Renault Clio - MPG, CO2 and running costs
The Renault Clio can be had with either a simple petrol engine or Renault’s full-hybrid E-Tech powertrain
While the facelifted Renault Clio was offered exclusively with a full-hybrid powertrain initially, a pure-petrol engine option has since returned to the line-up. Some rival superminis like the Honda Jazz and Toyota Yaris are now hybrid-only, but in a statement to Auto Express, Renault said that the pure-petrol Clio has returned “in order to meet the needs of some customers in a difficult economic climate."
The entry-level Clio TCe 90 starts from just under £18,000 and uses Renault’s familiar turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that it shares with its distant cousin, the Dacia Sandero. In the Clio, the three-pot motor comes paired with a six-speed manual gearbox, emits between 118 to 120g/km of CO2 and can average up to 54.3mpg on the WLTP combined cycle.
The full-hybrid Clio E-Tech is now cheaper than it was pre-facelift, but it still costs £3,500 more than the equivalent pure-petrol model. In return, you get the ability to drive around on electric power, plus improved fuel economy and reduced CO2 emissions.
Renault claims the Clio E-Tech will return up to 67.3mpg and emits 96-97g/km of CO2. We couldn’t match that figure when we tested the hybrid supermini on UK roads, although we did manage to average 55.2mpg on a journey that included towns, motorways and a couple of spirited blasts on back roads.
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As this is just a full-hybrid, not a plug-in hybrid, the Clio E-Tech doesn’t have an official electric driving range. Its 1.2kWh battery allows for low-speed electric-only running, but Renault maintains you could spend 80 per cent of your time driving on battery power when in town.
The E-Tech hybrid will cost slightly less to tax per year compared with the regular petrol version because it is classed as an alternative fuel vehicle, and all versions of Clio are well below the £40k road tax surcharge limit, so there won't be an additional fee to pay.
Company car drivers paying Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) payments will be better off with the E-Tech hybrid because it falls into the 24 per cent band (the same as a Toyota Yaris), whereas the regular petrol will be in either the 28 or 29 per cent band, depending upon the trim level you go for. Anyone aiming to pay less in tax will need to look for something all-electric, like the BYD Dolphin, MG4, Peugeot E-208, or Vauxhall Corsa Electric.
Insurance groups
The facelifted Renault Clio sits in insurance groups 10-15 (out of 50), depending on the engine and trim level you go with. For context, the Skoda Fabia lands in groups 4-20, while the Honda Jazz starts from group 19.
Depreciation
Our experts predict that the new Renault Clio range will retain between 50 and 53 per cent of its value after three years and 36,000 miles. The Suzuki Swift sits right in the middle at 52 per cent, while the Skoda Fabia is projected to retain 46-54 per cent.
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