ELECTRIC Renault 5 heading for production – and it’ll cost under £20k

The Renault 5 EV Prototype is heading for production, although not until 2024, with a new platform and a target price under £20k.

When Renault revealed the new electric Renault 5 Prototype at the start of the year, it was hard to believe it was just a punt at a future EV, rather than a car with production intent, as it seemed to hit a rich vein of retro-modern style and promised much.

To no one’s great surprise, Renault has now announced that the Electric 5 will go into production as part of its plans to deliver 14 new models by 2025 – seven of which will be EVs – and arrive in 2024. So a bit of a wait then.

When it does arrive, the Electric 5 will use new nickel, manganese and cobalt (NCM) batteries which, say Renault, will drastically reduce the overall battery cost and deliver a range of around 250 miles, 134bhp from its electric motor and be underpinned by a new CMF-BEV Platform designed for compact EVs.

That reduction in battery cost is key to the expected affordability of the new 5, with Renault saying it will be around 30 per cent less expensive than the Zoe, meaning it should start at sub-£20k.