Renault Clio E-Tech long-term test: stylish supermini is frugal with fuel

Verdict

The Renault Clio has been a big hit, proving easy to drive around town, comfortable on the motorway and surprisingly spacious. Impressive fuel economy and striking styling are the icing on the cake.

• Mileage: 5,501
• Economy: 63.4mpg

After six months on the Auto Express fleet it’s time to say goodbye to our Renault Clio, and my husband says he’s going to miss it just as much as me, despite some initial scepticism.

It’s not the first supermini we have run but he tends to prefer driving a bigger car. And having had the luxury of some larger vehicles over the years, he wasn’t too keen on the idea of downsizing to a supermini. On the flip side, I was happy to welcome a smaller car, but thought I would miss the higher driving position afforded by our last couple of vehicles.

Luckily, our initial concerns quickly vanished. While it did feel odd being lower to the ground for the first couple of outings in the Clio, I adjusted to it really quickly. My husband, who is over six feet tall, was surprised by the amount of room on offer in the driver’s seat, with enough adjustment for us both to get comfortable behind the wheel.

We’ve covered almost 5,000 miles in our time with the car and although it hasn’t been faultless, the Clio has proved very easy to live with. The hybrid powertrain in our E-Tech version always sets off in electric mode, which ensures a swift and smooth getaway, but we have found the engine irksome at times, with a tendency to over rev, often when the gearbox takes an age to kick into a higher gear. 

At other times the revs jump while you are at a steady speed and the engine is recharging the battery. These quirks have become less obvious as time as passed, although we aren’t sure if this is due to the system settling in or us getting used to it.

Our basic Evolution trim doesn’t get the plush materials of the higher Techno and Esprit Alpine levels, but there is a strip of light-grey textured plastic across the dash, which really works to break up the black interior and lift the overall look of the cabin. 

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There is also a good amount of storage in the front, the glovebox is a decent size, and the tray in front of the gearbox is perfect for a phone and the sweets my husband always has for a long journey. Plus, although the cup-holders don’t accommodate a larger bottle, smaller vessels are held snugly.

The seats are in the same grey colour and looked good when the car arrived. I was worried how the pale shade would stand up to everyday use, and although six months isn’t that long, I’ve been surprised that they still look as good as new. I know they haven’t had the hardest of tests with it mainly only being the two of us inside, but I occasionally look after my daughter’s dog. Towels on the back seats can only do so much when her fur goes everywhere, but that’s proved easy to vacuum up.

The interior has also survived some trips with my infant granddaughter, her car seat slotting in easily enough. Space for rear occupants isn’t the biggest in this class, but I sat in the back on a couple long journeys and found it pretty comfortable.

It’s not all been plain sailing, though. An irritating squeak has developed. We can’t quite pin down where it’s coming from but think it’s the seat-belt housing.

Where the Clio has really shone through is on fuel economy. It’s steadily improved over our time with the car, the readout giving us 63.4mpg, pretty close to the “up to 67.3” quoted by Renault. You also get an anticipated-mileage figure next to the fuel gauge, which was 660 miles for a full tank, and that fill cost around £53.

Renault Clio E-Tech: second report

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Our hybrid continues to shine despite the birds’ best efforts

• Mileage: 2,200
• Economy: 56.5mpg

Our Renault Clio fleet car certainly stands out from the crowd, with its Flame Red metallic paint. But unfortunately it also seems to have a magnetic attraction for dirt, especially from birds who seem to love depositing their mess on the car.  

I appreciate that a lot of this is down to the parking space my husband and I use – and the trees that surround it – but for some reason the situation is definitely worse than with other cars I’ve run in the past. As a result, I’ve found myself spending more time at the local garage using the jet washes than actually filling up with fuel – and that’s not due to us only covering a few miles.  

On the contrary, I’m racking up plenty of miles, but the reason I’m only occasionally filling the car up is that it is proving to be a winner when it comes to fuel economy. 

Renault claims an official average of 67.3mpg and although I haven’t reached those heady heights, the car is currently returning 59.8mpg. That figure has been steady for some time, on a mix of A-roads, motorways and urban streets. 

Admittedly, I tend to drive less in heavy traffic, and that could be helping the overall figures. On the other hand, the hybrid’s pure-electric driving mode comes into its own in town, with Renault claiming 80 per cent of your journeys can be done this way.  

The energy to power this zero-emission driving is generated automatically through the brakes, but the rate of recovery can be increased by driving around in B mode. 

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I use that for urban driving and find it easy to adjust to the extra deceleration, but my husband isn’t a fan. Mind you, he does the majority of the motorway driving where using the normal D mode is better anyway.   

I can tell things have improved since I’ve been running the car because the readout for the predicted range when the 39 litre fuel tank is full now reads around 550 miles, as opposed to 425 when it arrived. 

That’s good news because we do cover plenty of miles in the Clio, which regularly whisks us between south-west London and the south coast. Even better, despite our Renault coming in entry-level Evolution trim, cruise control with a speed limiter is part of the standard equipment. 

We both find this easy to use via the steering wheel-mounted buttons and it comes in particularly useful during the long sections of roadworks on the motorway, where a 50mph average speed is enforced.

Given that we spend so much time in the Renault, it’s also good news that I’m a fan of the car’s interior. The grey fabric seats look smart and we generally find them pretty comfortable. Admittedly my husband did complain after our first motorway journey, but I think that was more a case of getting used to driving a supermini again after our previous Alfa Romeo SUV and his work van. 

Happily he hasn’t complained since, and I have no problems at all. Although he is over six feet tall and our driving positions are very different, we have found the simple adjustments for both the seat and steering wheel mean we can both get a good set-up.   

Renault Clio E-Tech: first report

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We celebrate as revised version of hatch joins our fleet

• Mileage: 1,637
• Economy: 56.5mpg

You can be forgiven if you’re looking at this test and asking why there’s a photograph of me holding a couple of balloons while standing next to a brand-new Renault Clio. It’s not my idea of a normal Tuesday morning, I can tell you.

But there is a link, because the French supermini is 33 years old this year and, although I don’t like to think about it too much, I’ve been working at Auto Express for about the same length of time. So it seemed apt to celebrate the connection.

In fact, the Clio has been on sale in Europe since 1990, and here in the UK since 1991, when Renault launched it to replace the well loved 5, which – coincidentally – was the first car I owned.

Of course, that model has just been relaunched in a stunning new, fully electric form. But it has big shoes to fill – not just those of its illustrious predecessor, truly a car for the masses, but also the Clio, which is actually the best-selling French car of all time (yes, ahead of the likes of the Renault 5 and 4, not to mention the Citroen 2CV).

We’ve had an example of this fifth generation of Clio on our fleet before, and given it gongs more than once in our New Car Awards. But we thought it was worth revisiting for a couple of reasons. 

Firstly, the range has just been facelifted, bringing some tweaks to the styling and spec. And secondly, the revisions coincide with Renault making a fresh push towards electrification – so although a regular petrol version of the car is available, the focus is on the hybrid model that I’m running.

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What are the big differences? There’s a fresh, sharper look, particularly at the front, where Renault’s latest evolution of its logo is now proudly displayed in the centre of the grille. The brand’s new LED daytime-running light signature has also been installed, giving a sophisticated face to what has always been a smart-looking supermini. 

I also like to think the Flame Red metallic paint helps our example to stand out a bit further; it’s the only option on our Clio, in fact, and its £700 bill takes the overall cost to £21,995. I don’t think that’s a bad overall price for a car with a sophisticated hybrid powertrain and the potential for lower running costs around town.

The entire Clio range is fairly simple, with just three variants and very few possible add-ons to complicate matters. Our car is an entry-level Evolution, but it doesn’t feel badly kitted out, with air-conditioning, cruise control, 16-inch alloys, LED headlights and rear parking sensors all included.

Under the bonnet there’s a 1.6-litre petrol engine, teamed up with a small (1.2kWh) battery and a pair of electric motors. There’s plenty of punch overall, with 143bhp and lots of torque, so this is still a car that can hit 62mph in just over nine seconds. 

I don’t expect to be putting that figure to the test. Instead, I’m looking forward to seeing how close I can get to the quoted 65.7mpg. In my first six weeks with the car, I’ve racked up around 1,000 miles, although some of those were for a upcoming road test. 

With that use (mainly motorways and A-roads) in mind, I’m reasonably impressed to be managing 56.5mpg so far – but keen to see if a higher proportion of urban miles increases the amount of electric running, and nudges up the overall economy figure.

*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.