Renault 4 Review 2024

To counter the ever-growing number of credible and attractive electric cars from relatively young Chinese firms, long-established car manufacturers have a powerful ace up their sleeves — their history. Given its recent form, it’s no surprise that the second member of this French brand’s ‘Iconic Family’ is the re-imagined Renault 4.

Second member? That’s right — if you’ve somehow manage to miss its maker’s promotional efforts so far, there will be little way of escaping the all-new, fully electric Renault 5 once it goes on sale before the end of 2024.

Although the new Renault 4 and 5 share 68% of their components, including the modular E-Tech underpinnings, the lower-numbered car is actually the larger of the two, being longer — for increased interior space — taller, by courtesy of being a small SUV, plus the suspension’s been softened to promote comfort.

Renault’s original 4 never matched the 5’s popularity in the UK, in large part because it was rather a basic, utilitarian model — a kind of halfway house between a modern hatchback and an estate that was designed cope with being driven over rural French terrain.

Consequently, that the reborn Renault 4 E-Tech is an SUV feels fitting and conveniently presents the company with an intriguing choice against a slew of alternatives from the tough-looking Jeep Avenger to its more cutesy cousin, the Fiat 600e.

It will also have to contend with models that put the focus more on driver engagement than the Renault with its optional plein sud full-length fabric sunroof and dashboard-mounted baguette holder. You won’t find those in the forthcoming Ford Puma Gen-E or Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica.

It also feels somewhat ironic that one of the Renault’s competitors is from a marque that’s written the book on how to plunder a brand’s back catalogue, yet the MINI Aceman is decidedly un-retro.

Not that the 4 E-Tech is a slavish pastiche of 1961’s Renault 4, mind you. Just as when the 1972 Renault 5 is compared with the latest 5 E-Tech it’s easy to recognise how the older models’ shapes and styling motifs have influenced the newcomers. They feel familiar, not facsimiles.

Unlike its forebear, the latest Renault 4 isn’t rudimentary transport for those on a budget, although with an expected starting price of £30,000 it’s set to be cheaper than many of its rivals.

We say ‘appears’ at this stage because Renault’s not yet confirmed whether both of the 4 E-Tech’s battery sizes will be offered to British customers when orders open in the first half of 2025.

At 40kWh, the smaller of the two is paired with a 120PS motor and can be charged at up to a rate of 80kW using a DC rapid charger with a provisionally claimed range of 186 miles. It’s this version which might not make it to UK shores.

With a provisional range of 250 miles, the 52kWh battery powers a 150PS motor and can be hooked-up to a 100kW DC rapid charger, replenishing energy levels from 15% to 80% in 30 minutes.

Both options have efficiency boosting heat pumps as standard and can power external electrical equipment thanks to its vehicle-to-load (V2L) kit which is also an integral part of the Renault 4 E-Tech package.

Renault’s also packed the new 4 with kit including a 10-inch multimedia touchscreen with integral Google Maps navigation with charge level-optimised route planning and pre-conditioning to prepare the battery ahead of being plugged in.

There’s substance behind the glitz, though, meaning it should be practical choice for the couples and young families Renault’s aiming the 4 E-Tech at — its 420-litre boot out-volumes the larger Volkswagen Golf’s to the tune of 39 litres, for instance.

Plus there’s a 35-litre well beneath the floor to house charging cables and other smaller belongings, while loads of up to 2.2m long can be transported thanks to a front passenger seat that folds forwards for extra convenience.

Whether British customers take the new Renault 4 to their hearts in a way few did with the original remains to be seen. It seems like the right size and type of EV that will appeal to a broad spectrum of buyers and with a range of bold colours, including two-tone schemes, it’ll certainly catch people’s attention. Vive la difference.