2019 Renault ZOE EV – now with 242-mile range

The 2019 Renault ZOE gets a bigger battery – 52kWh – and a range of 242 miles as Renault updates its electric car to compete against newer rivals.

The Renault ZOE has been a round for as long as almost any other electric car, and it’s changed little in the looks department although it has seen its battery size increase from just 22kWH originally to the current 40kWh. 

Renault clearly believes that’s the right way to go to keep the ZOE relevant to the market, so this 2019 updated for the ZOE sees more of the same thinking.

That means the arrival of a new bigger battery pack of 52kWh, increasing the ZOE’s range to 242 miles, a battery which will take more than nine hours to charge at home even with a wallbox, but which is able to use a 50kW DC fast charger to grab around 100 miles in half an hour.

With the bigger battery comes a more powerful motor, this one with 134bhp and able to get the ZOE to 62mph in 10.0 seconds, although buyers will be able to opt for the current model’s 107bhp motor if they wish.

Exterior changes to the ZOE are hard to spot, but there is a new front bumper, new headlights and some extra chrome, although the changes are more obvious inside.

They include a re-designed centre console, new 9.3″ infotainment screen, new electronic gear lever, wireless phone charging, ‘Easy Connect’ functions and new safety systems like Blind Spot, Hill Hold and Traffic Sign recognition.