Renault 5 electric hatchback to offer 2 battery sizes at launch

PARIS -- Renault will offer two battery sizes on the coming Renault 5 small EV with a maximum range of 400 km (250 miles) when it is launched next year at a starting price of about 25,000 euros, the company said.

The Renault 5 is a crucial model for the brand. It will replace the long-running Zoe in its lineup and will be its least-expensive battery-electric vehicle. After first appearing in public as a concept at the 2021 Munich auto show, it will be revealed in production form at the 2024 Geneva auto show on Feb. 26.

The first deliveries are scheduled for next autumn, Renault said Thursday. 

The base model will have a 40-kilowatt-hour battery – Renault did not release the range – and higher-end versions will have a 52-kWh battery with “up to” 400 km range on the WLTP mixed cycle. 

Renault has not said which battery chemistry will be used, but inexpensive EVs such as the coming Citroen New e-C3 and the new electric Renault Twingo will use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries rather than costlier – but more energy-dense -- nickel manganese cobalt (NMC).

The Renault 5’s design recalls the original model, which remained in production from the early 1970s to the mid-1990s.

Renault on Thursday released photos of the model's "5" logo, available in blue, green or yellow, and several details, including headlights that resemble the human eye, a charge indicator in the shape of the number 5, flared wheel arches and vertical rear lights that Renault says buffer air turbulence, aiding aerodynamics.

The Renault 5 will be much cheaper than small EVs now on the market in Europe such as the Opel Corsa-e and Peugeot e-208, which start in the mid-30,000-euro range -- but it will face immediate competition from the New e-C3, which starts at 23,300 euros.

Other inexpensive small and minicar-size EVs include the China-built Dacia Spring, due for a major upgrade next year; the Renault Twingo, due in 2026 at under 20,000 euros; a short-range version of the New e-C3, also under 20,000 euros; several models from Volkswagen Group, including the ID2; and a successor to the Fiat Panda, a sibling to the New e-C3, due in 2024.

The Renault 5 will be built in Douai, France, along with two sibling models: the Alpine A290, a high-performance version, and the next Nissan Micra. Renault Group executives say they are aiming for a production time of just 10 hours as part of an effort to cut costs. Like other Renault Group EVs, the Renault 5's development and production are part of Ampere, the group's electric spin-off.