Renault Megane E-Tech 2022 Review

Intro, Price, Options and Verdict

Introduction

Renault was an early leader in EVs with the Zoe. But while that car has improved over the years, it has remained Renault’s sole all-electric offering. Until now.

The Renault Megane has been a popular family hatchback for years – and now the news is getting even better.

The Megane E-Tech is here, which means a fully-electric version of the car that originally darted into our lives “shaking that ass” on television in the 1990s is now available for the masses.

Price and Options

While the Megane retains its name, this isn’t a case of Renault simply ripping out the combustion engine and shoehorning in an electric motor as a replacement.

Instead, the vehicle has had a significant overhaul and is now based on an all-new CMF-EV platform, as used on the Nissan Ariya.

If you’re familiar with the Ariya, you may assume the Megane E-Tech is a much bigger vehicle now, but although it looks like it is, it's still not all that large in the metal.

In terms of trims, there are three to choose from.

The entry-level Equilibre gets 18-inch alloy wheels and a nine-inch infotainment screen with SatNav, DAB Radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. There is also an Arkamys audio system, a 12.3-inch digital instrument display, full LED headlights, one-touch electric windows, a heated steering wheel and heated front seats, plus black fabric seat upholstery.

We tested the mid-range trim, Techno, which adds 20-inch alloys, and various Google services, including Google Maps. You also get grey fabric and black synthetic leather upholstery, adaptive LED headlights, automatic high beam, dynamic indicators, dual-zone climate control, and automatic windscreen wipers. On top of that, there's wireless smartphone charging, height and electric lumbar adjustment in the front seats, adaptive cruise control/speed limiter and multi-sense. The latter feature provides customisable driving modes. There is also 48-colour ambient lighting, a shark-fin antenna, and several other safety systems, which we'll come on to later.

Top-of-the-range is the Launch Edition, which adds a Harman Kardon audio system and surround-view 3D camera.

As the name suggests, the Launch Edition will only likely be on sale for a limited time, so Renault may tweak the trim levels once they’re all sold out.

Powering the car is a 220PS electric motor, fed by a 60kWh battery.

Renault also has a lower-powered 130PS electric motor with a 40kWh battery and a 186-mile range, but it’s not being offered in the UK at launch. The Renault team told us they had no plans to offer it for the foreseeable future, either.

Our Techno-trimmed test car starts from £38,495, while the Launch Edition can be yours for an additional £1,500 if sound systems and surround-view cameras are essential to you.

Equilibre comes in at £35,995 – a saving of £2,500 on the model we were testing. But while you still get a lot of equipment, the entry-level trim does lose out on several safety systems, which are becoming increasingly common in today's cars.

The Megane E-Tech is well equipped as standard, especially on Techno and Launch Edition trims, so few optional extras are offered.

The Techno trim can have its sound system upgraded to the Launch Edition’s Harman Kardon system for an extra fee.

Design, Comfort and Storage

Exterior Design

The new Megane has been given a fresh look, with much more presence than before.

From the pictures, you'd be forgiven for thinking it’s a big SUV, although it's smaller than that in practice. Indeed, its predecessor is slightly longer and broader, but the E-Tech is taller.

The body shape is quite rounded, with a curved front end and a thin black panel replacing a traditional grille, which blends into equally thinned-out headlights.

Sidelights connect between the headlights and the larger, sporty, lower grille, which is coloured in gold on the Launch Edition trim.

At the side, the bottom of the doors features a prominent athletic crease and a sloping roofline, while the door handles are flush to the bodywork.

Around the back, the roofline turns into a roof spoiler, which overhangs the relatively small rear windscreen, while a bar of LED lights runs across the width of the boot lid, bulking out at the sides to accommodate the taillights.

Interior Comfort

The cabin is well-designed, with lots of soft-to-the-touch, plush surfaces, while any hard, thin plastics are largely hidden from view.

The seats are comfy, with lots of adjustment available both for them and the steering wheel. There is adaptable lumbar support in the Techno trim upwards, too.

Although there’s no SUV driving position in the Megane E-Tech, it’s still reasonably high compared with its direct rivals, thanks to the chunky stance of the car.

The front pillars aren’t the thinnest and are swept back, obstructing your view somewhat. Meanwhile, the rear posts are even more prominent, and the boot lid comes up quite far, meaning the rear window is shallow, further limiting visibility.

Thankfully, our test car gets front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera in Techno trim. However, these aren’t included at entry level, while Launch Edition gets a 360-degree camera.

Head and legroom are reasonable, accommodating even the tallest front seat occupants. The back has a bit less, partly because the floor is raised slightly to accommodate the batteries underneath.

Storage and Load Carrying

The Megane E-Tech’s boot capacity situates it somewhere between a hatchback and an SUV. Opening the boot involves pressing a button, revealing a decent 440 litres of capacity, with another 32 litres under the floor, which is plenty for some charging cables.

Drop the rear seats forward and the capacity expands to 1,332 litres, which is again quite reasonable. However, the boot lip is quite high, and there’s a noticeable step up from the main boot area to the capacity over the rear seats. So while the boot has a healthy amount of space, the shape of that space isn’t so convenient.

In-Car Entertainment and Controls

Like many manufacturers today, Renault’s cabin layout has a sense of minimalism, with most controls buried within the infotainment screen.

The screen is integrated within a single unit, forming an inverted L-shape that accommodates the digital instrument display.

It can display digital versions of traditional dials, helpful information, and trip statistics, while SatNav directions appear on a map.

The whole unit is angled slightly towards the driver, making it easier to see.

Thankfully, the climate controls remain as physical buttons, sitting beneath the infotainment screen, making things more convenient on the move.

That said, it would be even easier to use the touchscreen system if there was a rotary dial, but this isn’t offered.

Nevertheless, the overall system is superb, helped by the Google Services powering it. These supply Maps, voice-controlled Assistant, and access to the Play Store, which enables installation of apps, including Spotify and Tidal.

The steering wheel is a somewhat unusual shape, sporting a flatter top and bottom compared with its more traditionally rounded sides.

Performance, Running Costs, Range, and Safety

Performance and Driving

With 0-62mph dealt with in 7.5 seconds, the Megane E-Tech feels sufficiently brisk, albeit not lightning quick.

It might feel rapid if you’re used to driving petrols and diesels, though, as acceleration off the line is instantaneous. Furthermore, the electric motor delivers torque from the millisecond you press the accelerator pedal.

Around town, it's hushed, which almost seems at odds with the car's ability to nip in and out of gaps on ring roads quickly.

While the vehicle looks aggressive and Renault has close links with many forms of motorsport, the E-Tech isn't being sold with promises of sporting prowess.

Nevertheless, the acceleration feels athletic, while the suspension setup is firmer than in most of its competitors’ cars, meaning it handles pretty keenly.

Body roll in the bends is well controlled, and it feels agile, although you don't have to push your luck too far to find the Megane’s limits.

It is also helped by the decent steering, which is light at low speeds before weighting up nicely at pace.

The Megane is also clever in that it retains stability and feels settled, yet it can still smooth out potholes and imperfections in the road surface.

You can adjust the ferocity of the regenerative braking by pulling paddles at the back of the steering wheel, helping to put some energy into the batteries.

Range and Charging

The Megane E-Tech is available at launch with a 60kWh battery and a claimed range of 280 miles, which is competitive but hardly market leading.

In some regions, Renault will be offering multiple charging options, but in the UK, only the top one will be available.

This means the maximum charging speed is 130kW, giving a 10-80% top-up of the batteries in about half an hour.

A 7.4kW home wall box will take about nine-and-a-quarter hours to charge the Renault from 0-100%.

The unique aspect is that the 22kW AC capability of the Zoe is also available, which enables 100% charging in a little over three hours. However, you will need three-phase power for 22kW AC.

Running Costs

Despite current high energy bills, operating costs are expected to be low.

Servicing overheads should also be lower as electric cars generally cost less to maintain.

Road tax is free, at least for the foreseeable future, while it’s comfortably in the lowest band for Benefit In Kind tax, so it will benefit company car users.

Because the E-Tech is so new, it’s too early to say how reliable it will be. Renault tends to be about average for reliability, but that may not necessarily be reflected in its electric cars, which may perform better or worse – time will tell.

Nevertheless, Renault offers a five-year warranty limited to 100,000 miles, although the first two years have unlimited mileage.

That is impressive given how many automakers still only offer the bog standard three years, but not enough to compete with Kia's seven-year guarantee.

Kia, as a brand, has excellent reliability, too.

Safety

The venerable Renault Zoe made the news for the wrong reasons when Euro NCAP gave the 2021 version zero stars. So it’s a relief to report that the Renault Megane E-Tech was put through its paces by crash-testing experts Euro NCAP earlier this year, with much better results.

It was awarded a five-star rating, scoring 85% for adult occupants, 88% for children, 65% for vulnerable road users (for example, cyclists and pedestrians) and 79% for safety assists.

Those safety assists, 22 in total, include rear park assist, a rear-view camera, blind-spot monitoring and emergency lane-keep assistance with oncoming traffic and road-edge detection. You also get a distance warning alert, traffic sign recognition, automatic emergency braking with junction assist, including pedestrian and cyclist alerts, cruise control with speed limiter, driver drowsiness alert, hill start assist, and emergency e-call. That’s a lot of assistance.

There is a significant jump in the amount of safety kit included if you opt for Techno or Launch Edition trims, too. These grades have adaptive cruise control with speed limiter, lane-centring traffic sign recognition with overspeed prevention, blind spot recognition and intervention, rear cross-traffic alert with rear automatic braking, and front and rear park assist.

Key Specifications

*based on electricity costs of 34p per kWh