Renault has given its all-electric Megane E-Tech hatchback a proper mid-life spruce-up, with a sharper face, more range and a bigger helping of useful technology for buyers making the switch to electric.
The updated Renault Megane arrives with a new 67kWh lithium iron phosphate battery, replacing the old set-up and bringing an official maximum range of up to 311 miles, a useful bump from the previous model’s 285-mile maximum. The new battery also allows faster rapid charging, with a peak rate of 165kW and a claimed 15 to 80 per cent top-up time of around 24 minutes.
There’s no word yet on UK pricing and specification, but as the new Megane E-Tech will continue to be built in northern France, with its battery assembled at Renault’s Douai factory and its electric motor made at the company’s Cléon site in Normandy, it’s expected to still benefit from the government’s Electric Car Grant – possibly even the larger £3,750 grant rather than the £1,500 discount on the current Megane. That could make the Megane cheaper than before; prices for the old car start at £31,295 including the smaller grant.
Power for this upgraded Megane comes from a 217bhp electric motor with 300Nm of torque, which Renault says is made without using rare earth materials. The Megane can get from 0-62mph in 7.6 seconds, while a revised suspension set-up and retuned steering have been fitted to account for the larger, heavier battery.
The big news visually is at the front, where everything apart from the headlights is new. There is a chunkier body-coloured bumper, a gloss-black grille with a new diamond pattern and eight illuminated diamond shapes sitting where the old side air intakes used to be.
Renault has also moved its badge lower down, just beneath the bonnet line, while the rear lights keep their familiar full-width look but now use a lens-free 3D design. The Megane is 20mm taller than before due to its larger battery, which is still located in the floor, although it keeps the same 4,200mm overall length and a 440-litre boot.
Inside, Renault has trimmed the range back to two versions: Techno and sportier Esprit Alpine, which takes a little bit of inspiration from the Alpine Formula One team.
Techno comes with 19-inch wheels, a heat pump, battery pre-conditioning and the company’s 12-inch openR infotainment screen alongside a 12.3-inch digital driver display. The Esprit Alpine adds 20-inch wheels, massage seats, a Harman Kardon audio system and extra driver assistance kit.
The infotainment system continues to use Google’s built-in services, with a native Google Maps app able to factor battery charge and charge station locations into longer journeys. There are now more than 100 apps available through Google Play, plus three years of internet connectivity is included. iPhone users will be pleased to see the new Megane is the first car to have MagSafe, Apple’s magnetic wireless charging tech, as well as the Qi2 standard for all other phones.
Google Gemini AI also joins the party, replacing Google Assistant and allowing drivers to speak to the car in a more natural way, while a new driver-recognition feature can use a facial scan to load personalised settings such as seat position, favourite media and the screen layout. Renault says this information stays in the vehicle rather than being sent to a server.
There is also a new One Pedal mode, which allows the driver to slow the car to a stop using only the accelerator, plus four levels of regenerative braking controlled by paddles behind the steering wheel.
Renault has kept 11kW AC charging as standard, plus there’s an optional 22kW bidirectional system for powering external devices and appliances. That can power electrical devices through the car’s battery, while vehicle-to-grid charging could allow electricity to be fed back into the grid in markets where the system is available.
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