Renault Twingo E-TECH

In 1993, Renault introduced a groundbreaking car. The first generation of the Twingo was a quirky and, above all, very cleverly designed car. Its design not only managed to put a smile on the faces of outsiders, its unusual shape also provided a lot of interior space. Moreover, the unique concept allowed the Twingo to be built and offered inexpensively. In the process, the savings were packaged in such a way that they were not perceived as shabby, but as style elements. This successful concept was used as the basis for the new all-electric Twingo.

The designers have given a new twist to the design of yesteryear. The proportions have remained almost the same, so the Twingo looks as friendly as before. However, the car has grown considerably. After all, electric drive is heavy and that requires bigger wheels (16 inches is standard, 18 inches is optional). Then, to stay in proportion, the whole car had to grow in all directions. The electric Twingo also has happy-looking headlights, which stick out above the bonnet like frog's eyes thanks to LED technology. Thanks to a subtle grille, which follows the curve of the car, it seems as if the Twingo is always smiling.

Hidden beneath the charming bodywork is a lot of innovation that should make the Twingo smarter, more efficient and cheaper. The first of these is the nose! In fact, the bonnet can only be opened by Renault mechanics. Therefore, no user-friendly release mechanism is required and no space is needed to put one's hand between the bonnet and the bodywork. This makes the Twingo more economical and improves its streamline. The first Twingo had three distinctive vents on the bonnet. In the electric Twingo, these serve as openings to refill the windscreen washer fluid, among other things.

Renault wanted to give the Twingo a slim rear end, but that would cause swirls behind the car. Therefore, "shark fins" have been placed on the tail lights to direct the wind straight back. Not only is this a fun style element, it provides several extra kilometres of range! To add to its cheerful character, the Twingo is available in bright, vibrant colours (although there is a black version for those who don't want to stand out). The orange colour shown here is the standard colour and therefore available at no extra cost.

Space

The original Twingo was a three-door car; this modern Twingo is a five-door. However, it is still a "monovolume" and not a typical hatchback. The difference is in the roomier design, with more space around the seats. Therefore, in the front, the Twingo is not only spacious, but this car even feels bigger than it is. The large steering wheel reinforces that suggestion. One unusual problem: the wing mirrors are insufficiently adjustable, so much of the mirror is filled with a view of the bodywork rather than the landscape behind the car. Because the wheels are placed at the extreme corners, maximum interior space is extracted from the modest exterior dimensions. Still, rear legroom is limited and headroom moderate.

To make up for this, the rear seat is on rails, so depending on the situation, one can opt for more legroom (17 cm) or more luggage space (from 260 litres to 360 litres). The passenger seat can be folded, allowing objects up to 2 metres to be transported in the Twingo. Also very practical: the door compartments and the storage compartment in the centre tunnel have high raised edges, so items don't just fall out (the manufacturer has learned from mistakes in the Renault 5, whose storage compartments are virtually unusable because of the low edges).

The boot is not particularly large (360 litres), but it is very cleverly arranged. There is an extra storage compartment (50 litres) under the loading floor for, for example, the charging cable. Very clever: the charging floor consists of two hinged parts, so the charging cable is accessible even when the boot is partially filled. In strategic places in the interior (including the boot), generic attachment points can be found that fit custom-made accessories. Think of a clothes hook, a shopping bag, a torch and a cable tie. In case this sounds familiar: the Twingo adopts the so-called "You Clip" system from sister brand Dacia and adds additional accessories.

Several Chinese brands now offer good and inexpensive electric cars. With the Twingo, Renault competes not only on price but also on character. The Twingo is at least as functional and sensible as its Chinese competitors, but adds a whole lot more character. That is in the exterior and the interior. The shapes in the cabin are playful, with the paint colour returning as decoration in several places. The seat upholstery has a patterned gradient for a dynamic look. The floor mats and roof feature a pattern of letters in the unique Twingo font.

Equipment

In order to offer the Twingo inexpensively, the platform of the Renault 4 and 5 was used as a basis. Even this small car therefore has a display (7 inches) instead of analogue clocks behind the steering wheel. At the centre of the dashboard is a larger display (10 inches) that uses Android Automotive as its operating system. Renault has added cheerful "graphics" and animations to match the car's character.

Depending on the version chosen, this offers two or hundreds of applications. The entry-level version offers only the ability to pair a smartphone via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. The more expensive version gives access to the Android operating system, including the ability to install applications from the Play Store. This works very well, but at the expense of privacy (read the terms and conditions!). When the Twingo goes into production, it will use a now vastly outdated and no longer supported version of Android (version 12). Renault promises that an update to Android version 14 (also outdated, but still supported by Google) will come in 2026.

The introduction to this review talks about the high standards a modern car must meet. This concerns not only exhaust emissions, but also safety. The Twingo is therefore equipped with the same active safety features as larger cars. Cameras watch along with the driver and warn when exceeding the speed limit or stripes on the road surface. Electronics warn of traffic from behind when getting out of the car and the Twingo can (partially) park itself automatically. Those who don't like all the interference can easily switch off the assistants.

Electric vehicle

The most expensive part of an electric car is the battery (about 30% of the cost price). To offer the Twingo economically, Renault chose a battery with a limited capacity (27.5 kWh) and low-cost cell chemistry. Unlike other electrically powered Renaults, the Twingo uses "LFP" (lithium iron phosphate) technology. An LFP battery is more economical to produce and does not need cooling or heating to function properly, although Renault does provide heating. As an added benefit, an LFP battery lasts longer and is less of a fire hazard than the more common lithium-ion ones. Nevertheless, Renault provides all batteries, including this one, with a connection for a fire hose ("firemen access" in jargon), so that a battery fire can be more easily extinguished.

The disadvantage of LFP is lower energy density, which is why the Twingo has a theoretical range of 263 km. Moreover, Renault's own battery factory in France does not supply LFP batteries. These are therefore sourced from China's CATL. Nevertheless, including emissions during production, the Twingo would already be less environmentally damaging than a small petrol-engined car after 35,000 km.

The electric motor delivers 82 hp / 175 Nm. Compared to a similar car with a petrol engine, this makes the Twingo fast, unprecedentedly smooth and improbably quiet. On the contrary, compared to other electric cars, the Twingo is tame. Renault chose this character to reduce consumption. To make driving more economical (and easier!), four steps can be used to determine how much energy is recovered when releasing the accelerator. Single-pedal driving (quickly releasing the throttle is then equivalent to braking) is also possible. This system can be operated so intuitively that even drivers used to cars with combustion engines can easily use "one pedal drive". Very confusing are the many levers to the right of the steering wheel, which more than once caused the windscreen wipers to be switched on, when the intention was to drive in reverse. Moreover, the automatic has no "park". It activates automatically, but by no means always when the driver wants it to. During a test on a simple route and under favourable weather conditions, test consumption was 12.1 kWh / 100 km (actual range: 248 km). Using eco mode, consumption even dropped to 10.5 kWh / 100 km, which is spectacularly low (again: easy route, low speed, favourable weather).

The Twingo can charge at a public charge point at either 6.6 kW or 11 kW. At a fast charger, the Twingo can charge at up to 50 kW. These speeds are in good proportion to the battery capacity and charging from 10% to 80% would therefore theoretically take just 30 minutes. Depending on the version chosen, the Twingo can supply power to electrical devices ("V2L" for "vehicle to load") or even feed power back to the grid ("V2G" for "vehicle to grid").

Driving behaviour

The Twingo may be on the same platform as the sublimely handling Renaults 4 and 5, but the chassis of those models has not been adopted for reasons of cost. Instead, the Twingo shares the (rear) suspension with the Renault Captur. Not only in its drive, but also in its handling, the Twingo is therefore less lively than its looks suggest. The Twingo drives like any other electric car and is therefore very mature despite its low price and compact dimensions. Even on bad road surfaces, comfort remains good. In tricky situations (sudden change of direction, ledges between road sections, poor road surface), the Twingo behaves exemplarily. There is no noise sound from the electric motor and other driving noises are also limited. With that, the Twingo beats other small cars and is a giant leap forward compared to a small combustion engine car.

Conclusion

Renault is doing well! Lots of brands promise a small, cheap electric car, but only the Chinese newcomers are delivering so far. Renault has therefore set up its own knowledge centre in China and copied the art of super-fast development. Within two years and at 80% of the usual cost, the Renault Twingo Electric was developed.

The result is a car that convinces with much more than just its low price. And with that, Renault even offers more than its Chinese competitors! Apart from modern technology and European-oriented ergonomics, the Twingo also offers a lot of character. Using the first generation of the Twingo as a starting point, this electric car even exudes positive energy.