Renault Zoe Electric Car

Lisbon Renault has bet the farm on electric cars, but the Zoe shows the risk was worth it.

In Lisbon’s traffic, suddenly the Zoe made sense. It waited patiently, silently at the lights, surrounded by clattery, time-served diesels that seemed like relics. The lights switched to green and the Zoe streaked ahead of a dawdling Honda to snick into a gap in the adjacent lane. This is a brilliant urban car, its pile of torque instantly available at an ankle flex and delivered with one of three selectable, synthesized and curious hums so pedestrians can hear the Zoe coming. (The hum stops above I8mph, or you can kill it completely.)

Renault Zoe

Later, out on the open road, a dawdling MPV was swiftly dispatched. Up in the hills, the Zoe cornered with conviction, staying flat and resisting under steer. You can feel the weight, all 1468kg of it, but the center of gravity is lower than the latest Clio’s, whose platform the Zoe shares. That’s because the 22kWh, 400V battery pack is spread under the floor, so the Zoe is a proper five-seat with a normal-sized boot.

That friskiness on getaway fades significantly as speed rises, and the upper limit is set at 84mph to conserve the battery and prevent the motor from over-revving. But there’s enough urge here for you not to crave more, even in Eco mode, which stifles the scorching starts but feels fine on the open road while adding another 10 per cent or so to the range.

On which vital subject, the official EU test regime credits the Zoe with a 130-mile range on a full charge. Renault itself reckons on a worst-case 60 miles in winter, 90 miles in summer. Our test drive began with 81 miles promised, but a check after 22 gentle suburban miles showed 70 miles of remaining range. After a further 14 miles of rapid driving with full acceleration, the range was down to 43 miles, but after ambling for another 14 miles there was still 42 miles of range left. Overall, the Zoe went further than its range calculator initially thought it would.

Among its range-extending devices is a reversible air-con system that heats the Zoe as well as cooling it without stealing much energy from the battery. Energy recuperation from slowing or braking is very strong, too, but the integration of ‘virtual’ brakes with real ones isn’t entirely smooth; feathering to a gentle halt takes some skill. More jolts come when the wheels fall heavily into road surface breaks, but otherwise the ride is smooth and supple on the bespoke Michelin Energy Z-E tires.

This is an electric car that you could actually consider buying, helped by the free fitment of a home charging unit, paid for by Renault (25 per cent) and the government (75 per cent). It also looks great, with clean, crisp, concept car lines that are futuristic but not outlandish, some subtle blue tinting of lights and badges and a calm, sleekly styled cabin with a large R-link display screen. You can pre-heat or pre-cool the cabin while charging, too.

Zoe zips off the mark with alacrity, but its pace subsides as speeds rise; the cabin is styled sleekly and has a large R-link display.

Pros

·         Crisp, cute styling

·         Punchy urban pace

·         Useful real-world range

·         Free home charger

Cons

·         Snatchy, noisy brakes

·         Weird low-speed hums

Verdict

·         Ratings: 4/5

·         Practical, lively and usable. The most credible electric car yet

Tester's note

·         There’s a giant impression of a circuit diagram in the car’s headlining.