Renault Zoe Review

Performance

A car like the Zoe isn’t really designed with outright speed in mind – after all this is a small hatchback with an electric motor which is meant to do duty as a shopping and school run car. But it feels remarkably perky to drive, especially around town and at lower speeds. 

There's currently only one Zoe available – the R135 – and it gets a 133bhp electric motor. Previously there was a cheaper version, called the R110, with a 106bhp electric motor. Compare these figures to a conventional petrol engine and they stack up well, being the equivalent of a 1.3 or even 1.6-litre Clio. 

As electric motors produce instant power, you may find yourself surprising some sportscars when pulling away from a standstill at traffic lights – even with the less-powerful 110. The punchiness tails off as you get faster and once you are at motorway speeds the Zoe doesn’t feel so keen to gather speed, but it’s no worse than a small-engined petrol car. The top speed of any Zoe is not much above the motorway speed limit, and driving fast will eat through the battery range anyway. 

Drive

Driving a Zoe is incredibly simple, and there’s nothing to fear for anyone who is new to electric cars. Press the start button, select ‘Drive’ on the gear selector and off you go.

The only unfamiliar parts will be the silence compared to a conventional car and the (new) option of a ‘B’ mode. This brings in a sensation of extra braking when you lift off the accelerator, as though you were changing down gear in a conventional car. In the Zoe though it turns the motor into a generator, harnessing the energy when you slow down to put power back into the battery. It may take a little getting used to, but once you’ve mastered it there will only be a few times on any journey when you’d need to touch the brake. It’s good for extending the battery range too.

Other than this the Zoe drives in the same way as any small hatch back. It feels grippy and nimble with light steering which makes it easy to park and navigate tight gaps. It’s less happy out on faster roads, but it never feels out of its depth.