Orders open now for MY27 Renault 5 E-Tech

A smidge more range, more colours and more features for latest EV update

By Matt Bird / Tuesday, 22 September 2026 / Loading comments

We all know Renault is on a roll of late when it comes to its retro electric cars, but time waits for no maker when it comes to small EVs. It feels like one of the most hotly contested segments right now, with manufacturers new and old offering something small, funky and battery powered. Not wanting the 5 to be left behind a couple of years after launch, Renault has now revised the E-Tech for the 2027 Model Year.

Nothing is drastically different, so don’t fret if you’ve just placed an order. The styling, understandably, is unchanged, the design undoubtedly a huge part of the 5’s charm. There are new personalisation options, though, with Flame Red and Shadow Grey coming to the colour palette; Midnight Blue now gets a red roofline, and new sticker packs are coming alongside a freshened-up paint selection. The yellow upholstery that was in the iconic five+ model will now be mottled blue, with ‘minor upholstery and stitching revisions’ everywhere else. Nothing transformative, basically, if likely to look nice in a showroom.

Perhaps the biggest changes for the 5 E-Tech come inside, with new tech to make ‘everyday driving easier’. So there’s an upgraded wireless phone charger that’s cooled, meaning your phone actually gets its battery topped up and not just overheated; the eCall system is now compatible with newer phone networks; and the Gemini AI assistant can now be added to the Google built-in software.

Perhaps of most interest is the new SmartMode, which can adjust the driving setting - Eco, Comfort or Sport - automatically depending on driver behaviour. They can still change it as required, though, albeit without the Multi-Sense button on the wheel any longer. (Come on Renault, we’ve just started to enjoy buttons going back on the wheel - nobody really wants to talk to their car for Sport mode.)

Better aero - for the lower body and mirrors - plus improved battery electronics mean the E-Tech range has increased, which is good news, though not by enough to make a meaningful difference to how the 5 will be used. The 40kWh Urban Range car with 120hp used to do 192 miles - now it does 197. What was 252 miles for the 150hp Comfort is now 259. Still, something is better than nothing.

Especially when it comes for free. The latest 5 E-Tech costs the same as it did before, which is quite something when it comes to new cars in 2026. So that means from £21,495 for the 120hp evolution (with ECG included); to get a 150hp machine is from £23,945 for the techno+ (again with a grant, albeit a smaller one, included) and the flagship Roland Garros+ is a £27k car. With residuals proving remarkably resilient (there’s not a 5 on PH for less than £20,000), maybe new is the way to go. Especially with an old Renaultsport colour resurrected…