s like in some of the Scenic’s rivals, including the Changan Deepal S05 and, to an extent, the Tesla Model Y.   

Real buttons make the combination of driving and adjusting settings so much easier. In the Scenic you’ll find proper buttons for the features you use regularly, including like the climate controls, and even one that turns off prescribed safety assist features (ADAS) with two simple presses. And you will want to turn some of them off when, without due cause, they inevitably start bonging or interfering with the steering. 

There are three stalks behind the steering wheel on the right-hand side – one is the gear selector, another operates the windscreen wipers, and the third controls the stereo. Because that latter is hidden behind the steering wheel it takes a moment to learn which buttons do what, but then it becomes second nature to use while keeping your eyes glued to the road.

The 12.3in digital driver's display offers clear and simple graphics. Some of our testers found they couldn’t see the top of the display when the steering wheel was positioned where they wanted it, but it’s dependent on your size and driving position, so check you’re happy before buying. 

In the middle of the dashboard sits a 12.0in portrait-oriented infotainment touchscreen, which we think is top drawer. It’s tilted towards the driver to make it easier to see and reach, and the software is ace: it responds swiftly to your prods and you don’t need Mensa membership to manage the menus. It’s a Google-based operating system and one of the best in the class, knocking spots off the sluggish systems you get in the Kia EV5 and MG S5. 

It also comes with plenty of standard features, including wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, in-built Google maps, voice activation and wireless phone charging. Range-topping Iconic Esprit Alpine trim includes a Harman Kardon sound system that provides plenty of punch and good quality audio.

Passenger & boot space

How it copes with people and clutter

How much space does it have for people?

The Renault Scenic is focused on serving families, so practicality is obviously a key attribute. To that end, there’s plenty of head and leg room in the front for two six-footers; it’s broad enough, too, although the Kia EV5 offers more interior width for those in the front to spread out their elbows. 

There’s ample storage as well, including long, deep, carpeted door bins (the carpet stops items rattling around), a roomy glovebox, cup holders, and a tray and cubby in the centre console. That’s also where the wireless charging pad lives, which we’ve written about before. 

What about the rear seats? Well, technically, the Scenic offers more rear leg room than an EV5’s, but you can’t get your feet under the Scenic’s front seats. You can in an EV5, which means its real-world leg room is better because your knees aren’t as bent, and you feel less cramped as a result. 

The Scenic's rear seat squab is also lower to the rear floor than the EV5’s; in the Scenic that places your knees much higher than your hips, which is neither a natural or relaxing seating position. That’s why, overall, taller adults will find the rear seats in the EV5 or an MG S5 a lot more comfortable. Both those rivals, along with the Tesla Model Y, also come with reclining rear backrests as standard – a feature that’s unavailable with the Scenic. 

The Scenic does have a flat rear floor, so it’s easy to slide across to the middle seat. The interior isn’t as broad as the EV5’s, though, so shoulder room is tighter if three large people are sitting side by side. 

If you’re trying to slot less substantial people into the rear seat – as in, toddlers into child seats – that’s more backbreaking than it is with the EV5. As we mentioned, the Scenic’s rear seats are much lower than the EV5’s so you have to bend lower to reach them. At least the Scenic’s rear doors open wide enough to get child seats through the door apertures.

There are neat touches, too, that help keep any kids onboard entertained. They include pockets stitched into the back of the front seats to hold smartphones, plus a couple of tablet holders built into the rear centre armrest, with two rear USB-C sockets to keep them all charged. 

How much room does it have for luggage?

The Scenic 545-litre boot is a decent size – enough to fit up to seven carry-on suitcases below the parcel shelf with the rear seats in place. But while that’s decent, bear in mind that a Kia EV5 can swallow eight cases, while a Tesla Model Y fits nine in its rear boot and one in its front boot. The Scenic, by the way, doesn’t have a front boot. 

When the Scenic’s tailgate is open there’s quite a drop from lower lip to the boot floor, which makes lifting heavy items in and out awkward. You can reduce that by optioning the height-adjustable boot floor and raising it to its upper position, which also takes away the step in the extended boot area when you fold down the Scenic’s 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats. Even without the optional height-adjustable boot floor, there’s more than enough underfloor storage space for the charging cables. 

Buying & owning

Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is

How much does it cost and what equipment do you get?

Where the Renault Scenic scores highly is its highly appealing list price. That’s partly down to Renault’s keen pricing and also to the Government. You see, every Scenic qualifies for the full Government electric car grant that amounts to a very handy £3750 saving. 

That brings the entry-level Techno trim’s price well below the starting price of rival electric SUVs, like the Kia EV5, Skoda Enyaq and Tesla Model Y. The MG S5 and Skoda Elroq are cheaper, but bear in mind any savings comes at the cost of a vastly inferior range compared with the Scenic. The Scenic is such good value for money that even the top-spec Iconic Esprit Alpine trim costs less than the cheapest EV5. 

The Scenic’s low list price also translates to a low P11D value, but every EV sits in the lowest company car tax band. And because the lowest band currently equates to a very small percentage of the car’s P11D value, a car with a higher P11D doesn’t necessarily make a noticeable difference to the benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax you’ll pay. However, that’s going to change. Over the next few years, the percentage of BIK you’ll pay for EVs is going to ramp up, meaning today’s small savings will become more significant down the line.

Accurately predicting resales values for EVs is challenging because the second-hand EV market is quite volatile right now. All we can tell you is that, at the time of writing, the Scenic was expected to depreciate slightly more in percentage terms than an EV5. As a result, it could cost you a little more on PCP finance, but that could change depending on what finance deals are being offered at the time. Make sure you compare quotes before buying. 

If you’ve read all of this review you’ll already know that we think entry-level Techno is the best option. It maximises the Scenic as a value proposition, while also offering a good spec (some of which we’ve discussed already), including 19in alloy wheels, two-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel, heated front seats, LED headlights, keyless entry, powered tailgate, rear privacy glass, front and rear parking sensors, rear-view camera, ambient lighting and an EV heat pump.

Mid-level Techno Esprit Alpine gets larger 20in alloy wheels, electrically operated sports front seats with a massaging function, and a fancier-looking interior featuring electric blue for the carpets and trim finishes.

The flagship Iconic Esprit Alpine trim adds an electrochromic panoramic glass roof, parking assist, 360-degree parking camera and a Harman Kardon sound system upgrade.

Is it reliable, and how long is the warranty?

The Renault Scenic didn’t feature in our latest What Car? Reliability Survey, but Renault as a brand finished 20th out of 30 in the manufacturer league table. Not great, then, and well down on rival brands including Citroen, Honda, Kia, Peugeot, Tesla and Toyota. Still, Renault finished higher than the likes of Ford, Nissan and VW, and much better than MG, which came dead last. 

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.

How safe is it, and is it easy to steal?

The Scenic was awarded the full five stars for safety when it was tested by Euro NCAP  in 2022. Dig in a little deeper, beyond the overall score, and there’s some nuances to consider, though. 

The Scenic offers great crash protection for kids in the back, but it's not as good as the Changan Deepal S05 or Tesla Model Y for adult occupancy protection.

All versions include automatic emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assistance, speed-limit warning, rear cross-traffic alert and traffic-sign recognition as standard.

Buy it if...

- You need a long range for a sensible price 
- You’re after a responsive and intuitive infotainment system
- You value a physical buttons and simple controls  

Don't it if...

- You want a quick charging rate
- You want the smartest interior for your buck  
- Straight-line pace is important to you

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