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Renault Megane E-TECH Electric (2022 - )

The fully electrified Renault Megane E-TECH is a stylish, modern and well-equipped, five-door family hatchback that is available in four trims called Equilibre, Techno, Launch Edition and Iconic.

Starting price:
£39,495

Pros:
  • Dynamic styling with performance to match
  • Premium interior with plenty of tech
  • Refined and comfortable ride
Cons:
  • Rear leg space is not great
  • Rear visibility is poor
  • Door handles are over-complicated

Introduction

Renault Megane E-TECH Electric

The fully electrified Renault Megane E-TECH is a stylish, modern and well-equipped, five-door family hatchback that is available in four trims called Equilibre, Techno, Launch Edition and Iconic. 

It boasts striking good looks along with a decent driving range of up to 280 miles between charges under WLTP testing.

Admittedly, it’s not cheap with our Techno model rolling in at just under £40k, but you do get a great deal of car for the outlay and the performance is equally impressive.

With the marketplace bubbling over with new EVs these days the Megane faces stiff competition but it does tick all the right boxes for anyone looking for a dynamic family car that is good for the environment.

Renault Megane E-TECH Electric

With its compact crossover styling, the Renault Megane E-TECH looks dynamic when approached from any angle. Our test car boasted 20-inch alloy wheels, full LED headlights with adaptive LED front and rear fog lights, tinted rear windows, a shark fin antennae and door handles that are flush to the car’s body. These were a little fiddly to open initially to be honest.

The interior is beautifully designed and has a truly premium feel about it with grey upholstered seats created from recycled materials along with black synthetic leather. There is a leather-wrapped steering wheel which can be heated, a fabric covered upper dashboard, a high central console with sliding armrest and storage, plus a wealth of technology to explore.

The main focal point is the nine-inch multimedia infotainment screen with sat nav and Google-assisted services. There is full smartphone connectivity, along with a wireless phone charger, four charging ports and a 12.3-inch driver information display cluster.

With ample manual seat and steering wheel adjustment, finding a comfy driving position is simple enough, but the driver’s visibility over the shoulder is hampered by large pillars. In addition, the narrow rear screen, along with a trio of headrests, means the rearview vision is not great either. However, there are parking sensors and a rearview camera as standard across the range.

On The Road

Renault Megane E-TECH Electric

Handling & Performance

All Megane E-TECH models feature a 60kWh battery driving a 220hp electric motor and developing 300Nm of torque. It can power its way from 0-62mph in just 7.5 seconds (it feels faster) and has a top speed of 99.4mph.

When I first spotted the test car was fitted with 20-inch wheels I thought the ride would be too firm and even a little wallowy on twisting B roads. I was wrong. The performance really impressed with instant acceleration through the automatic transmission, balanced and confident handling and all the power you could wish for at the slightest throttle pressure.

It was composed on challenging country lanes but could also cruise with ease on faster dual carriageways. With agile handling, busier town centres would be easy to navigate too. 

There are drive modes to alter the driving characteristics of the vehicle and these are called Eco, Sport, Perso and Comfort. In addition, the steering wheel-mounted paddles can be used to increase or decrease the levels of regenerative braking.

The steering feels a little light but this does become heavier when the Sport mode is activated.

With its silent running, the cabin is beautifully hushed and the refinement levels also impressed when it comes to the suspension set-up that somehow smoothed out most bumps and dips along the way. 

Renault Megane E-TECH Electric

Space & Practicality

The Renault Megane E-TECH is a dynamically-styled model with a strong road presence that’s guaranteed to turn heads. It measures 4,200mm in length, is 1,860mm wide and 1,505mm tall. 

There is bundles of space up front for a couple of six footers to sit comfortably, but rear legroom is not quite so notable, especially if the front seats are pushed back. In addition, the sloping roof design looks fabulous but impacts on head room in the back. The space would be fine for youngsters though.

The boot can swallow 440 litres of luggage, a limit that increases to a generous 1,332 litres with the 60:40 split-folding rear seats dropped flat.

There are numerous handy storage compartments scattered throughout the cabin, including a glovebox, central cubby, seat back pockets, a sunglasses holder, trays and cup holders for the driver and front seat passenger.

The 60kWh battery can be charged at home using a 7.4kW wallbox and it can deliver 280 miles of range in nine hours, 15 minutes. Alternatively, it is possible to use fast chargers with 130kW charger boosting the range by 30 miles in seven minutes, 155 miles in 25 minutes or 280 miles in one hour, 15 minutes.

Ownership

Renault Megane E-TECH Electric

Running Costs

The Renault Megane E-TECH line-up starts from £36,995 for the Equilibre trim level and rises to £41,995 for the range-topping Iconic model. Our test car, in Techno grade, was priced at £39,495.

Like all electric vehicles, the zero carbon emissions figure results in a number of financial savings. For example, the Megane E-TECH will be exempt from any road tax charges, Congestion Charges or penalties for driving through a low emissions zone.

However, this will all be changing in 2025 when the Government will by withdrawing or reducing many incentives for EV owners.

But anyone looking at the Megane E-TECH as a business car will see a very attractive Benefit in Kind tax rating of two per cent.

Other savings can be made if you can charge your vehicle regularly at home via a wallbox and try to negotiate low tariffs for overnight charging with your energy supplier.

The car, as tested, sits in insurance group 27.

Verdict

Renault Megane E-TECH Electric

The Renault Megane E-TECH is a beautifully designed car that will look good on any driveway. And the on-board tech impresses too. Admittedly, the athletic, muscular styling does impact on interior space for back seat passengers, but this would be the same on rival models too.

The ride and handling matched the sporty good looks and when you factor in the excellent safety features with up to 22 advanced driving assistance systems, the Megane E-TECH seems to have all bases covered.

By Maxine Ashford
Jun 09, 2023

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