2022 Renault Megane E-Tech Electric UK pricing announced
The all-electric Renault Megane E-Tech Electric will start from £35,995
Renault has confirmed that the new Megane E-Tech Electric is available to pre-order now, with three trim levels to choose from. It’s an all-new iteration of its long-running family hatchback, sporting crossover styling cues and a pure electric powertrain, and prices start from £35,995.
The new model starts with the Equilibre trim level, then Techno and also the range-topping Launch Edition.
Each trim level of the new Megane E-Tech Electric is powered by a 60kWh battery in the UK, although a cheaper 40kWh variant will be offered in Europe. As standard the Equilibre comes with 18-inch ‘Oston’ alloy wheels, LED headlights, ambient lighting, heated steering, heated front seats and a rear parking camera. Renault has also given the new electric Megane safety features in the form of driver drowsiness alert, lane keep assist and automatic emergency braking.
Inside the Megane there’s a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel and a 9-inch infotainment setup, which runs Android OS. Google services are integrated into the system, which also features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Techno trim starts from £38,495 and it adds extra safety features such as adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring and a rear cross traffic alert. The styling is tweaked, too, with the addition of adaptive LED headlights that feature scrolling indicators and a distinctive running light signature. Larger 20-inch wheels also mark out the Techno.
The Megane E-Tech Electric Launch Edition tops the range, gaining a new 20-inch wheel design, a smart rear view mirror, a 3D parking camera system and a Harmon Kardon stereo. Starting from £39,995, it features recycled fabric upholstery, 48-colour ambient lighting and dual-zone climate control, along with customizable driving modes. Automatic wipers and a wireless smartphone charging pad are included, too.
Those who have paid the £500 holding fee will be among the first to test drive the Megane E-Tech Electric when it arrives in the UK later this year, although customers can cancel their reservation at any time for a full refund.
The Megane E-Tech Electric will be the first of Renault’s ‘Generation 2.0’ electric vehicles, and is based on the Renault-Nissan Alliance’s CMF-EV platform designed specifically for battery-powered models. The forthcoming EV will be fitted with a 60kWh battery to provide a WLTP-certified range of 280 miles.
Rapid charging at a maximum 130kW DC allows a 15 to 80 per cent charge in 30 minutes, which will recoup up to 186 miles of range. As with Renault’s smaller Zoe model and its Chameleon charger, the Megane E-Tech Electric is also compatible with 7.4, 11 and 22kW AC charging.
Four regenerative braking levels also help to recoup charge when slowing down, forcing energy into the battery that would otherwise be wasted. These are adjusted using the car’s steering wheel-mounted paddles, with Level 0 providing no braking effect and Level 3 allowing one-pedal driving.
Although the CMF-EV platform does support a dual-motor all-wheel drive arrangement, the E-Tech Electric will come in front-wheel-drive form only and one electric motor option will be available, offering up 215bhp and 300Nm of torque.
The latter will sprint from 0-62mph in 7.4 seconds and hit a top speed of 99mph, while there are Eco, Comfort and Sport driving modes available that alter the steering, accelerator pedal, interior lighting and display configurations. The Megane also offers a 900kg towing capacity.
Renault claims the Megane E-Tech Electric is also fun to drive, helped in part by its relatively low kerbweight for an EV. The big-battery car weighs from 1,624kg helped by extensive use of aluminium in the bodywork, while Renault claims that the new Megane is between 80 and 100kg lighter than its competitors spec-for-spec and is the lightest family-sized EV crossover on the market. Despite this, Renault promises strong refinement thanks to extra material in the doors and more foam in the floor to drown out noises you’d otherwise hear without a combustion engine to drown them out.
The E-Tech Electric’s relatively low kerbweight is helped by a compact electric motor that is 10 per cent lighter than that used on the Zoe EV supermini, as well as an innovative battery design that also benefits packaging.
At just 110mm deep the Megane E-Tech Electric’s liquid-cooled battery is the slimmest pack on the market and delivers 20 per more energy density than the cells used in the Zoe. This allows for a lower and fully flat floor inside the car, helping to keep the Megane’s overall height to just 1.5 metres.
With a 2.7-metre wheelbase (similar to its closest rival, the Volkswagen ID.3) and the wheels pushed as close to the car’s corners as possible, the Megane E-Tech Electric offers a good degree of space inside, as we found out at the car’s unveiling. Renault also targeted the combustion-engined Megane’s boot space, so there’s 440 litres on offer here (the lack of a rear motor helping improve luggage room). There is a significant boot lip, but a moveable boot floor is available, while there is a dedicated space for storing the car’s charging cables.
Renault revealed the all-new fifth generation of its Megane family car at the 2021 Munich Motor Show as a new rival for other electric hatchbacks, such as the Volkswagen ID.3 and Nissan Leaf.
The rear screen is shallow, but to combat this (and for when the boot if fully loaded) Renault has developed a digital rear-view mirror to go with the all-round parking sensors.
It’s not the only advanced tech on board as the French firm has developed an all-new infotainment system for the Megane E-Tech Electric, called OpenR Link. It consists of a 12.3-inch digital dash panel and a portrait-orientated 12-inch touchscreen that both boast sharper and clearer graphics than any Renault infotainment system we’ve seen yet.
The new tech is powered by Android and uses Google Maps-based sat-nav, featuring an ‘Electric Route Planner’ that factors in charging stations on your route, offering easy integration for Android smartphone users and ‘Hey Google’ voice assistant control. OpenR Link is also compatible with Apple CarPlay and offers plenty of connected services in conjunction with the My Renault smartphone app.
Renault says owners can use a Mobilize Charge Pass to allow access to over 7,000 charge points in the UK. The locations of these charging points can be accessed via the OpenR Link or the My Renault app, which shows additional real-time availability, charging capabilities and pricing.
Inside, the infotainment gives the Megane E-Tech Electric a relatively premium feel from our first impressions at the car’s launch, with many of the materials used either recycled or selected with an environmentally friendly focus, while the exterior styling matches this.
It still sits slightly higher from the road compared with a regular family hatch, giving the car a slight crossover stance, but the Megane’s design cues also help give it a muscular, compact look.
Sharp LED lights – including 3D tail-lights – that are animated on locking and unlocking give the E-Tech Electric a recognisable light signature, while alloy wheels ranging from 18 to 20 inches in diameter fill relatively muscular wheel arches. The overhangs are short and the bonnet is relatively stubby, helped by its compact motor and inverter packaging, which helps give good visibility too. The sleek profile is completed by new, flush-fitting door handles.
The car also features Renault’s new retro-inspired logo, which houses some of the sensors for the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems at the front. These include autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, while semi-autonomous cruise control with lane assist, lane keep assist and lane departure warning, a 3D around view monitor, AEB for when reversing, plus a passenger exit warning are all available.
Now read our full review of the Renault Megane E-Tech electric...
