Renault Twingo to return as an affordable compact EV
The new Twingo is scheduled to arrive in 2026.
The New Renault Twingo
Who doesn’t love the little Renault Twingo?
Believe it or not, the first generation was launched at the 1992 Paris Motor Show.
And now the French carmaker has confirmed the Twingo name will live again, this time in the shape of an ‘affordable’ EV. Affordable? Well, Renault bosses are planning an entry-point of under €20,000 … that’s around £17,000.
Set to be designed, engineered and produced by Ampere — a new and completely separate division under the Renault Group umbrella, with around 35,000 employees and which focuses solely on electric vehicles for the B and C-segments of the Renault EV market — the new Twingo EV will be built in Europe.
But crucially, because of the low list price, Ampere is already claiming the baby EV will be available from less than €100 per month: that equates to around £90.
We’ve got a little bit of time yet before we see the full production model.
But Renault bosses plan to match the new ‘concept-to-production’ timescale now established by Chinese carmakers; that means the new Twingo is scheduled to arrive super-quick, in 2026. And if it’s anything like the first ‘concept’ images, it’s sure to be a little cracker.
Set to go head-to-head with the likes of the rival Dacia Spring and Citroen e-C3, the new Twingo will sit below the all-electric Renault 5 hatchback and Renault 4 compact SUV.
As you might suspect, no technical details have been revealed yet. However, what the bosses at Renault Group have said is the latest Twingo will be a “fit-for-purpose urban vehicle with no compromise”.
It also claims the car will offer impressive efficiency of 6.2mpkWh and 75%-lower CO2 emissions over its lifecycle than the “average European ICE car sold in 2023”.
Such is the potential significance of the Twingo, Renault Group boss Luca de Meo described the new EV as a "silver bullet for sustainability mobility" and key in the firm's quest for an affordable EV.
De Meo went on to stress the new hatchback will cost 50% less to produce than a new C-segment SUV. Renault plans to achieve this thanks to a reduction in materials and an increased focus on a software-driven platform that will require fewer parts and materials.