The Renault 5 E-Tech electric, the modern reinvention of the iconic original, has won one of the industry’s ultimate accolades after being named Top Gear's Car of the Year for 2024.
Jack Rix, editor of TopGear.com said: “To people over 50, the original 5 is a memory bathed in golden sunlight, but to anyone younger it probably means little. So, the new Renault 5 had to be an attractive and appealing car in itself. And it is, both to look at and as a detailed and quality object.
“Like the first 5 in 1972, it marks a pivot from one world era to another, and Renault feels like a company revived. When a car has been made by people who love it, it shows.”
Arriving in Irish dealer showroom from early in 2025, the new Renault 5 E-Tech electric is priced from just €25,995 including incentives, rising to €32,995 for the higher spec.
Built on the AmpR Small platform, the new R5 will be available with two lithium-ion batteries. The biggest, which will be the only one available at market launch, has a capacity of 52kWh and a range of up to 400km (WLTP ). The second has a capacity of 40kWh for a range of up to 300km (WLTP ).
The 110kW motor is paired with the 52kWh battery, while the 90kW motor is paired with the 40kWh battery. The former will be available at launch, with the other following at a later date. For the 110kW version, the Renault 5 E-Tech electric accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in under eight seconds.
The Renault 5 E-Tech electric will be the first in a long series of cars from the brand to be fitted with the new 11kW AC bidirectional charger featuring V2L (vehicle-to-load ) for connecting a device to the vehicle battery and V2G (vehicle-to-grid ) for feeding electricity back into the grid and saving on home charging.
This 11kW AC bidirectional charger will be operational on both the 110kW and 90kW versions. With an 11kW AC charging point, the 52kWh battery will take 4 hours 30 minutes to charge from 10 to 100 per cent. The 40kWh battery will take an hour less.
For DC fast charging, the 110kW powertrain has a 100kW DC socket to charge the 52kWh battery. The 90kW powertrain is equipped with an 80kW DC socket to charge the 40kWh battery. In both cases, it will take just 30 minutes to charge the battery from 15 to 80 per cent.
The award winning OpenR Link multimedia system with Google built-in has proved hugely popular since its launch on the Megane E-Tech electric. This takes centre stage on the 10-inch digital instrument panel of Renault 5 E-Tech electric, providing access to Google Maps, Google Assistant and a host of apps (50 or more depending version ) via the Google Play catalogue.
