The Renault 5 E-Tech electric versus its rivals: is it too expensive at €25,000?

“It will never work at this price” ; these are the type of reactions that we can read here and there on the Internet, following the presentation of the Renault 5 E-Tech electric. Of course, it will cost significantly more than its ancestor, but the new R5 is still much more competitive than one might think. It must be said that the price of new cars has increased significantly in recent years, which now places a car sold for €25,000 in the category of affordable models, a fortiori in electric.

What prices for the Renault 5 E-Tech electric?

We do not yet know the exact prices of the Renault 5 E-Tech electric. However, we know that its initial price will be set at around €25,000 and that the ecological bonus, currently €4,000 (€7,000 for the lowest-income households), will help soften the bill.

At this price, the small Renault will offer a 40 kWh battery for a range announced at 300 km in the WLTP cycle. It will also make do with a 70 kW (95 hp) engine and will do away with fast charging, which the more powerful versions will benefit from.

There remains the question of the price of the high-end versions, in particular those equipped with the 52 kWh battery, which promises 400 km of WLTP autonomy.

Traditional versatile electric city cars: much more expensive, but also better equipped

Remember that the new electric Renault 5 replaces the more classic Zoe E-Tech city car in the range. It marks a very significant drop in price compared to its predecessor, which was sold from €35,100 excluding bonuses. The Zoe, however, was equipped as standard with a 52 kWh battery and an 80 kW (109 hp) motor.

Other versatile electric city cars are often sold at prices similar to the Zoe. For example, you have to count from €33,080 for a Peugeot e-208, or €32,900 for its Opel Corsa Electric cousin. Here again, they partly compensate for the price difference with the R5 thanks to a more flattering technical sheet at the entry level. The e-208 thus offers 363 km of autonomy and the Corsa Electric 356 km. They also automatically receive a 100 kW (136 hp) electric motor and fast charging at 100 kW.

Finally, if the new Renault 5 E-Tech electric seems well on its way to overshadowing the old electric city cars that are stars of the market, a lot will depend on the price of its more comparable high-end versions. The R5 is also around fifteen centimeters more compact, which has a significant impact on its habitability and trunk volume. The future electric Renault 4 will have the task of remedying this.

Chic electric city cars: much more elitist prices

Thanks to its original neo-retro style, the Renault 5 E-Tech electric will be able to play in the lands of the Fiat 500e and Mini Cooper Electric. The first is not as expensive as you might think, since it starts at €30,400 excluding bonuses. However, at this price, the Fiat 500e makes do with a small battery which only gives it 190 km of autonomy. The superior version, which has a range of 320 km, is sold from €33,900.

Prices for the Mini Cooper Electric start at €34,000 and its production in China does not allow it to access the ecological bonus in France.

The R5 therefore seems much more affordable. Its limited practical aspects will not be a fault compared to the Fiat 500e and Mini Cooper Electric either. The slightly disappointing finishes of the Renault may, however, disappoint the most demanding customers.

The new electric Lancia Ypsilon will also be much more expensive than the Renault 5.

The Citroën ë-C3: an even more affordable electric city car

The main rival of the Renault 5 E-Tech electric at its launch will certainly be the Citroën ë-C3. And for good reason ; it is sold even cheaper, starting at €23,300 excluding bonuses only. This is what allows it to overshadow the Dacia Spring, too outdated to be compared to the R5 and which is no longer entitled to the ecological bonus in France.

However, unlike Renault with its R5, Citroën did not start from scratch to develop its affordable electric city car. The ë-C3 thus shares part of its development with its counterpart sold in India, in particular. We will have to wait for the first tests to get an idea of ​​the road behavior of the model, which we hope will meet European standards.

Compared to the R5, the ë-C3 should mark time in on-board technology. The Renault should in fact be more modern, thanks among other things to its interface based on Android Automotive OS. On the other hand, despite its lower price, the Citroën ë-C3 is automatically equipped with an 83 kW (113 hp) engine and fast charging at 100 kW.

For an equivalent version, we must therefore expect the Renault 5 E-tech electric to be more expensive than the Citroën ë-C3, perhaps with services a notch above. One thing is certain, the two models look like future bestsellers and ultimately quite complementary offers.

Its future rivals are numerous

If the Renault 5 E-Tech electric therefore defends itself very well against the electric city cars already present on the market, it will also have to face a wave of new arrivals. The Citroën ë-C3 should, for example, be joined by a technical cousin within the Stellantis group: the future electric Fiat Panda. Hyundai will also attack this market this year with an electric SUV, shorter than the R5. MG should present an affordable electric city car at the end of 2025 about which little is still known. Volkswagen wants to offer an electric car at €25,000 excluding bonuses to follow up on the ID concept. 2all, expected in 2026, and Dacia is preparing an electric version of its Sandero, even if the latter is not expected until 2027/2028.