RENAULT ZOE
What would the Renault Clio look like if it was an electric vehicle? Well, it would look like the Zoe.
Renault’s Zoe is a supermini much in the vein of the firm’s famous Clio but powered exclusively from a battery. Since it was introduced to the market back in 2012, Renault has sold around 100,000 of these cars and it consistently rivals the likes of the Nissan Leaf and BMW i3 for electric car sales.
A similar size to the Clio supermini that Renault has made such a big success for the last 3 decades, the Zoe is a gorgeously designed car with lots of curves and well-proportioned features. It has 5 doors and can seat 4 people in comfort, as the batteries to power the car are mounted low in the floor of the vehicle.
Those batteries give the equivalent of 108bhp in ‘R100’ form, enough to send the Zoe to 62mph in just under 12-seconds. The Zoe’s top speed is just 84mph, making it capable of motorway work, though the more power you use, the more its 186-mile maximum range will become out of reach. Using a quick charger, the battery can hit 90% capacity in just under 2 hours, while a home charger wall box system can get to that same figure in 6 hours. Performance is pretty impressive and the new ‘R100’ battery with its improved range and power output makes the Zoe an even more tempting proposition than it was before.
There are just 2 models in the Renault Zoe range – the ‘Dynamique Nav’ and ‘Signature Nav’. Both these Zoe models feature Navigation as standard, a very useful extra and one that is often an expensive option on other cars. Rear parking sensors and electric windows in the rear are standard in the Dynamique, while Signature adds luxury items such as heated front seats and a reversing camera as well as a Bose Premium sound system. As for options, the list is very limited in both models.
A stylish alternative to Nissan’s Leaf and BMW’s i3, the competitively priced Renault Zoe is an electric car that deserves serious consideration if you’re in the market for a new zero-emission vehicle.