Renault Megane E-Tech Review

The previous Renault Megane got a bit lost in the family hatchback market – you might even be struggling to picture it. Renault has certainly made sure the latest Megane has the sparkle to stand out – and releasing it into the wild before a number of rivals.

Now, the Megane E-Tech has to contend with top talent such as the MG4 and Kia EV3, as well as the Volkswagen ID.3 and Citroen e-C4. Renault has plied the Megane with a SUV-like ride height – partly due to looking trendy and partly due to the batteries under the floor – and a sleek design.

In fact, most of the Megane’s attributes are marginally better than the ID.3 by design. The Megane’s range is a bit better, it has slightly more power and the boot is slightly bigger. And it helped to reinvigorate Renault’s range, which now includes some of the most appealing family cars on sale.

Inside, the airy interior has one of the best touchscreens you’ll find, with snappy responses and Google Maps integration. Further back, there’s just enough rear-seat space for family buyers and a deep boot.

We’d love to see a hotted-up Alpine version of the Megane E-Tech – like Renault’s recently done with the award-winning R5 – but for now there’s only one powertrain. At least that makes the choice easy, and the Megane’s quoted 285-mile range should be more than enough for the majority of buyers.

Renault’s interiors are full of the good stuff at the moment, and the Megane is a lovely place to spend time. The textures and fabrics are imaginative, tactile and stop the car feeling drab inside – as some rival EVs can. Plus, the grey seat fabric in higher-spec models is recycled, so you can feel like you’re doing your bit for the polar bears.

From behind the wheel, the Megane feels very driver-focused, with the infotainment screen and the attached phone tray angled towards you, which makes it easy to reach all the controls.

A pair of screens are standard, with a widespan digital instrument cluster and either a square or portrait touchscreen. Both are emphatically crisp and quick to respond, while the touchscreen has an ace up its sleeve. Running on Google software means the best, most up-to-date mapping app is the native sat-nav system. It’s super snappy, reroutes you around traffic at the drop of a hat and can find you an EV charger en-route with just a tap.

The infotainment system is also neatly laid out, with intuitive menus and a useful climate control bar for easy access to commonly used functions.

In an ideal world we’d like these air con controls to be a bit bigger – they’re a bit small to hit while driving. The touch-sensitive steering wheel buttons can be accidentally pressed, and the three stalks on the right of the wheel are just too many – even if the top one is a column-shift gearlever, freeing up space on the centre console.

There’s a huge amount of standard equipment. Entry-level Evolution spec includes 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, keyless entry, adaptive cruise control, a reversing camera with rear sensors, and auto emergency braking. Moving up to the Techno trim brings auto wipers, wireless phone charging, 20-inch wheels and extra safety tech, while top-spec Iconic gets a Harman Kardon sound system, gold front-end detailing, a 360-degree camera and parking assist.

Most buyers will find the Megane’s interior space absolutely fine in isolation, although tall passengers are likely to be a bit happier in an MG4 or Volkswagen ID.3. Rear legroom is decent, if not absolutely outstanding, but if you’re above average height you’ll find yourself a bit short of headroom back there.

A flat floor means there’s room for three pairs of feet, and it shouldn’t be too difficult to squeeze in a fifth passenger for occasional short journeys.

If you’re carrying kids instead, the doors open fairly wide and the Isofix points are easily accessible – and there’s a third set of points on the front passenger seat. We wonder if the Megane’s high windowline will make it hard for kids to survey the surroundings, though.

Storage up front is pretty impressive. By moving the gearlever to the steering wheel and making the most of the Megane’s electric-only platform, Renault has freed up a huge open storage area where the centre console would otherwise be. There’s also a handy phone tray under the big screen and big door bins – and they get extra points for being flock lined, so bottles and clutter won’t rattle around.

You get more boot space in the Megane than in the ID.3, MG4 or Cupra Born. The 440-litre space behind the Megane’s bootlid is square and deep, so it should be very easy to load bulky items. One thing to bear in mind is that there’s quite a big lip to haul shopping over, and it doesn’t appear that a false floor is available to get around this. By the same token, there’s a big step in the loadbay when the rear seats are folded.

You don’t need to spend long choosing the Megane E-Tech for you, as all get the same electric motor and battery. Specifically, a 220hp motor on the front axle, and a 60kWh battery. The 0-62mph time stands at 7.5 seconds, which is more than enough for daily driving scenarios and means the Megane doesn’t struggle to get up to motorway speeds.

You can expect up to 285 miles on a full charge – less on motorways, as with any EV. Having a standard-fit heat pump means the Megane should be a lot more efficient in winter than an EV without one.

At a public fast-charger, the Megane can handle 130kW, for a 15-80% top-up in 32 minutes. Most buyers will use a 7.4kW home wallbox to keep the Megane topped up, where the same amount of charge will take six hours.

The illustrious history of Renaultsport-tuned Meganes looks to be in the rear-view mirror, with the new electric Megane focusing on smoothness and comfort instead. As a daily driver or commuter car, the Megane is fantastic.

Its immediate power delivery makes it a doddle to exploit gaps in traffic, and the regen braking lets you mostly drive on one pedal. You can adjust the strength of the electric motor braking with the paddles on the steering wheel, and can go from highest to lowest strength by holding the paddle towards you. 

Higher-spec Meganes include what Renault calls ‘context-aware’ adaptive cruise control. This means that the cruise control system, when engaged, can slow you down for bends or junctions. You’ll either find it immensely helpful or quite frustrating, so it’s worth taking one for a test-drive to see how you find the system. And it’s not quite clever enough that you can fall asleep at the wheel, sorry.

The Megane is satisfying to drive on a twisty road, too. It’s chuckable and handles quick direction changes really well, aided by responsive steering. Just a shame that the steering has no feel whatsoever and is a bit too light.

Even on the Megane’s massive wheels, the ride quality remains strong. It’s comfortable and the big jolts are smoothed off well, and you’ll hear the impacts more than you’ll feel them.

You’ll probably need the standard-fit reversing camera, because the pinched rear windscreen doesn’t do much for backwards visibility.