LAOIS MOTORING:  New Renault Megane E-Tech EV

The biggest question still hanging over the pure electric car is range. Indeed two new words have become part of the electric car lingo now and they are “range anxiety”.

The Infrastructure of charge points is still very poor really and my experience has shown that even when you find one its often occupied,  its out of order or there’s a “normal” car parked in the bay!

So electric motoring means you really need to plan your motoring, find out where charge points are available  and think about range all the time. Not a practical way to exist! Sadly while sales of EV’s are growing we are way behind on the infrastructure!

So to this weeks road test. The all-new Renault Megane E-Tech.

Has it got any street cred?

The new Megane E-Tech is actually a very good looking car with a style that does not scream “eco warrior’. Indeed there is no reference on the badging that it is electric. With big alloy wheels, and a clean distinctive style I have to say its a handsome piece of kit.

What’s it like inside?

Renault  have made great strides to make a quality interior and it shows. The fit and finish are very good with the odd exception where on some trim you can find those hard cheaper plastics.

The dash consists of 12.3 inch driver information cluster with a configurable display. It looks and functions well. There is also a 9 inch multimedia Open R link screen where I found the menu’s intuitive and practical.

Thankfully Renault have a row of quick access buttons beneath the main screen for Climate and so forth something I wish other manufacturers would do as scrolling through touch screens to simply change the temperature is both distracting and dangerous. 

Equipment levels are very good too with plenty of standard kit too numerous to detail here but comfort and safety are to the fore.

What’s under the bonnet?

Well you guessed it, an electric motor powering the front wheels which is powered in this model by a 60kWh battery. Power output is some 220bhp. The new Megane E-Tech offers fast charging at a max AC charging of 22kw, and DC charging at max of 130kW.

This new Menage EV can also tow up to 900kg (braked). 

Renault claim a range of some 470 Km but my experience did not support that. At 95% charge when I picked it up range displayed was 305km, yet driving in ECO mode only (never using the more spirited Performance mode) I achieved just 270km.  This disparity is common to almost all EV’s.

In real world use they do not achieve their claimed range! Road tax is just €120.00 for the year……for now as the government will for sure increase EV road tax as they loose millions in car tax revenue on EV’s.

Will I enjoy driving it?

The new Megane E-Tech rides and  handles just fine. Its not rewarding or dynamic but its quiet and refined and feels good on the road. Wind noise, road and tyre noise are well suppressed and of course that's more difficult to suppress when you don’t have the noise of an engine to distract. Its roomy inside for four and has a decent deep boot.

So What’s the verdict?

I liked the good design of the Megane E-Tech , classy interior, good standard kit and its quiet progress. Its fast charge capability is very good too.

The Renault Megane E-Tech is without doubt one of the more attractive EV options currently out there.