Renault has brought back the Twingo nameplate, putting it on a five-door electric hatchback this time around.
The original car came out in 1992 and went through three generations before bowing out of production in 2024. Its successor runs on the same AmpR Small architecture as the Renault 4 and 5, just slightly downsized. It uses a single front-axle motor to drive the wheels with 82 PS (81 hp / 60 kW) and 175 Nm (129 lb-ft) of torque.
Outfitted like this, the city hatch needs 12.1 seconds to get to 100 km/h (62 mph) and doesn’t go beyond 130 km/h (80 mph). Its 27.5-kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack gives it up to 262 km (162 miles) of range, and larger options don’t exist. Charging current peaks at 50 kW.
Coming in at 3,790 mm (148 inches) long with 2,490 mm (97.3 inches) between the axles, the Renault Twingo EV tips the scales at 1,200 kilograms (2,645 lbs). It has a four-seat cabin with rear seats that can be pushed forward or backwards by up to 170 mm (6.6 inches) for an optimum tradeoff between legroom and luggage room. The minimum trunk size isn’t anything to write home about at 360 liters (12.7 cubic feet), but it goes up to 1,000 liters (35.3 cubic feet) with the rear seats folded down.
The interior sports body-matching color accents and houses a 7-inch digital dash display next to a 10-inch infotainment touchscreen. The drive mode stalk sits to the right of the steering column and has RGB backlight, meaning you can customize the color of the light. The voice assistance feature now has a graphic avatar called Reno.
The base trim level includes climate control, cruise control, an audio system, Type-C charging ports and power-assisted front windows. The rear windows can’t be lowered – all you can do is open them slightly to one side and use a provided latch to fix them in place.
All prices are pending. Renault promised us a sub-€20,000 EV, so let’s hope this is it.
