Renault Zoe review

You sit quite high up in the Zoe and the fact that the driver's seat can't be lowered will prove an irritation for taller drivers. However, there’s enough adjustment to the seat and steering wheel to allow most drivers to get comfortable. The view out of the front is largely unobstructed, but the rear pillars block some of the view when you’re looking over your shoulder. Happily, rear parking sensors are standard, while range-topping GT Line trim brings a rear-view camera.

Though it’s a small and comparatively cheap electric car, the Zoe masks this fact with a smart and high quality interior. Higher trim levels make use of a special fabric made from recycled materials (including old Renault seatbelts) to further lift the interior ambience.

Entry-level Play trim gives you a 7.0in infotainment touchscreen that’s located in the middle of the dash. It's reasonably intuitive to use, although the equivalent systems of some other electric cars, including the Volkswagen e-Golf, are more user-friendly. A DAB radio is standard, as are Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring.

Stepping up to Iconic trim adds sat-nav, while top-tier GT Line upgrades the screen to a 9.3in, portrait-oriented unit, adding a row of shortcut icons at the bottom to simplify operation. Its graphics are a little outdated, but at least the icons are large and easy to select on the go. Worth a mention, too, are the air-conditioning controls; they use physical rotary controls, rather than being infuriatingly hidden in an infotainment menu as is the case with many cars.

All trims also get a crisp 10.0in digital instrument display that shows your current speed and, on models with sat-nav, turn-by-turn instructions for safer, less distracted progress. You can also set the display to show a cute graphic of a leaf that grows and shrinks depending on how efficiently you’re driving, alongside detailed statistics about the battery’s performance.