GIMS 2024: Renault 5 E-Tech Electric Makes Global Debut

The Renault 5 has made a comeback after almost 28 years, but this time it's back in an electric avatar called the Renault E-Tech electric. Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Renault has made an electric version of the 5 hatchback, a limited-run model was introduced in 1974 which had a claimed range of 110 km.

Renault will build the 5 E-Tech electric and its battery from mid-2025 onwards at its Douai plant in France. This was also one of the production facilities of the original Renault 5. Renault will build the electric motors and the components at the Cléon facility in France. 

The 5 E-Tech electric’s motor is based on the electric motors powering the Megane E-Tech electric and Scenic E-Tech electric but is smaller in size. The motor comes in three states of tune – 94 bhp and 215 Nm, 121 bhp and 225 Nm, and 148 bhp and 245 Nm – and Renault says the motor does not use any permanent magnets but instead uses Renault’s wound rotor synchronous technology. 

Renault will use two battery packs on the 5 E-Tech electric. The smaller, 40 kWh battery will have a claimed range of up to 300 km (WLTP) and the larger, 52 kWh battery has a claimed range of up to 400 km (WLTP). The 5 E-Tech supports 11 kW AC, 80 kW DC and 100 kW DC charging but the 94 bhp variant only supports unidirectional 11 kW AC charging. The 121 bhp and 148 bhp variants support bidirectional 11 kW AC charging, as they also support V2L (vehicle-to-load) and V2G (vehicle-to-grid) functionality. Furthermore, the 80 kW DC fast charging support is exclusive to the 121 bhp variant, while the 100 kW DC support is solely available on the 148 bhp version. 

The 5 E-Tech electric measures 3,920 mm, 1,770 mm, and 1,550 mm in length, width and height, respectively, and has a wheelbase of 2,540 mm and ground clearance of 1,450 mm. Furthermore, the 5 E-Tech electric also has a boot space of 326 litres and weighs up to 1,450 kg (depending on the variant). The electric hatchback is based on Ampere’s, Renault’s EV subsidiary, new AmpR Small dedicated EV platform. 

To keep the car true to its iconic roots, Renault has used a similar boxy-looking design as the hatchback from the 1970s. The split headlamp design’s upper half has a boomerang-like design and also houses a small French flag. The lower half of the headlamps square LED DRLs and the lower portion of the bumper houses the ADAS sensors. The charging port is housed on the left front fender. 

At the back, the new 5 E-Tech electric also has vertically-stacked taillamps, like the original Renault 5. The iconic horizontal louvres have now been integrated into the taillamps itself. To make the new 5 look similar to its three-door-only predecessor, Renault has hidden the rear door handles in the C-pilar. However, not all iconic Renault 5 design cues have been carried over as the new electric version doesn’t get the square-ish rear wheel arches. 

Inside, the Renault 5 E-Tech electric features a twin-screen layout with a 10.1-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen. In between the two displays, Renault has placed the start/stop button for the 5 E-Tech. It also gets a steering column-mounted drive selector that can also be customised. 

Renault has also used many 3D printed elements inside the 5 E-Tech electric. These include the centre console storage and its respective lid as well as many clip-on accessories like a small basket to hold a baguette.