► Renault’s urban mobility brand launches first two vehicles
► The Duo is a two-seater successor to the Twizy
► Bento is a micro van, both are due in spring 2025
The Mobilize Duo and Bento are the first vehicles to launch as part of Renault’s new urban mobility brand, and both are set to arrive in the UK in spring 2025.
The Duo, as the name hints, is a two-seater that is set to rival the Citroen Ami and follows in the footsteps of the Renault Twizy, although it shares little with its quirky predecessor.
It measures just 2.43 metres long and 1.30 metres wide which, to put that into perspective, is more than half a metre shorter and 10cm narrower than an original Mini. It’s so small, Renault says you can park three Duos side-by-side in a standard parking space, making it ideally suited to life in the city.
The production version is on the stand at the 2024 Paris motor show and is remarkably close to the concept model that first appeared at the equivalent event in 2022.
How far and how fast can the Mobilize Duo and Bento go?
This time around we have more information on the powertrain and battery that will be underneath the two. The motor is the 48V one that is otherwise fitted to the mild hybrid Renault Austral, which gives an indication of the relative size differences between the two vehicles. The battery is a 10.3kWh unit that is one of the modules from the Renault 5 E-Tech.
Combined, these provide a range of up to 100 miles (161km) for the Duo and 93 miles (149km) for the Bento. Renault reckons that it will be able to manage at least 60 miles, if not more, in the winter and even if the driver is rather unsympathetic with their right foot. It’s not as slow as the Ami either, with a top speed of 50mph. There is a version that will be limited to 28mph, but we are unlikely to get that in the UK.
Charging is also quite rapid and designed to slot into the sort of spots where bigger EVs wouldn’t normally head – you aren’t going to be rocking up at the motorway rapid chargers for example. Instead, the pair come fitted with a cable that is fixed to the front end. This has either a standard domestic plug or a Type 2 connection to allow it to easily slot into a wallbox.
It will get from 20% to 80% (which equates to around 120km) in around 3hr 25min on a Type 2 socket, while a domestic socket takes 3hr 50min. Mobilize says that 25km of that will come in the first hour.
Mobilize is still ironing out some of the details of exactly what the UK will get, and whether this tethered cable will allow you to plug in using a wallbox that has its own tethered cable. What it does say is that it will aim to ensure as many people as possible can use the vehicles.
It’s basic inside, though, right?
The Duo and Bento are more sophisticated than their Renault Twizy ancestor, with more luxuries and safety features in the cabin. Sure, they are not going to be able to offer all the active and passive safety systems as a standard car, but they are the only quadricycle to come with an airbag while the seatbelts come with a force limiter too.
Comfort is a higher priority too, with air-conditioning, a heated windscreen and even a heated driver’s seat. There should be none of the bone-shaking ride that the Twizy provided either, with a wider track looking to help position the wheels and shock absorbers in the best possible place to deal with urban bumps.
There are a few other bits around the cabin, too, including a USB-C connection, Bluetooth and a phone holder, so you can use your personal device as a satnav and entertainment station. You can add rear parking sensors as well.
It’s certainly a funky-looking thing. Tell me more about the design
The finished vehicle is remarkably similar to the concept, and Renault says it drew inspiration from videogaming, as well as 1980s and 1990s fashion. For example, the dashboard was styled to look like a boombox – and you’ll be able to pick from a selection of other colours.
The Duo’s seating layout is like the Citroen Ami’s, with the passenger sitting slightly behind the driver to maximise the amount of elbow room, while the Bento has a single central seat. The seats are trimmed with wipe-down polyamide-coated fabric pads, and there’s space either side of the driver’s seat to store two cabin bags.
Its doors open upwards rather than outwards which Renault says will make it easier to get out of the car in tight parking spaces. Unusually, the Mobilize Duo also doesn’t have a key. Instead, the door locks and ignition are controlled using a smartphone app, which should mean it’s less hassle to share the car across company fleets.
Renault also designed the Mobilize Duo to be as sustainable as possible. The body panels aren’t painted and the front and rear bumpers are identical to save money on production costs. Recycled materials make up 40 percent of the body and, when it reaches the end of its life, it’ll be 95 percent recyclable.
What about the tiny van version?
Citroen turned its tiny Ami quadricycle into a van by removing the standard model’s passenger seat and bolting a storage box into the newly freed space in the cabin. Renault is planning to pull a similar trick with the Duo, but its offering promises to be much more practical.
The Mobilize Bento is based on the same platform as the Duo, but it features a different body with a massive 649-litre cargo box on the back. That’s around three times the capacity of a Volkswagen Up!’s boot and, most importantly, 440-litres more than you get in the Citroen Ami Cargo. There’s a further 351 litres dotted around the cabin in various storage boxes, taking the total carrying capacity to a cubic metre.
The rear can open as wide as 140 degrees and there’s a handy hatch between the cargo bay and the cockpit to allow drivers to transport longer items. Renault also plans to launch a range of accessories for the cargo area, like tool racks, to suit the needs of different professionals.
Anything you carry needs to be fairly light, though, as it is only allowed to take a maximum payload of 80kg.
I’m sold. How can I get my hands on one?
It’s simply a case of waiting until early 2025, with first deliveries expected in the spring. UK pricing hasn’t been confirmed yet but it will likely be similar to those announced in France. The UK-bound version starts at €10,700 or just under £9000. The Bento van starts at €10,000, or just under £8400, but that isn’t including VAT.
What is more likely is that you’ll be able to finance it, as Mobilize is set to offer some flexible solutions on that front. France is offering a package that allows you to put down just under €3000 and then pay €29 a month – expect something similar over here.