New Renault Twingo: the game-changing EV we’ve all been waiting for?
Ladies and gentlemen, I must warn you, your hearts are about to melt because this is the new totally retro Renault Twingo. And isn’t it just adorable? But it’s more than a pretty face. We’ve been told this little French fancy is going to cost less than £20,000 in the UK. And because it’s electric, it should receive a government grant that would make it even more affordable. So, not only is this going to be one of the coolest, cutest looking cars on the market soon, it’s also going to be one of the cheapest. And I’m not just talking in terms of EVs. Better still, you’re not going to feel like you’re sat in the cheap seats in the new Twingo. And I’ll explain why over the next few minutes. I’m aside and you’re watching Auto Express. The new Twingo has been designed to revive the spirit of the original from the 1990s. Starting with its quirky but very cheerful styling. The Twingo’s friendly face is made up of these very distinctive half moon-shaped LED running lights, which are obviously meant to be the car’s eyes. And this little plastic bit in between is supposed to be its smile. A the rounded and rather stubby front end is also very similar to the original Twingo. However, these three slats up here on the bonnet aren’t air intakes this time around. The middle one is actually where you fill up the windscreen washer fluid. And these large plastic overrides in the bumper are supposed to protect the car from the sort of light bumps and scrapes you might get in a supermarket car park. You can see as we move down the side that the wheels have been pushed out right to the corners of the car, which will help to maximize cabin space. In the UK, every Twingo will come as standard with 16-in wheels with arrow covers. However, this model has a snazzier set of 18-in rims. Fans of the original Twingo will remember that it was a three door. However, this new model is a proper five door to make getting into the back much easier. Finally, the rear also features a set of big circular, very eye-catching LED lights and chunky overriders for added protection in the bumper. Plus, this almost vertical windscreen with this thick plastic surround that remind us of those TVs from the 1990s that look like cinder blocks today. And by the way, the new twingo badge that was apparently inspired by the buttons on a PlayStation controller. Now, let’s take a look inside. And as you can see, the interior of the Twinger is just as cheerful and charming as the car’s styling suggests. My two favorite features have to be the super funky carpet and this big red hazard button on the dashboard, which is not only another nod to its ancestor, but you can easily hit it while you’re driving. Like every cheapest chip city car, most of the Twingo’s interior is made from hard black plastics. However, Renault has done a great job dressing things up by adding various textures and finishes to the different surfaces, as well as injecting some color with these bodycoled panels on the dashboard and doors. You can also see the Twingo badge has been embossed into the dashboard, which is a nice touch. Every model will feature a 7 in digital instrument panel with fun, playful, yet simple and easy to read graphics, plus a 10-in central touchscreen, which we found is responsive and uses Renault’s innovative and generally excellent Open Rlink infotainment system. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will be standard, but higher spec models will come with Google Maps, Google Assistant, and other apps built in. Plus, owners will have access to over 100 more apps through the Google Play Store. Now, the new Twingo might have five doors, but it’s less than 3.8 m long, which for context means it’s smaller than a threedo Mini Cooper Electric. Nevertheless, and much to my surprise, I’m 6t tall and I’m able to sit in the back of the new Twingo. only just mind you. As you can see, my head is very close to the roof and my knees are touching the backs of the front seats. But luckily, they’re soft and squidgy, so it’s wasn’t too uncomfortable. We should mention like the Dach Spring, there are only four seats in the new Twingo, but there are also two sets of ISOIX mounting points in the back if you’ve got small children. One of the Twingo’s party tricks is it has individual sliding rear seats. All you have to do is pull these tabs and the boot space jumps from 250 L to a whopping 360 L. That’s almost as much as you get in a much bigger VW Golf. There’s 50 L worth of space under the boot floor, which is ideal for keeping the charging cables out of sight. But more importantly, Renault has designed a split two-piece floor that allows you to easily access that space and the charging cables when there’s other stuff in the boot. When you need all the space you can get though, the rear seats can fold down completely flat in the Twingo. And this gives you more than 1,000 liters to play with. As you would expect for a happylooking retro inpired car like the Twingo, it will be available in a variety of eye-catching colors, including the Absolute Green like you see here, which is probably my favorite. Plus, there’s Absolute Red and Mango Yellow. There are only going to be two trim levels for customers to choose from: Evolution and Techno. But we’re not expecting a big price difference between the two. As Rena has promised, higher spec models will be offered at an attractive price. If you want to find out what standard kit you’ll get with each trim level, hit the link in the description to read our full story over at autoexpress.co.uk. To keep things simple and cost effective, the Twingo is going to be available with just one powertrain. It consists of a 27.5 kWh battery paired with an 80 brake horsepower electric motor that drives the front wheels. The Twingo will use Renault’s first lithium ion phosphate or LFP battery. Now, these aren’t as energy dense as the other types of battery used by EVs, but importantly, LFB batteries offer an ideal price to range ratio for a city car, or so Renault says. As a result, the Twingo will offer up to 163 mi of range from a single charge. That might not sound like a lot, but most people only commute about 20 m each day. So the twingo should be able to handle a week’s worth of commuting before it’s running low on juice. Similarly, with just 80 brake horsepower on tap, Nord 60 and go will take more than 12 seconds. However, the e- motor also delivers 175 new me of torque as soon as you put your foot down and needs only 3.8 seconds to get from naugh to 31 mph, which is arguably a more important stat for a city car like this. As you can probably tell, I’m very excited about the arrival of the new Renault Twingo. But there is a slight catch, and that’s not meant to arrive in the UK until 2027. But, as they say, good things come to those who wait. And I honestly think the new Twingo could be well worth the wait. [Music]
Say hello to the new utterly adorable Renault Twingo: an electric city car that’s designed to put a smile on your face. It’ll keep your wallet happy, too, as we’ve been told prices will start from less than £20,000!
Renault’s latest retro-inspired EV was inspired by the original Twingo from the nineties, particularly its cute and cuddly styling, and the flexible and playful interior. But like with the Renault 5, the designers have put a modern twist on everything to create something fresh but still very funky.
Annoyingly, the new Renault Twingo won’t arrive in the UK until 2027, and with plenty of other small electric cars already on sale, the question is, should you hold out for this little French fancy? Join our man Ellis as he finds out…
