Renault ZOE Review

When French maker Renault launched the electric Zoe, it made the city car the fourth car to be powered by electricity on the manufacturers line-up. The Zoe follows in the footsteps of the Fluence Z.E four-door, the Z.E. Kangoo van and of course, the super cool Twizy.

One of the big problems is the starting price, the Zoe is priced at over 13K and while many will know that you will certainly save big on running costs, some may not be able to get past that first figure. Read on for the full Renault Zoe review.

Step on the accelerator and the one thing that will blow your mind is the instant acceleration thanks to the Renault Zoe being powered by an electric motor. It really is quite something and you could embarrass other drivers, in higher performance cars when taking off from traffic lights. The electric motor produces 88bhp with 220Nm of torque, which equates to a sprint to 62mph in 13.5 seconds and will go on to a top speed of 84mph.

The Zoe feels nippy when zipping around town but it is that sprint from zero to around 30mph, which will put a smile on your face, the Zoe is good fun. With instant power at all times, you never have to wait on a turbo kicking in, press the accelerator and you’re off. 

The Zoe is no performance car, yes it may embarrass a few sports cars from time to time from a standing start over a short distance, however, the Zoe is all about getting in and out of town with ease. The light steering gives no feedback to the driver but the lightness will be a boon to those wanting to wriggle in and out of cramped city centre spaces.

Take it out of its comfort zone, the city centre, and the Zoe becomes less fun. There is quite a bit of body roll when cornering at speed and you are always wary of range anxiety.

The suspension is a tad firm but the Zoe has a really good turning circle, almost as good as London Taxi. 

Comfort levels on the Zoe are fairly high. Road and wind noise are all very acceptable while engine noise is zero thanks to the aforementioned electric battery powering the Zoe.

Up front, the seats for driver and passenger offer a good level of support while there’s more than enough bolstering for your back to make the cabin a pleasant place to spend time in.  

Three levels of trim are available on the Renault Zoe – Expression, Dynamique Zen and Dynamique Intens.

Expression, comes loaded with kit. As standard you will get 15-inch alloy wheels fitted with energy efficient tyres, a TomTom satnav with a seven-inch touchscreen, USB, aux-in, SD card, Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control, LED daytime running lights, stability and traction control systems, hill-start assist, ISOFIX attachments, reach-adjustable steering wheel and tinted windows,

Dynamique Zen adds 16-inch alloys, a hands-free key card, remote battery charging, aircon or heating activation, an uprated sound system, automatic lights and wipers, a leather steering wheel, electric rear windows and rear parking sensors.

The flagship Intens models add rear parking camera and a darker interior ambiance.

Renault’s offers a host of optional extras. Highlights include 16- or 17-inch alloy wheels, a variety of exterior colour schemes, high-end stereo and remote battery charging with air conditioning/heating control for Expression models.

Normally when we talk about practicality, it is all about boot space but with the Zoe, things are very different. How far is your journey? Where are the charging points along the way?

First and foremost, the Renault Zoe is a city car and therefore it will be used predominantly for city centre travel. Leave the longer journeys to larger cars. The Zoe has a range of up to 130 miles, and can be fully charged in less than one hour when using a 43kW fast charger, although charging from a domestic socket will take between six and nine hours.

We would advise you to add the ‘my Z.E. Connect’ pack when buying the Zoe as it allows you to remotely control the heating and cooling of the car while it’s still on charge while you can also check the level of charge at any time using this system.

Possibly the best part is that this kit highlights the nearest charging stations, a boon if you are driving in an area that you have little knowledge of. 

Running costs is where electric cars make sense. Charging the battery from empty to full can cost as low as £3 and offers a range of a claimed 130 miles, however, one thing to remember when purchasing your Zoe is that you’ll have to pay an extra £70 per month to lease the battery from Renault. 

Renault has improved its reliability rate drastically in recent years and the Zoe is likely to offer good reliability too. Unlike, engine powered cars, electric powered cars have less moving parts so there is less of a chance of something going wrong with these type of vehicles. 

In recent years, Renault has pushed hard when it comes to safety. When the Zoe was crash tested by Euro NCAP, it received a five star rating and in 2014 EURO NCAP announced that the Zoe was the safest supermini on sale in the UK.

Electric cars give little warning to pedestrians of their arrival so Renault has developed a noise to help visually-impaired people of the car’s whereabouts.

Standard safety kit includes airbags for the front passengers, plus head and thorax airbags, ISOFIX attachments stability control, traction control, a speed limiter and cruise control.