Renault R5: when will the city car be available for less than 25,000 euros ?

Renault has lifted the veil on the prices of its brand new R5. The small city car, 100% electric and strong power of seduction, will be available from 25,000 euros in a version that will not be marketed until 2025.

Renault R5 fans know how much they will have to pay to get their hands on the new version of the city car, which is back 40 years after disappearing from the manufacturing plants. Significantly modernized and exclusively electric, the 2024 R5, presented in February at the Geneva Motor Show, will start at 25,000 euros.

At this price, customers will be able to buy the version with the 40 kWh battery and a 95 horsepower engine. But they will have to wait until May 2025 and its arrival in dealerships. From these 25,000 euros, it will be necessary to deduct the ecological bonus, probably reduced to 3,000 euros in 2025, which would increase the price of the R5 to 22,000 euros. Another version also stamped “urban autonomy”, with the same battery but a 120 horsepower engine, will be marketed during the fall at from 27,990 euros (excluding bonus). The version with the battery with a capacity of 52kWh, for an estimated range of 400 kilometers, is the first to have been put on the market in 2024. Its starting price is 33,490 euros, or just under 30,000 euros once the 2024 ecological bonus is applied.

Assembled in its Douai factory in Hauts-de-France, this 21st century R5 is therefore 100% electric, part of the diamond brand's plan to release six “green” models by 2030 with its new Ampère entity. In an increasingly competitive market, the R5 E-Tech, which will replace the Zoè in the Renault catalog, will try to make a place for itself, alongside including the new Peugeot e-208 (more expensive) and Citroën ë-C3 (less expensive) while trying to counter the competition from Asia and mainly China. Called to become the new queen of electric city cars at Renault, the R5 E-Tech was undoubtedly the most anticipated release of the year. Let's discover this revisited model.

What is the information about know about the new electric R5 ?

• Launched in 1972, the R5 remains recognizable almost 50 years later by its characteristic features. We find the DNA of its elder, star of the 80s, starting with its very compact size – it measures only 3m92 in length. To perfectly fit its neo-retro style, the city car, which stands out clearly from the brand's other models, will be available in five colors (pop yellow, pop green, night blue, pearl white and starry black) while special series will be offered later.

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• The front of the vehicle transports us to a futuristic era with a light signature that gives a rather original 3D effect. The R5's bonnet vent of yesteryear has been replaced by a large charging indicator that fits perfectly with the city car's new electric identity. The iconic number 5 lights up when the driver approaches the vehicle and appears fully charged when the battery is fully charged.

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• The shape of the optics on the front of the future R5 has changed somewhat. Less rectangular than on its predecessor from the 80s, they take the shape of an eyebrow but do not fool anyone: the nod to the headlights of the first version is quite obvious.

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• References to the original R5 are found absolutely everywhere. From the side grille to the wheels and the rear trunk, fans of the cult city car will be delighted to admire the flat bonnet, the roofline and the straight, sloping tailgate. Also noteworthy are the black roof strip and a red that starts at the front pillar of the car and surrounds the roof (it is presented in gray on the night blue model).

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• The wide wheel arches, symbols of the Renault 5 of yesteryear, will always be a marker of the famous model of the diamond brand. For the French manufacturer, “they broaden the silhouette of the R5” and “reinforce its unique and immediately recognizable character, the image of the R5 Turbo."

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• The rear lights of the new R5 are very thin and are placed horizontally in line with the sides of the body. “This element contributes to the aerodynamic performance of the R5 by avoiding penalizing air vortices,” the brand says. These optics also incorporate aerodynamic deflectors, enough to give a real modern look. à this Renault R5 from the 21st century !

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• As with the exterior, the interior of the new R5 stands out from the latest models from the diamond brand (Scenic, Rafale, Clio). The furniture had never been seen before and Renault has chosen to install the central screen in the extension of the counter. Slightly inclined towards the driver, this 10.1-inch panel is positioned horizontally (quite rare for the manufacturer). As is now the fashion in the automobile industry, the interface integrates a new voice assistant that welcomes ChatGPT to be able to answer any questions passengers may have during journeys.

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• Renault is playing the originality card to the fullest with upholstery that contrasts with the usual cold colours of our vehicles. The R5 E-Tech offers two colours for its seats, either in “jean” blue or yellow. The manufacturer is also proud to use fabrics made from 100% recycled material on the Techno and Iconic Cinq finishes.

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The engines on the Renault R5 électrique

Renault had already communicated on the city car's engines even before its appearance on its stand in Geneva. The manufacturer will offer two NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) batteries. At its launch, the R5 E-Tech will be equipped with a 52 kWh battery, which will give it a range of up to 400 km in the WLTP cycle. It will then be available with a smaller 40kWh battery, which should allow it to travel 300 kilometers on a single charge. The electric motor, made in Cléon in Normandy, will be offered with three power levels: 150, 120 and 95 horsepower. The maximum speed is electronically limited so as not to exceed 150 kilometers/hour.

When was the new Renault R5 released ?

The small electrified city car was presented at the end of February at the Geneva Motor Show and the first orders opened on May 31, 2024. The version with the 52 kWh battery was the first to be marketed and the first deliveries took place at the end of the summer. The two “urban autonomy” versions of the city car, equipped with the smallest 40 kWh battery, will not be available until 2025. For its most impatient customers, Renault had opened its pre-orders even before its official presentation with the possibility of purchasing a “digital queue jump R5 R Pass” for 150 euros.

What is the price of the electric Renault R5 ?

Renault had announced very early on that the R5 E-Tech would cost “around 25,000 euros” at the entry level, i.e. without any additional options and with the smallest 40 kWh battery. The diamond brand kept its word since this is exactly the price at which the city car with a 95 horsepower engine will be sold in its Techno finish, but this version will not be marketed until mid-2025. The other R5 in the “urban autonomy” range, also with the 40 kWh battery, will be marketed in the fall. More powerful (with a 120 horsepower engine), its price has been set at 27,990 excluding the ecological bonus.

These two versions remain more expensive than the new Citroën C3, sold at from 19,900 euros before deduction of the ecological bonus, but the R5 E-Tech will nevertheless evolve a notch above in terms of its equipment. While it will also rub shoulders with the Fiat 500e and the future Dacia Spring, the little Renault is much less expensive than the very successful Peugeot e-208 whose price starts at 34,000 euros without the ecological bonus. The new R5 éequipped with the largest 52 kWh battery, the one that was marketed first, costs 33,490 euros at the entry level, or 29,490 euros with the 2024 ecological bonus.