Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric - our early review!

• Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric early review
• Arrives officially later in 2026
• Compact electric hatchback with a surprisingly roomy interior
• Sliding rear seats add to practicality
• Charming styling
• Limited range of up to 163 miles

It's back! The Renault Twingo is braced for its electric revival - and we've driven it ahead of a UK launch later this year. 

Renault is on a roll when it comes to developing quirky electric cars that give a nod to its heritage – just look at the striking new Renault 5 and Renault 4.

Now we get all-new Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric, a battery powered, five-door, four-seater that’s big on charm and refreshingly different. 

It’s typically French and should be very kind on the pocket too. 

Here's our early review.  

What is the Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric?

The first-generation three-door Twingo launched back in 1992 and radically changed the A segment with its cheerful vision of what a city car should be like. 

Fast forward to 2026 and we get the five-door Twingo E-Tech featuring a compact 27.5kWh battery that powers an 80bhp front axle-mounted motor and offering a driving range of up to 163 miles – that’s more than ample for city dwellers with the average UK commute recorded as less than 20 miles per day.

This cleverly packaged five-door city car oozes French flair, has plenty of in-built technology to explore and is a delight to drive. The designers have made clever use of the limited cabin space and rumour has it, the asking price will be considerably less than £20k.

And it holds the record for being the fastest developed model in Renault’s history, taking 100 weeks between kick-off and final production, twice as fast as previous electric vehicles. But it still meet’s the company’s high-quality standards.

There will be two well-equipped trims to choose from called Evolution and Techno, with a multitude of optional packs so customers can put their personal stamp on the vehicle.

And the best news of all, we had the chance of an early drive in the charming Twingo E-Tech, albeit in left-hand drive guise and wearing French number plates.

Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric pros and cons

Pros: 

• Cute and quirky styling
• Attractive pricing
• Easy to drive
• Simple yet intuitive infotainment system
• Deceptively spacious
• The pair of rear seats can slide individually

Cons: 

• Only sold with four seats
• Limited range
• Not particularly quick
• Gets noisy at higher speeds
• Restricted rear head room

Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric - first impressions

First impressions count and the all-new Renault Twingo E-Tech cannot fail to impress with its blend of retro and modern styling cues. 

There are clear nods to the original Twingo with its playful, expressive front end featuring distinctive and expressive lighting signatures that are a reinterpretation of the car from the 90s, but with a modern twist thanks to the circular display of LED headlights that look like eyes and a smiling front grille that creates a welcoming face-like appearance. 

Other head-turning features include, black cladding, rear privacy glass, Renault and TWINGO badging, a shark fin antenna, gloss black central pillars, plus 18-inch black diamond cut alloy wheels. 

It’s great to hear that the Twingo will be available in a choice of bright colours, such as Absolute Green, Mango Yellow or Absolute Red, the shade of our test car.

What are the Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric's key features?

Don’t let the competitive price fool you – the Twingo E-Tech comes fully loaded when it comes to equipment levels featuring all the mod cons we demand these days.

UK specification is yet to be fully confirmed, but with that in mind, and looking at the French specification, there is a 10.1-inch multimedia system complete with sat nav, Google built-in and a Renault avatar with ChatGPT. Creature comforts include wireless smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a six-speaker sound system, seven-inch driver display, automatic air conditioning and USB-C ports to keep devices charged and connected on the move.

And in a typically French fashion, you get a Jean-Michel Jarre welcome soundtrack.

The range-topping Techno trim, compared to the French specification Evolution version, gains 18-inch wheels, built-in Google Maps with Google Voice Assistant, automatic air conditioning, a reversing camera, plus a one-pedal driving function.

What battery and range does the Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric have?

The Renault Twingo E-Tech features a 27.5kWh battery pack that can deliver 163 miles under WLTP testing. 

How does the Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric drive and handle?

The Renault Twingo E-Tech features a 27.5kWh battery powering an 82hp electric motor with 175Nm of torque. 

It can reach 62mph from a standing start in 12.1 seconds and has a top speed of 81mph, which is just about fine for a vehicle that will predominantly be driven in busy towns and cities, but has the capability and the 163-mile range to venture further too.

The front-wheel drive car is fabulous around town with its 9.87-metre turning circle making very light work of parking. 

The driver visibility impresses as does the quick burst of acceleration when needed. It’s no hot hatch obviously, but there is ample power on tap to overtake cyclists or slow-moving traffic with ease.

It’s composed on the open road with bundles of grip so will fizz through twists and turns with ease – it’s just great fun to drive and you can almost imagine the smile-like grille stretching wider as it tackles each corner with ease.

It’s also fine on a motorway or dual carriageway, although the road surface and wind noise do become more noticeable, and that quite-limited range will drop like a stone at higher speeds. 

Drive modes are virtually non-existent, although there is an Eco button that takes the edge off the power a little. But there are steering wheel paddles to adjust the strength of the regenerative braking, along with a single-pedal setting on top-spec Techno trim and that will bring the car to a complete standstill without touching the brake pedal.

How fast can the Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric charge?

The full charging capabilities of the Twingo E-Tech have not yet been fully confirmed, but it’s likely a 15 to 100 per cent boost via a 100kW DC charging point will take 30 minutes, while charging from 10 to 100 per cent via a 7.4kW wallbox takes 4 hours, 5 minutes. 

If using an 11kW point the time drops to 2 hours, 35 minutes.

The My Renault app offers remote control of charging, pre-heating, maintenance and lots more besides.

What are the day-to-day running costs with the Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric?

While any official prices are yet to be announced, we have been reliably informed that the new Renault Twingo E-Tech will likely cost well below £20k at launch later this year. Additionally, it should qualify for the Electric Car Grant as it is built in Slovenia.

With such an attractive asking price, there will be no concerns about the Expensive Car Supplement which is only applied to models exceeding the government’s £50k threshold. But owners will have to pay road tax, albeit just £10 for the first year and increasing to the standard £200 fee after 12 months.

If anyone is looking to run the Twingo E-Tech as a business car, it will come with an attractive Benefit in Kind rating of just four per cent and, although it’s yet to be announced, insurance costings should be low too.

Further savings can be made by looking at charging options. While it is sometimes necessary to power up on the move, it is far kinder on the pocket to use a home or work-based wallbox, especially if you can negotiate a more cost-effective off-peak tariff with your energy supplier.

The vehicle will be sold with Renault’s three-year, 100,000-mile warranty package, increasing to eight years for the battery.

What's the interior of the Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric like?

The Twingo E-Tech certainly boasts a cheery interior with colour-coordinated finishes and lots of fun, funky touches such as the Twingo alphabet in the rooflining, plus a customisable e-pop shifter shaped like a lipstick.

The seats are upholstered in a mottled textile material with grey to black gradient along with black and white piping. The steering wheel also has a black perforated wrap, while the light grey headliner features the Twingo alphabet.

There is a body-coloured cylindrical dashboard and a 10.1-inch multi-media system with navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone link-up, a six-speaker Arkamys sound system and ChatGPT featuring Reno the Renault avatar.

The OpenR Link with Google built-in offers users access to a wide range of Google services such as Google Maps, the Google assistant, a whole host of apps, plus the Google Play catalogue.

A 7.1-inch display clearly shows the main driving data, including speed and existing range and the there is a separate panel to access the climate settings.

The seats are manually adjusted, but it’s simple enough to find a comfortable driving position, and our test car featured heated seats for added convenience.

Overall, it’s a thoroughly bright and pleasant place to be and every journey begins with that typically French welcome jingle.

How practical is the Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric and how big is the boot?

The Renault Twingo E-Tech is a compact city car that’s actually deceptively spacious inside. It’s measures just 3,789mm in length, 1,720mm across, 1,491mm tall and has a 2,493mm wheelbase. 

Unlike the original Twingo, which was three-door, new Twingo E-Tech offers the added flexibility of five doors and the interior is surprisingly roomy. 

There is bundles of space for a couple of six footers up front and even the rear passengers are treated to generous levels of legroom provided the front seats are not pushed right back. 

The pair of rear seats can be tilted or moved back and forth individually for added flexibility and the only concern would be for any taller teens or adults who may find their hair brushing against the headlining, but otherwise, the back of this modern-day Twingo is a comfy place to be. 

The boot is accessed via a manual tailgate and with all seats in an upright position, it can hold 360 litres of kit (260 litres with the rear seats pushed right back) – that may not sound much, but it’s ample room for the weekly supermarket run. If more space is needed, the pair of rear seats can be dropped individually increasing the maximum storage capacity to 1,010 litres with a 50-litre area beneath the boot floor.

Additionally, there is a further 19 litres of storage space thanks to compartments scattered throughout the cabin and these include a 3.6-litre central console, relatively narrow door bins, rear seat pockets, a glovebox, front cup holders and some handy trays.

And this clever little city car also boasts Vehicle-to-Load capabilities meaning it can power up external appliances such as laptops, BBQs, camp lights and e-Scooters.

How safe is the Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric?

While the new Renault Twingo E-Tech is yet to be assessed for its Euro NCAP safety rating, it does boast a raft of safety features along with 24 advanced driver assistance systems to help protect occupants and other road users alike.

Safety features include automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist with lane departure warning, front detection with emergency lane keeping assist, distance warning, hill start assist, a driver monitor, traffic sign recognition with speed alert, automatic high/low beam, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, a speed limiter, alongside a parking and safety pack that incudes rear cross traffic alert, rear detection with emergency lane keep assist, rear automatic emergency braking, occupant safe exit alert, front and side parking sensors, plus hands-free parking.

Additionally, to provide support for drivers and reduce the risk of accidents, Twingo E-tech electric features two extra safety aids called Safety Score and Safety Coach (winner of the 2024 Road Safety Innovation Award). Safety Score assesses driving style by analysing data relating to speed, lane keeping, distance keeping and vigilance and then at the end of each journey, it displays a Safety Score between 0 and 100. Meanwhile the Safety Coach provides personalised tips on improving your driving style in a safe manner.

Can I choose optional extras with the Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric?

Final details and specifications are yet to be announced, but there will be all manner of ways to put your own individual stamp on the Twingo via some funky options. 

These include a hands-free key card case, Alphabet centre console mats, an Alphabet e-pop shifter, a smartphone cable organiser, hook and lamp for rear seat passengers to clip onto the seat back, a retractable luggage cover, Twingo illuminated door sills, a large boot tray with divider, Alphabet premium floor mats, a Twingo foldable shopping bag, a centre console lid and a small storage box.

What are the main rivals to the Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric?

There are a number of attractively-priced electric city cars that will be competing against the Renault Twingo E-Tech for sales. These include theDacia Spring, Leapmotor T03, Citroen e-C3, Fiat 500e, BYD Dolphin Surf and the recently launched Honda Super-N to name just a few.

^{(Our author Maxine Ashford behind the wheel of the Renault Twingo)}

What’s the final verdict on the Renault Twingo E-Tech Electric?

Prices for electric cars have tumbled in recent years thanks in the main to the influx of Chinese models with bargain-basement price-tags. And that’s great news for the consumer looking for outstanding value for money. Factor in the government’s Electric Car Grant and owning an EV becomes all the more manageable.

The Twingo E-Tech follows hot on the heels of the Renault 4 and 5 models, which have scooped a wealth of global and consumer awards between them, and the latest arrival is likely to be just as successful, if not more so.

 The original Twingo was a complete success story for Renault selling more than 4.1 million units in 25 countries. And now we have the fully modernised, electrically-powered model that boasts fun and funky styling, is packed with all the creature comforts we all need these days, has an okay-ish driving range and it won’t break the bank.

It’s certainly one to watch for 2026 and beyond.

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