► New Renault 4 E-Tech unveiled
► Retro-inspired electric family hatch
► Arrives in UK in summer 2025
The new Renault 4 E-Tech is another electric car that looks backwards to La Regie’s back catalogue for inspiration – while simultaneously squaring up to the future. Like the Renault 5 E-Tech, with which it shares two-thirds of its components, it wraps the hardware of a modish EV in a decidedly retro-inspired wardrobe.
Unveiled at this week’s 2024 Paris motor show, the Renault 4 plays its historic connections less flamboyantly than the 5; that car indulges its lineage more obviously, perhaps, but if you know your twentieth century Renaults you’ll clock the connections to the famous Four in this boxier, more practically-minded hatchback.
There’s the distinctive R4 front grille, reinterpreted in a single-piece snout encompassing an illuminated diamond badge, distinctive light graphics and a light bar that echoes the shape of the original Renault 4 facia. Claimed to be ‘the world’s first one-piece illuminated grille,’ it stretches 1.45m across and illuminations are standard from second-run Techno trim and above.
Other links to the original include the kicked-up C-pillar and side window graphic, the ribbed lower door design and the angle of the rear tailgate, which now extends much lower than on conventional hatchbacks for an admirably low boot floor. These things matter if you’re a dog owner or regularly lug heavy sports equipment into the car.
‘We didn’t want to betray the spirit of the original Renault 4,’ Renault’s vice president of design, Gilles Vidal, told CAR. ‘The Renault 4EVER Trophy show car [above] was the rally-raid version – this is the urban iteration of that. It’s super-practical and we wanted to make sure it could swallow Ikea Billy bookcases but still look cool.’
Another retro EV, you say? So what?
Well, the Renault 5 has turned out to be one of the smash hits of 2024 – so if the French can pull it off again with a slightly larger, more family-focused 4, they might just find themselves with another winner on their hands. And if they can price it right, we might stop bemoaning how expensive electric cars have become.
Prices have not yet been confirmed for the new Renault 4, but CAR expects the range to stretch somewhere between £28,000-£35,000, filling the gap between the 5 (£23k-£29k) and the Megane E-Tech (£34k-£39k). Part of the reason we don’t know the cost yet is that the new model won’t arrive in right-hand drive until the third quarter of 2025. Let’s say just in time for the new September 75-reg next autumn.
That’s a long wait: Renault dispassionately treats the UK a little differently these days; right-hand drive sales make up a minority, so it’s servicing bigger-selling left-hooker markets first. Brits can place an order in the second quarter of 2025.
Hit us with the specs: Renault 4 E-Tech electric car battery, range and tech
The new 4 rides on the Renault Group’s AmpR Small architecture, shared with the 5 and upcoming electric Nissan Micra, bringing front-wheel drive and fully independent rear suspension (quite unusual in this class). It will be available with two different battery sizes and motors, largely mirroring the tech found on the latest 5:
- Renault 4 E-Tech 90kW: 40kWh battery, 186-mile electric range, 90kW motor (121bhp/166lb ft)
- Renault 4 E-Tech 110kW: 52kWh battery, 248-mile electric range, 110kW motor (148bhp/181lb ft)
Both models can be fast-charged, although at relatively modest speeds. The smaller battery can take onboard DC current at up to 80kW, whereas the 110kW model can charge at up to 100kW – fast enough that either model can replenish their batteries from 15-80% in 30 minutes, according to Renault. A heat pump is standard on every model to aid optimised range and charging in all temperatures.
The company’s battery tech is advancing apace; engineers say the entire battery now weighs less than 300kg and a new way of packaging four large modules in one battery casing saves around 20 kilos compared with a Renault Zoe EV. The smaller battery simply leaves one of the compartments empty.
Bi-directional charging is offered on the new Renault 4 E-Tech. That means you can power electric items such as airbed compressors or a kettle when you’re out in the field – or equally sign up to an energy deal which lets you manage power around your home, shuffling energy from batteries, solar panels and the grid to achieve the greenest, cheapest combination.
Practicality and family touches
The original Renault 4 sold 8.1 million units between 1961-1992, making it one of the most successful cars of its period. Dubbed Quattrelle, after its domestic 4L badge, the boxy silhouette freed up space for people and luggage galore – a trait the designers of the new car have strived to repeat.
It’s only supermini sized, at 4.1m long, 1.8m wide and 1.6m high but some clever packaging has freed up a roomy boot with a 420-litre capacity (including the split underfloor cubby). That’s 100 litres over the smaller 5 hatch. The designers recreated the flat tailgate while the engineers reworked the cross beam on the rear sub-frame to allow a dramatically lower boot floor that’s 10cm lower than any rival. We’ve sat in the boot of the new 2025 Renault 4 and can vouch that the loadbay is significantly lower than any rival we’ve seen: the loading height is a remarkable 60.7cm from the tarmac.
The interior is almost a carbon copy of the 5’s, but with a few distinct touches for more family-focused duty. The rear floor is entirely flat, freeing more room for passengers’ feet, while the Techno trim comes with trim inspired by denim for a hard-working, blue-jeans vibe. This kind of modish charm percolates the 4, with customisable stickers, two-tone roof and steel wheels all available on the extensive options list.
Personalisation galore
Renault knows it can coin extra margin by offering cool extras these days, especially on a car with a fashionable brief. Other toys available on the options list include a 1m canvas rollback roof made by Webasto which opens by voice command, a baguette holder (initially available only on launch-spec models at a high price, but with a planned roll-out across the board at lower cost) and interchangeable indicator stalks, whose sleeve can be unclicked and swapped with ease.
In fact, Renault claims 670 possible combinations of colour, trims and wheels, making it easy for you to stand out from the crowd. Special mention to the new deliciously retro Hauts-de-France Green of the car in our pictures, a tribute to the Île-de-France Blue of the 1960s. That with steel wheels sounds très sympa…
Interior
The cabin of the Renault 4 E-Tech is modish and on trend. Pleasingly, there are enough physical switches so that not everything is operated by a sub-menu on the standard 10in touchscreen. It’s roomy in the front and the quilted headlining is a lovely touch overhead.
Pick your spec carefully, as the character of the car is changed significantly with the denim upholstery option (which extends to the dashboard) and other fabrics. Leather is not available on any model – in line with its sustainable principles: 89% of the R4 can be recycled and around a quarter of its materials are from the circular economy.
CAR has pored all over the newcomer at its Paris show debut and the rear seats are disappointingly tight on space; there is only so much magic they can weave on a car whose footprint extends to just 4.1m long. The 4 and 5 duo have a similar relationship to the Clio/Captur – the 4 is not meant as a fully fledged family car, more a compact crossover vibe to challenge the Mini Countryman. Sitting behind a 6ft adult means less rear legroom and the space for feet is particularly pinched under the front seats.
A clever touch on left-hand drive models is a fully folding front passenger seat which can be cranked forwards to lie pretty flat – so you can carry a surfboard or other bulky item up to 2.2m in length. Disappointingly, this has not been engineered for right-hand drive, denying Brits this feature.
Performance specs
The most basic Renault 4 E-Tech with the smaller battery weighs from 1410kg – an encouraging sign for an electric car. The company has not yet released full performance figures, but claims the more powerful model can sprint from 0-62mph in less than 8.5 seconds, with 50-75mph in less than 7.0sec. Top speed is pegged to 93mph.
Launched in 1961, the Renault 4 – or ‘Quatrelle’ as it was known in France, owing to its 4L badge – was the world’s first mass-produced hatchback. That made it a good load-carrier, especially with deckchair seats that could be removed.
With long-travel independent suspension and front-wheel drive, the 4L proved adept at scrambling over tough terrain, making it the darling of rural France. Even some of us at CAR had a soft spot for the model – Russel Bulgin’s love for the Renault 4 ran deep.
