Renault Zoe Van review

The Renault Zoe Van is small, agile, nippy - and whether you have a full or empty loadspace makes next to no difference to how that.

The electric motor provides instant torque, giving a sensation of pace up to about 30mph, while the regenerative braking is unobtrusive until you engage the most severe ‘B mode’, at which point you have to learn to drive with the substantial stopping force in mind. The regular ‘D mode’ setting is a more suitable mode for most driving.

However, although the Renault Zoe Van is fun to drive it doesn’t quite have the same charm as the Ford Fiesta Van. It has a fair amount of roll into the corners for a vehicle with a low centre of gravity thanks to the weight of that 50kWh battery pack. The ride is smooth, though and the driving manners are always reassuring.

It’s also noticeably quiet, especially if you are used to an older diesel. The whine of the electric motor is easy to acclimatise to, after which you will only likely notice the roar of the road from the tyres.

The claimed range you can extract from a Zoe is probably optimistic in everyday use, but with careful acceleration you can get within 80% comfortably. However, if you drive with a heavy right foot then the indicated range soon plummets.