Renault 5 E-Tech electric to be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show 2024

30 November 2023

Renault has launched a teaser campaign to showcase some of the new, cutting-edge capabilities of the Renault 5 E-Tech to the general public. The new Renault 5 E-Tech electric has been scheduled to debut at the Geneva International Motor Show in February 2024.

The Renault 5 E-Tech electric will be revealed on 26 February at the 2024 Geneva International Motor Show, with a 52 kWh battery delivering up to 248 miles (WLTP) of driving range. First deliveries in the UK won’t be until early 2025.

The first-generation Renault 5 was launched in 1972 and was in production until 1985. It measured 3,521 mm in length, and Renault has tried to keep the new 5 E-Tech electric within similar city car dimensions, at 3,920 mm long. We’re betting that the new EV won’t be as light as the original Renault 5, which weighed just 730–810 kg. However, in keeping with the city car ethos, Renault says that the new car will be affordable.

The overall shape of the Renault 5 E-Tech electric reflects the appearance of the original Renault 5, including various design details, many of which have a modern twist. For example, the original Renault 5 featured an air intake on the bonnet; this has been replaced on the EV by a charge indicator which lights up in the shape of the number ‘5’ when the vehicle is fully charged.

The headlights include a mark in the centre of the lens which resembles the pupil of the human eye, and the vertical rear lights extend the side panel which helps to improve the aerodynamic performance of the R5 by preventing air turbulence.

Even the Renault 5 Turbo ‘hot hatch’ provides design inspiration in the form of the 5 E-Tech electric’s prominent wheel arches.

The EV’s styling creates the expectation that this will be a sporty car to drive; hopefully the engineering will make this a reality, as the 5 E-Tech electric is the first car to be built on the new ‘AmpR Small platform’, which features multi-link rear suspension, which is rarely found in a city car.

Renault also claims that the Renault 5 E-Tech electric will be the first production vehicle to feature V2G (vehicle to grid) technology, although EVs such as the Nissan LEAF have already successfully used V2G. Thanks to its bidirectional onboard charger, this technology will allow Renault 5 E-Tech electric drivers to charge their car when electricity demand is low and therefore prices are cheap, typically during the night, and to sell electricity back to the grid when prices are high, usually at peak times in the early evening. This will allow owners to save money on electricity costs.

The Renault 5 E-Tech electric features ‘Reno, Renault's official avatar – a next-generation humanised co-driver’.