Renault Twizy (2012 – 2021) Review

You’d better be ready for plenty of comments – both positive and negative – when driving a Renault Twizy. And you won’t be able to ignore them, as the wacky EV doesn’t have doors as standard! It also doesn’t have direct rivals, but you might consider the more conventional Renault Zoe, the funky  Honda e or the equally strange Citroen Ami. Read on for our full Renault Twizy review.

The Renault Twizy is a car that could only come from the famous French brand. It has a track record of occasionally going a bit loopy, giving the world vehicles that look more like concepts than production-ready models.

The Renault Avantime and the Renault Vel Satis are prime examples. They may be hit and miss, but you could never accuse the firm of following the norm.

So the all-electric Renault Twizy is in good company.

But what exactly is it? Well, it’s a sort of  mix between a moped, a quad bike and a small city car two-seater like the Smart Fortwo.

You need a full car licence to drive it, as it’s not classified as a motorbike but a quadracycle. You don’t need a crash helmet, but it does carry two people – just about anyway – with the passenger sitting right behind the driver.

It’s pleasingly affordable, too, although you do have to factor in the cost of leasing the battery.

Prices vary depending on how many miles you want to cover each year, and the length of the contract. But an average price is £54, which is for 6000 miles a year on a two-year contract.

The Renault Twizy is not a used car for everyone. However, nothing is as innovative or matches it for sheer quirkiness, and the motoring world is definitely a richer place for it.

Fancy a second opinion? Read heycar’s Renault Twizy review here.

It’s simple to drive a Renault Twizy. You turn the key, push the D button on the dash and release the handbrake. Then off you go.

There’s just one gear, so you always have power available, and the steering is nice and responsive, so it’s easy to nip round tight corners.

You actually sit right on top of the battery – the single heaviest part of the car – which means a low centre of gravity and good stability.

Even at its top speed of 53mph, which feels very fast in such a small vehicle, the Renault Twizy is stable and reassuring.

The big problem can come from other road users. Some drivers don’t see it as a bona fide car and will simply drive around you, even if you’re at the speed limit.

Others don’t realise how fast it is and will simply pull out in front of you on main roads.

Despite that, it is still great fun to drive and every journey feels like an event. It really is unlike anything else and attracts huge amounts of attention thanks to its futuristic design.

Power for the Renault Twizy comes from a 17PS electric motor.

As with most EVs, there’s a good dose of acceleration off the mark, but it soon tails away, and 50mph feels like 500mph when there are no doors or side windows.

However, in its natural habitat of city centres, the Renault Twizy does keep pace with traffic and is fun to zip into gaps as they appear.

As with the electric motor, the main structure of the Renault Twizy was developed by the Renaultsport division, with influence from Formula One technology, so it’s light and strong.

There’s a driver’s airbag, seatbelts for both people and disc brakes on all four wheels.

You are joking, aren’t you? No, you cannot tow with the Renault Twizy.

In some respects, you have to look at the Renault Twizy in the same way you would a motorbike.

It doesn’t come with any doors (they were an optional extra), and even when they are fitted, there are no side windows, so you’re always open to the elements. In wet weather, suitable clothing is essential.

The gullwing doors open upwards, which adds to the funky feel, plus it also makes getting out in tight spaces easy.

You can’t ‘lock’ the Renault Twizy either, so it’s best not to leave anything valuable on show. However, there is a lockable cubby on the dash top and a larger one behind the back seat.

Inside it’s best described as ‘basic’. There’s a steering wheel and digital speedo with a trip computer, but not much else – not even a heater or stereo.

The Renault Twizy makes a virtue out of its hard plastics, which are prevalent throughout the whole car.

Rather than seeming cheap, they appear suitably rugged and are easy to clean. Plus they also dry off quickly, which is crucial in a car with no doors or windows as standard.

There’s no infotainment to speak of, but a Parrot Bluetooth hands-free system was available as an option and lets you stream music with speakers integrated into the roof.

The Renault Twizy was never a runaway success when it was new, so there are not many on the used market now.

As a consequence, values have remained strong, and you will pay from £5500 for a nine-year-old model with 20,000 miles on the clock.

If you fancy something with fewer miles and some options, reckon on paying up to £9000 for a two-year-old example with 5000 miles on the clock.

Charging a Renault Twizy doesn’t take too long thanks to its relatively small battery, so you can top up in less than four hours, even with a domestic three-pin socket.

That will give you up to 40 miles of driving range, although Renault did claim it could cover as much as 50 miles on a full charge.

You will have to factor in the cost of the battery lease if it’s still on this deal, although many are now part of the package and lease-free.

As a zero-emissions vehicle, you will pay nothing in road tax for a Renault Twizy regardless of age.

Maintaining one is easy on the wallet, although you will need a mechanic who is qualified and competent with EVs if you don’t use a Renault dealer.

A group 10 to 11 insurance rating seems a bit on the high side for a car of this size and modest performance, but that is in line with EVs generally being more costly to insure than petrol or diesel alternatives.

Standard equipment on the Renault Twizy Expression includes steel wheels (with grey wheel trims), a heated windscreen, driver’s airbag and a range indicator with eco score.

The Renault Twizy Dynamique adds a choice of 14 colour combinations, 13-inch alloy wheels and interior floor mats.

Doors, a Bluetooth sound system and an anti-lift alarm were all offered as optional extras.