The 2025 Renault 4 E-Tech: Reimagining the Iconic City Car for the Electric Age
For a decade now, I’ve witnessed firsthand the seismic shifts within the automotive industry, particularly the accelerating transition to electric propulsion. We’ve seen established manufacturers grapple with this new reality, some hesitantly, others with audacious leaps. Renault, in particular, has been a fascinating case study. Their recent electric vehicle (EV) offensive, a strategic pivot towards nostalgia fused with cutting-edge technology, has been nothing short of remarkable. Following the triumphant revival of the spirited Renault 5, and the sportier Alpine A290 variant, Renault has now resurrected another legend: the 2025 Renault 4 E-Tech. This electric reimagining of a beloved French icon isn’t just a new car; it’s a compelling proposition for the modern urban dweller, a retro-charmer that smartly blends yesteryear’s practicality with tomorrow’s sustainable mobility.
A Legacy Reborn: More Than Just Nostalgia
The original Renault 4, a utilitarian workhorse that graced European roads from the early 1960s to the mid-1990s, was celebrated for its unfussy charm, its surprising practicality, and its affordability. It was a car designed to empower everyday people, offering reliable, accessible transport. This new 2025 Renault 4 E-Tech carries that spirit forward, but with a significant upgrade: all-electric power.
Sharing its fundamental underpinnings with the lauded Renault 5 EV, the 2025 4 E-Tech arrives as a fully electric vehicle, offering a practical estimated range of up to 247 miles on a single charge. While the silhouette subtly nods to its ICE predecessor, the design has been thoughtfully updated and slightly scaled up to accommodate contemporary needs – passengers, cargo, and of course, the essential battery pack and advanced safety systems. It might not possess the immediate visual exuberance of its sibling, the Renault 5, but the 4 E-Tech exudes a distinct and endearing charm. It’s undeniably “cute” and possesses a unique ability to stand out in a sea of homogenous modern traffic. For those seeking an electric city car that evokes a sense of joy and individuality, Renault has certainly delivered. This potent blend of nostalgic appeal and modern EV sophistication, a signature of Renault’s revitalized lineup, taps into a powerful consumer desire for familiar aesthetics coupled with progressive technology.
Powertrain and Performance: Effortless Urban Mobility
Renault has opted for a refreshingly straightforward approach to the 2025 Renault 4 E-Tech’s powertrain, at least in the UK market. A single configuration is available: a 52-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery feeding a 150-horsepower electric motor that drives the front wheels. This setup delivers a respectable 181 lb-ft of torque, enabling a 0-62 mph sprint in a relaxed 8.2 seconds. While not geared for outright speed, its top speed of 93 mph is more than adequate for its intended urban and suburban environments.
What truly matters for a city car is its real-world range, and the 4 E-Tech aims to provide clarity. The quoted 247-mile figure is based on WLTP testing, a standard that often differs from actual driving conditions. Recognizing this, Renault has ingeniously integrated a “how far will I really go” tool on its website. This feature allows prospective buyers to input their typical driving routes, local climate, and driving mode preferences to receive a more personalized and realistic range estimate. This proactive approach to managing customer expectations regarding EV range is a smart move, fostering trust and transparency in an industry still navigating consumer understanding of electric vehicle performance. It’s a welcome initiative that more manufacturers should adopt.
Fast charging capabilities are also on point for its segment. Capped at 100 kW, this is more than sufficient for a compact, affordably positioned EV designed primarily for city commutes. Renault claims a 15% to 80% charge can be achieved in approximately 30 minutes, a duration that aligns perfectly with a typical supermarket shopping trip. Imagine plugging in your 2025 Renault 4 E-Tech, picking up your weekly groceries, and returning to a significantly replenished battery.
Practicality and Interior Comfort: Designed for Daily Life
Beyond its charming exterior, the 2025 Renault 4 E-Tech proves to be a remarkably practical vehicle. Its cargo capacity is generous for its class, offering 14.8 cubic feet of space with the rear seats in use, expanding to an impressive 49.6 cubic feet when folded down. This makes it perfectly suited for hauling everything from weekly shopping to weekend adventure gear. The interior has also been designed with thoughtful utility in mind, featuring ample storage compartments and cubbies to keep everyday essentials organized and within easy reach. Even the inclusion of a pair of cup holders in the center console speaks to Renault’s understanding of practical everyday needs.
Stepping inside the 2025 Renault 4 E-Tech, the commitment to ease of use and driver comfort is immediately apparent. The driving position is upright and commanding, offering excellent visibility of the road ahead. Controls are intuitively placed and operate with a light, precise feel. Selecting “D” from the steering-column-mounted shifter, a familiar yet effective design choice, and a gentle press of the accelerator pedal results in smooth, effortless gliding through urban landscapes.
In “Comfort” mode, the throttle response is commendably peppy, providing ample acceleration for navigating city traffic. For those prioritizing maximum range, “Eco” mode subtly recalibrates the throttle for greater efficiency, though it does slightly dampen the responsiveness. For longer journeys or when range anxiety is a concern, Eco mode is the logical choice, but for typical city jaunts, Comfort mode offers a more engaging and spirited experience. A “Perso” mode allows for further customization of driving characteristics to suit individual preferences.
The 2025 Renault 4 E-Tech adheres to modern automotive safety standards, incorporating a comprehensive suite of mandated active safety features. While these systems, which include audible warnings for exceeding speed limits and potential hazards, are crucial for enhancing road safety, they can sometimes feel intrusive. Thankfully, Renault has made these alerts relatively easy to disable, a welcome concession for drivers who prefer a less ‘chastised’ driving experience.
The car’s tall, relatively slab-sided profile, while contributing to its spacious interior, does present a minor challenge when maneuvering through tight urban spaces. However, this is mitigated by the car’s overall compact dimensions. The glasshouse, while offering good forward visibility, is somewhat limited, and the rear window offers a restricted view. Fortunately, a standard reversing camera provides crucial assistance when backing into parking spots. Although the camera’s resolution is not top-tier, it fulfills its purpose of allowing drivers to detect obstacles, ensuring safer parking maneuvers.
Driving Dynamics: Fun Without Fuss
On the open road, the 2025 Renault 4 E-Tech proves surprisingly capable. It cruises comfortably at highway speeds, and while its acceleration figures may not be headline-grabbing, there’s sufficient power for confident overtaking of slower vehicles. Wind noise is present, but generally kept to a level that allows for enjoyable conversation or listening to podcasts, making it a pleasant companion for longer commutes. Ultimately, the 4 E-Tech is engineered to smooth out the daily grind of driving, transforming mundane journeys into more pleasant experiences.
Even on twisty, more engaging roads, the Renault 4 E-Tech offers an unexpected dose of fun. Its modest power output and immediate electric torque allow for easy maintenance of speed through corners, fostering a sense of fluid momentum. The suspension is tuned for comfort rather than outright sportiness, exhibiting a gentle lean through turns, which adds to the car’s character rather than detracting from the driving experience. The steering is light and precise, contributing to the overall ease of driving. Engaging “Sport” mode provides a subtle boost in responsiveness, but the car’s inherent nature remains that of a comfortable cruiser. For most drivers, remaining in “Comfort” mode will provide an ideal balance of engagement and ease. It’s a rare modern car that manages to be genuinely fun without encouraging reckless driving, a testament to Renault’s design philosophy for this model.
The inclusion of steering-wheel-mounted paddles for adjusting regenerative braking levels further enhances driver engagement. Drivers can choose anything from minimal regeneration to full one-pedal driving. While the ability to adjust this is welcome, many owners will likely find the convenience of one-pedal driving the most practical and enjoyable setting for daily use.
The digital instrument cluster is a highlight, featuring large, clear readouts that provide essential information at a glance: speed, selected drive mode, remaining range, and more. The 10.3-inch central infotainment touchscreen is equally user-friendly, responding crisply to even light touches, which is a thoughtful consideration for drivers with less firm handshakes. Renault’s proprietary infotainment software is intuitive to navigate, and for those who prefer it, seamless integration with Apple CarPlay is also available. While some climate control functions retain physical buttons – a welcome tactile feature – the operation of the excellent heated seats is managed through the touchscreen.
What Shines Brightest: The Heart of the 4 E-Tech
The most compelling aspect of the 2025 Renault 4 E-Tech is its palpable sense of joy. Unlike some competitors that over-promise and under-deliver on the concept of “driving pleasure,” the 4 E-Tech embodies it effortlessly. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and crucially, it doesn’t encourage aggressive driving. This “not sporty” demeanor, as paradoxical as it may sound, is a significant advantage. It translates directly into a supremely comfortable ride. The suspension is supple, the seats are supportive without being constricting, and the overall sensation is one of effortless gliding. This comfort is a major boon for urban dwellers who might spend considerable time navigating congested city streets, transforming potential commutes into moments of calm.
Furthermore, the 4 E-Tech demonstrates impressive thermal management for its battery. While some EVs experience significant range degradation in cold weather, the 4 E-Tech proved remarkably resilient during testing. Achieving an observed 3.6 miles per kWh across mixed driving conditions suggests a real-world maximum range of around 187 miles, a far more acceptable figure than might be expected, especially considering the temperature fluctuations. This robust performance in varying conditions adds another layer of practicality to its EV credentials.
Areas for Refinement: Minor Quirks in an Otherwise Stellar Package
Despite its many strengths, the 2025 Renault 4 E-Tech isn’t without its minor quirks. The steering-wheel-mounted gear selector, while aesthetically pleasing and reminiscent of traditional automatic shifters, can occasionally be a source of mild frustration. The mechanism requires a firm application of the brake pedal to engage or disengage drive. If sufficient brake pressure isn’t applied, the system can be hesitant to switch between forward and reverse gears. This quirk, coupled with the potential for a momentary lapse in attention, could lead to an unintended lurch in the wrong direction. While not a dealbreaker, it’s a point that requires a brief acclimatization period for new drivers to avoid any unexpected jolts.
The mandated active safety features, while undoubtedly contributing to overall road safety, can sometimes feel overzealous, issuing frequent audible alerts. While the ability to assign a programmable hotkey on the steering wheel to disable these bongs and bings is a significant advantage, the question remains whether all owners will take the initiative to configure this. For the sake of driver sanity, one hopes they will.
As mentioned earlier, the reversing camera, while functional, suffers from a rather low resolution. It is sufficient to identify obstacles and thus serves its primary purpose, but the visual clarity is noticeably compromised, falling short of the crisp imagery found on many contemporary vehicles.
Pricing and Final Verdict: A Compelling Choice for the Conscious Commuter
In the United Kingdom, the 2025 Renault 4 E-Tech begins its pricing at £27,195 for the entry-level model, with higher trim levels featuring additional amenities increasing the price to £31,195. In the US, pricing starts at $35,668 and can reach up to $40,914 for the fully loaded variant. While the higher end of this spectrum might seem substantial, the overall value proposition, considering the unique blend of retro design, modern EV technology, and everyday practicality, remains highly competitive. Exploring the online configurator on a Sunday morning is unlikely to result in sticker shock.
The Renault 4 E-Tech is not a vehicle designed for every driver. Its compact size, moderate range, and 100 kW charging speed, while suitable for the majority of urban dwellers, may not satisfy those with demanding long-distance travel requirements. However, for individuals and small families whose primary driving needs revolve around city commuting and occasional excursions, the 2025 Renault 4 E-Tech represents a brilliant choice. It’s engaging to drive, remarkably easy to live with, and possesses a distinctive character that sets it apart from the often-uninspired designs prevalent in the current automotive landscape.
For those it suits, the 2025 Renault 4 E-Tech is poised to be utterly perfect, a daily dose of delight that will brighten every drive. If you’re seeking an electric vehicle that blends timeless charm with contemporary relevance, one that promises smiles as much as miles, then the 2025 Renault 4 E-Tech deserves your serious consideration. Discover how this iconic reimagining can elevate your daily commute and bring a touch of Gallic flair to your electric driving experience.
