Renault Zoe

The new Renault Zoe E-Tech is a great combination of low price and high range

Overview

The Renault Zoe E-Tech is the latest version of this ever-popular electric car. It’s been on UK roads for ages and is now a common sight.

The Zoe continues to stand out: it’s small, nippy, fun to drive, and easy to handle.

It can fit 5 people – despite its diminutive size – and even has 5 doors (those rear handles are cleverly disguised).

Not sure about electric motoring? Get a second-hand Zoe, or lease a new one, and find out what it’s all about – you won’t regret it.

Our quick-fire review below analyses key EV facts and figures for the Zoe E-Tech, such as battery range, charging times and costs, top speed, acceleration, dimensions, efficiency v. petrol/diesel, and much more.

Renault Zoe Price, Trims & Variants

The price of the Renault Zoe starts at £29,995 for the base Techno R135 trim, and goes up to £31,995 for the top spec Techno R135 Boost Charge trim. Here are all the variants:

Batteries & Range

How far can you drive on a full charge of the battery in the Renault Zoe? In ideal conditions, you should be able to achieve the official ‘WLTP’ range in miles. However in winter, for example, electric car batteries don’t perform as well, and actual range will be lower.

This table shows both the more optimistic WLTP range, and a rough, more likely ‘average’ range for the various versions of the Zoe:

Efficiency

We are all used to ‘miles per gallon’ of petrol or diesel when thinking about efficiency in traditional cars. With EVs, you need to replace ‘gallon’ with ‘kWh’. 1 kWh = 1 unit of electricity. So the ‘miles per kWh’ measure tells you how many miles you can go on 1 kWh of electricity – the higher the number the better.

Here’s data for the Renault Zoe, together with an equivalent in miles per gallon (yes, electric cars really are that efficient!):

Charging Times & Costs

If you have off-street parking, the best and cheapest place to charge your Renault Zoe is at home. Depending on your home energy tariff, you’ll either charge at a standard flat rate or at a lower off-peak rate. The 0-100% charge times below are a ‘worst case’ scenario – typically you will charge 1-2 hours a day, or maybe go for a longer charge on just a couple of days a week.

Charging at Home on an Off-peak rate of 10p per kWh

Charging at Home on a Peak rate of 34p per kWh

When you’re on a trip, you can get a quick boost at a rapid charger. These vary in terms of charging speed and you are also limited by the Zoe’s maximum charging rate. Take the 10-80% charging times with a pinch of salt – the charging rate will gradually decrease and times are often longer.

Charging in Public at a 50 kW Rapid Charger at a rate of 50p per kWh

Charging in Public at a 150 kW Rapid Charger at a rate of 60p per kWh

Charging in Public at a 350 kW Rapid Charger at a rate of 70p per kWh

Performance

The Renault Zoe, like all pure electric cars, has its wheels turned by one or more electric motors. The motors themselves are powered by a lithium-ion battery. Battery + electric motor is a great combination, giving you instant torque with no gears to change.

You’ll find the Zoe eerily quiet after an internal combustion engine. Here are the performance stats:

Renault Zoe Boot Space & Dimensions

The Renault Zoe is a compact hatchback, and its boot space can be further increased by folding the rear seats down. Here are all the boot and dimensions measurements:

Boot Space & Cargo Volume

Dimensions

Next Steps

We hope you’ve enjoyed this brief analysis of the Renault Zoe. We’ve tried to focus mainly on potentially unfamiliar electric car related items – such as batteries, range and charging – rather than trot out the usual “The car’s B-pillar is 3mm wider than the previous model.”

Where to next?

1. Narrow down your EV search in a systematic way using our EV Car Selector tool
2. Read more about the Zoe at Renault’s UK website
3. If you’re ready to go, consider leasing the Renault Zoe from a low-cost broker